As the morning papers note, the Giants are showcasing Omar Vizquel and other vets for another 10 days before the deadline with the hope that a mini-hot streak will catch a scout's eye. Jack Taschner is now officially a set-up man and allowed to pitch an entire inning -- unless he does like last night and walks two of the three guys he faces. Way to boost that short-term trade value, Special Agent.
Dave Roberts is back and might start tonight in place of FreddieLoo!, though it's hard to imagine he's being showcased unless the Red Sox are on a dewy-eyed nostalgia trip. Oh well. Keeping Roberts isn't so bad for the rest of the year. If it weren't for his salary, he'd be a perfectly fine backup OF. He's a great pinch-hitter to lead off an inning when you need one run late in the game. Maybe he'll help teach Velez and Burriss the finer points of basestealing, the same way Maury Wills taught him when he was a pup, and his situation will sort itself out this winter.
You might even read "showcase" into the move to bring back Steve Holm, who according to Baggs' Blog could swap places with Eliezer Alfonzo tonight. Perhaps the Giants heard rumblings of interest in Holm, and they want to make sure he gets a little major-league PT before the deadline. Baggarly also speculates that Pablo Sandoval, who has moved up to AA and keeps on raking, could soon see the bigs, perhaps after Rich Aurilia is traded.
As for the youth movement, lo and behold check out the bullpen. With Yabu out, Tyler Walker is the senior citizen at 32; Taschner's the only other 30-year-old.
I'm feeling optimistic this morning. Bringing the Nats to town, now 0-5 against the Giants this year, will have that effect. And not just for the results on the field. Did you see where they traded top reliever Jon Rauch (good pitcher under a reasonable contract) straight up for the D-Backs' dubious infield prospect Emilio Bonifacio? But wait, there's more: GM Jim Bowden, perhaps eager to throw his weight around before he goes to jail, also gave a two-year $16 M extension to SS Christian Guzman, who is sporting a rather empty .300 batting average after a four-year run of offensive misery and a long injury-induced absence. Lunatic fringers, it could be a whole lot worse. We could have Paul LoDuca in left field.
