The Giants bullpen has turned it around. The laughing stock of the team and of the division is actually starting to perform. They have been pretty stingy since that Colorado game where they blew a brilliant start by Matt Cain and allowed 5 runs in 2 innings of work. A huge amount of the credit has to go to Bruce Bochy. This dude knows how to use his pen. After the first series of the season, every Giants fan on the face of the earth was looking for Jack Taschner's (among others) demotion after he gave up a game winning home run on opening night. Instead of panicking, Bochy knew, that whether he liked it or not, this is the bullpen he'd be stuck with for the season, so he had to make it work. Instead of getting down on the them, he has given all his relievers a vote of confidence, both through the media and to them individually. They are all responding terrifically. Jack Taschner has even mentioned how much it helped him to hear the vote of confidence coming from the manager. It's no coincidence that Taschner has been untouched since giving up that home run. The difference in the way Felipe Alou used his bullpen and the way Bochy is using it, is night and day. One thing Bochy has done that Alou never did, is let his relievers work out of jams. Another thing that Bochy doesn't do all the time is make a change based on the lefty/righty match ups. I still have my questions about the Giants pen, but things have gone a lot smoother than I had envisioned. Bochy also seems to know when and when not to play certain players. After a sluggish offensive start in which the team scored only 20 runs through their first 9 games, Bochy made it clear to the players struggling that he isn't afraid to sit them down. The offense has responded big time as they have score 43 runs over their last 9 contests.The Giants' starting pitching has not been a fluke. I think it's really this good. While I don't think
they'll keep the 2.67 era that they've had through the first month, all season, they are going to be a force. It's obvious Matt Morris was hurt last year because he's a different pitcher this season. I'd keep him this year, especially since he's on pace for an 18-20 win season. If he can win 15-17 games, he could be worth a ton this winter, and that's very possible. It will be tough for the team to keep Tim Lincecum in the Minors with him throwing the way he is, but I think this team is better off right now with the rotation as is and Lincecum keeps dominating in Fresno. Morris is another guy who has a lot to prove after he struggled through his first season with the Giants. So far the big question marks as far as the pitching staff is concerned, (Morris, Russ Ortiz and Armando Benitez) it's been so far so good.
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