Series Preview: Diamondbacks @ Giants
* PREVIEW: ARI @ SF - There are just two teams in the National League off to a poorer start than the Diamondbacks (3-6). The first is the dysfunctional Washington Nationals (1-7) franchise; the other is the San Francisco Giants (2-7). The Snakes will have wait until May to sink their fangs into the Nats, but as Arizona embarks on its first road trip of the season, the NL West-rival Giants look like a feast of kangaroo rats.
The Diamondbacks just completed a three-series home-stand that ought to have been a springboard into contention, but was more akin to a backyard trampoline accident. San Francisco fared even worse over their first nine games. After winning a home set with the Brewers, they were swept on a six-game trip through San Diego and Los Angeles. Thanks to the Giants, the Diamondbacks are not the doormats of the division.
How brutal has San Francisco been? For a sample, consider the probable starting pitchers for this weekend.
| SNAKES SP | W-L | ERA | WHIP | GIANTS SP | W-L | ERA | WHIP | ||
| GAME 1 | Dan Haren | 0-2 | 2.08 | 0.77 | v. | Jonathan Sanchez | 0-1 | 9.64 | 1.93 |
| GAME 2 | Doug Davis | 0-2 | 4.15 | 1.23 | v. | Tim Lincecum | 0-1 | 7.56 | 2.40 |
| GAME 3 | Max Scherzer | 0-0 | 5.40 | 1.40 | v. | Randy Johnson | 0-2 | 11.42 | 1.85 |
Friends, the Diamondbacks have not pitched well, but the Giants have pitched ugly. They can't blame it on unfavorable environments, either: all their games have been played in pitchers' parks. It may be too much to expect San Francisco to continue to struggle like they have done, but so far at least, Arizona's arms are in much better form.
* STACKING UP THE BATS - Their pitching should come around as the season progresses, but we suspect the Giants are nearly as bad as they've looked so far at the plate.
San Francisco's woes are summarized by a .656 OPS, the third lowest mark in baseball. Along with a lack of power (5 HR on the year), the Giants are failing to make contact (74 K) and get on base (a league-worst 20 BB). It's strange to see a franchise that for so many years was led by on-base machine and OPS-monster Barry Bonds now perform so poorly at the plate.
Next to the Giants, Arizona looks like a relative model of plate discipline and power. The Snakes have a combined .728 OPS and a more reasonable 57 K versus 26 BB. Eleven round-trippers give the Diamondbacks more than twice the total of their hosts.
It's no trick to shine in comparison with San Francisco's woeful offense, but Arizona hitters should be considerably better in 2009 than this weekend's opponents. Fourteen runs in the last two games against St. Louis is a step in the right direction. While the Snakes are not yet in their groove, things are looking up offensively.
* THE HANGOVER - How do we account for the Giants' weak offense? Their roster displays lingering effects of an ill-conceived effort to surround Bonds with "proven veterans" in an attempt to win a ring before he would retire. (Bonds did not retire, but was run from the game due to allegations of steroid abuse.)
The organization did a great job to accumulate pitching talent over the last decade, developing Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Jonathan Sanchez and acquiring veterans Jason Schmidt (now washed up in Los Angeles), Barry Zito (meh) and Randy Johnson (still trucking). But they stocked their line-up with moldy-oldies the likes of Omar Vizquel and Rich Aurilia and failed to develop any impact everyday players.
That may change soon, as catcher Buster Posey, second baseman Nick Noonan and first baseman Angel Villalona advance towards San Francisco. Even they are overshadowed by the talented arms also in the system, with Madison Bumgarner and Tim Alderson being the jewels.
Although it would be silly to complain of too much pitching, the Giants will need to find a better balance of position players and pitchers before they can seriously contend again. For now, their regulars are an uninspiring mix of faded, mid-30s veterans (Randy Winn, Edgar Renteria) and low-ceiling youngsters (Fred Lewis, Travis Ishikawa).
One interesting player to watch is catcher-turned-third baseman Pablo Sandoval. Listed at a paunchy 5'10", 245 lbs, Sandoval doesn't look like a candidate to play the hot corner, but the club likes his bat well enough and their alternatives so little that he has been installed as a regular. After tearing up two minor league levels in 2008, Sandoval impressed by hitting .345 / .357 / .490 with 10 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR and 24 RBI over 145 AB in a late-season call-up.
* UPTON RETURNS - San Francisco was the site of the All-Star Game back in 2007. Fans may recall that the Futures Game held that weekend was the showcase for Arizona's own Justin Upton to introduce himself to a national audience.
In an exhibition broadcast on ESPN, Upton demonstrated his awesome bat speed and power by turning a baseball a few inches above the knees into a laser beam that cleared the left field wall at AT&T Park in an instant. It was a memorable blast and the first time many Diamondbacks fans got to see the 19-year old uber-prospect in action. Scroll down the video highlights page to see the clip.
Balls may not carry in the Giants' home park this weekend as well as they did that sunny July day. It may not matter. We know JUp has the ability to go deep to all fields at any stadium in the game. It's only a matter of time before he opens his home run account for 2009. Perhaps a return to the Bay Area will inspire Upton to do so. Once those homers start flying, people ... watch out.
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