MLB: Who Can Stop The Giants From Repeating? All Signs Point To Their Biggest Rivals

Can the LA Dodgers keep the SF Giants from repeating? Photo credit: USA Today

Some people are hesitant to call the San Francisco Giants a current dynasty in baseball. They have won 3 of the last 5 World Series championships, but the other 2 seasons they did not even make the playoffs. 

Sandoval On Why He Left SF for Boston

Sandoval now a Red Sox. Photo Credit: Greg M. Cooper/USA Today Sports

Recent new Red Sox signee Pablo Sandoval revealed just why he chose to leave the confines of San Francisco for Fenway Park in Boston.

By: Michael Hanley

Bumgarner Leads Giants to World Series Title

Bumgarner was named W.S MVP. Photo Credit: Jamie Square/ USA Today Sports

Madison Bumgarner completed his dominant run in the World series, helping the Giants defeat the Royals 3-2 to win their 3rd World series title in the last five years.

By: Michael Hanley

Royals Blowout Giants To Force Game 7

Ventura was dominant for KC. Photo Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel/USA Today Sports

Behind stellar pitching and a seven run second inning, Kansas City defeated the Giants 10-0 to even the World Series at 3-3.

By: Michael Hanley

Royals Get By Giants 3-2, Take 2-1 World Series Lead

Guthrie out dueled Time Hudson. Photo Credit: Kelley L. Cox/ USA Today Sports 

Jeremy Guthrie pitched shutout ball into the sixth inning, which helped propel the Royals to a 3-2 win over the Giants in Game 3 of the World Series. 

By: Michael Hanley

Royals Best Giants 7-2, Win Game 2 of the World Series

Infante had  a big night for KC. Photo Credit: Peter G. Aiken/ USA Today Sports

The Royals finally broke through offensively for a five run sixth inning to lead them to a 7-2 victory over the Giants to even the World series at one game apiece.

By: Michael Hanley

Bumgardner, Pence Lead Giants to 7-1 Victory Over the Royals

Bumgardner  cooled off the Royals lineup. Photo Credit: USA Today Sports

Madison Bumgardner pitched a gem tonight and led his team to a 7-1 win over the Royals in Game 1 of the World Series.

By: Michael Hanley

Ishikawa's Three Run Home Run Sends Giants to World Series

Ishikawa provided the power for SF. Photo Credit: Jeff Curry /USA Today Sports

Travis Ishikawa hit  a game winning three run home run that sent the San Francisco Giants to the World Series with a 6-3 win over the St Louis Cardinals on Thursday night at AT&T Park. 

By: Michael Hanley

Giants Defeat Cardinals 6-4, Take 3-1 NLCS Lead

Posey come through for SF. Photo Credit: Marcio Jose Sanchez/ USA Today Sports

Buster Posey drove in three runs as the Giants came from three runs down to defeat the Cardinals 6-4 to take  a commanding 3-1 lead in the NLCS.

By: Michael Hanley

Giants Defeat Cardinals in 10th Inning Off Choate Wild Throw

Crawford drew key walk in 10th. Photo Credit: Jayne Oncea/USA Today Sports. 

A wild pitch by Cardinals reliever Randy Choate allowed the Giants Brandon Crawford to score and give San Francisco the walk off  5-4 win in Game 3 of the NLCS at AT&T Park.

By: Michael Hanley

Giants NLCS Bound With 3-2 Win Over The Nationals

Panik's run would be the difference. Photo Credit: Lance Iversen/ USA Today Sports 

Joe Panik scored the go ahead run for San Francisco in the 7th inning off of Aaron Barrett's wild pitch which led the Giants to a 3-2 win over the Nationals and advancing to the NLCS.

By: Michael Hanley

A Recap of the NLDS Games

Kemp finished the game with a flourish. Photo Credit: Daniel Shirey/ USA Today Sports

A recap of the two wild games that happened in the National League side of the playoff ledger.

By: Michael Hanley

Bumgardner,Giants NLDS Bound After 8-0 Win Over Pittsburgh

Bumgardner was nearly untouchable. Photo Credit: Matt Marton/ USA Today Sports

Madison Bumgardner brought his a game to the mound & Brandon Crawford brought a timely hit along tonight in Pittsburgh as well which spelled doom for the Pirates as they were blanked 8-0  at home on Wednesday night in the NL WildCard Game.

By: Michael Hanley

The Winners & Losers of The MLB Trade Deadline



Will Price lead Detroit deep into the postseason? Photo Credit:USA Today

 

The trading deadline came and went, it did not disappoint in the sheer volume of trades that were made. Not all trades though made teams winners on this annual big event in baseball. We had our fair share of winners and losers after this trading frenzy. Just who were winners and losers? Find out below.

 

By: Michael Hanley

SF Giants Upgrade Rotation By Acquiring Jake Peavy From The Red Sox

Can Peavy help SF to the playoffs? Photo Credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

 

The San Francisco Giants have been seeking a way to improve what has been just an average overall performance from their starting rotation this season. A starting rotation ERA of 3.59 has been part of the reason why they have been unable to create any gap between themselves and LA in the NL West standings.This afternoon they have made a move to try and change that.

 

By: Michael Hanley

Tim Lincecum's No Hitter Demands Your Respect

 

Tim Lincecum tosses no hitter. Photo Credit:Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

 

In a baseball season that continues to give us no hitters to enjoy and cherish, Tim Lincecum added to the last on Wednesday as he no hit the San Diego Padres at home in what turned out to be a 4-0 win for the San Francisco Giants.

 

By: Michael Hanley

MLB: Giants Closer Sergio Romo Agree To Table Contract Talks

Sergio Romo of the San Francisco Giants. Photo credit MLB 

Sergio Romo can make the claim as literally having a perfect start to his season . The numbers bear that out as he is a perfect 10 for 10 when it comes to save opportunities. He also boasts a miniscule 1.88 ERA along with a 12/3 strikeout to walk ratio, which is a sensational ratio. From those numbers there is good reason that the San Francisco Giants want to extend his contract and lock him in with the team for the foreseeable future. Those talks for an extension of Romo’s contract have been postponed until presumably the offseason. Both sides agreed  that they did not want the talks to interrupt Romo or the team’s focus from the games.

by Michael Hanley

Baseball and PEDs: Further Down the Rabbit Hole

by Ryan Henry

After Melky Cabrera, San Francisco didn’t just lose their best hitter and the only person who could cover for Buster Posey in their lineup. They also lost a legitimate MVP candidate. Baseball also came face-to-face with performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) yet again. Not even two weeks later, Oakland A’s ace Bartolo Colon tested positive for PEDs. Their punishment? Each was suspended for 50 games. This seems almost too fitting as Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Roger Clemens all become eligible for the Hall of Fame. Eventually, baseball is going to have to admit that PEDs are a problem and that putting a stop to their use is more important than losing one of their stars.

Cabrera before his suspension. Courtesy of mlb.com

First of all, 50 games for a first offense is simply not enough of a penalty to actually cut down on PED use. During a radio interview with ESPN Radio New York, Victor Conte, the founder of BALCO, said that “as much as 50 percent” of MLB players currently use PEDs. While the actual numbers are probably lower, that does not mean that PEDs are not an epidemic that is plaguing baseball. These players are essentially committing fraud against the paying public. Both Cabrera and Colon are important pieces on contending teams. That does not even count Ryan Braun who was almost suspended during the off season, but escaped penalty due to a technicality. Braun is the reigning NL MVP and it was the first time that a suspension for PED use had been overturned.

Braun narrowly avoided his own suspension. Courtesy of mlb.com

Baseball’s drug testing policy is flawed. It doesn't catch enough people, and even when it works, the punishment isn't severe enough. Some of the proposed solutions range from making a first offense a year-long suspension to holding a player’s salary in escrow until a player passes drug tests to a team forfeiting wins for artificially winning games as a result of PEDs. After all, Cabrera’s .346 batting average or Colon’s 3.43 ERA are largely owed to their use steroids.

Colon was suspended 50 games for testing positive for testosterone. Courtesy mlb.com

So in light of the revelation that steroid use is still rampant throughout baseball that means that the steroid era is far from over, despite what MLB wants us to believe. With the first of the so-called steroid era becoming Hall of Fame eligible, what should baseball do? Let them in. Steroid detection began in 2006 when MLB adopted the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Since then there have been only 37 players suspended by this policy, and of those 37 only one (other than the 2 this year) have been notable plays: Manny Ramirez, twice. Those 37 players were suspended for a variety of reasons ranging from failure to comply with treatment programs to steroid use. The most troubling of these suspensions is that of Ramirez. He was suspended twice, once in 2009 and he served a 100 game suspension in 2011. The allure of steroids was so captivating that not even a 100 game suspension would dissuade him.

Ramirez was suspended for 100 games while with the Dodgers. Courtesy mlb.com

Since baseball cannot develop tests fast enough to test accurately for steroids and is either unwilling or unable to punish players sufficiently to get them to stop using then, it is time for baseball to begin to accept it. I don’t think that the MLB should stop trying to catch people who defraud baseball by using steroids, but they also shouldn't deny Bonds and company their deserved trip to Cooperstown simply because they did what everyone else was doing at the time. Baseball also cannot be certain how deep the proverbial rabbit hole goes. Where do the voters draw the line? They only admit people that are perfectly clean, i.e. have never been suspected of PED use? What about people that have been suspected but later cleared? What about pitchers who pitched in a World Series while wearing a bloody sock that has already fended off perjury allegations in front of a grand jury? These are all impossible questions. There is no correct arbitrary line. Don’t vote a player in if he was convicted of steroid use. That is a pretty clear line in the sand, but denying deserving players based on hearsay and suspicion isn’t right. After all, they are innocent until proven guilty.