EEEEEE! had just turned a year old when SportzNutz columnist David Malbuff began his 1997 pennant race journal. David's been doing this faithfully for a long time -- and with much more patience than you usually see in EEEEEE!-- GP

Tuesday, August 13, 1997

The San Francisco Giants are in first place in the National League's Western Division. They lead their arch-rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, by one and one-half games, with 43 games left to play. The Dodgers made up six games in three weeks between the All-Star Break and the end of July. Ten days ago, they had caught the Giants and were in a flat-footed tie for first. But LA's hot streak cooled just as the Giants went on the warpath in Cincinnati, Chicago, and Montreal; the lead was back to two and a half before the Giants' home loss to Cincinnati last night. As for the rest of the division -- Colorado and San Diego -- both ballclubs continue to flounder below the .500 mark and cannot be considered contenders at this time.

The Giants are coming off a 7-3 road trip which helped, in part, to right their leaky ship, which had taken on water since the All-Star Break. Sunday afternoon's thrilling 12-inning victory at Montreal was especially heartening, for several reasons. First, the Expos, despite their fourth-place status, have cuffed the Giants around severely this season, including several one-sided blowout losses. Second, Olympic Stadium itself has been especially gloomy for San Francisco; before taking two of three over the weekend, the Giants had not won there since June of 1996. Finally, the game was the Giants' entire season in miniature. They fell behind early but then rallied, with their starter getting stronger as he went along. Then the bullpen blew a late lead, forcing extra innings. The Giants squandered a bases-loaded opportunity in the tenth, but in the twelfth J.T. Snow delivered what may stand as one of the season's biggest hits, a ringing two-run single that finally decided the thing. It's been this way all year long, and likely will continue: nothing will come easy for this tough, determined ballclub, but come it will.

The road trip was the Giants' third timely surge of the season. There was the nine-game winning streak in April, which set the early tone for success. Then after 10 weeks of .500 ball the Giants caught fire just before the All-Star Break, blowing Colorado out of the race and leaving even the Dodgers hanging by a thread. Now, following the post-Break letdown, the Giants are in winning form once more. The brilliant, last-minute trade maneuvering -- picking up Wilson Alvarez, Roberto Hernandez, and the underrated Danny Darwin to bolster a tired pitching staff -- gives the team strength and depth as we stare down the final six weeks of the season. The Dodgers must continue to win, because the Giants' slump looks like it has ended. Yes, LA can still win it, but for their sake they had better, because the Giants are not likely to lose it.

Indeed, the Giants have avoided losing streaks all year. Absent the three hot spells noted above, they've been on a .500 kick the rest of the time. Like the 1989 team, this one shrugs off defeat and always salvages at least one win from a series. Doing "whatever it takes" and winning despite "the numbers" are this team's hallmarks; alone among contending clubs, let alone division leaders, the Giants have been outscored by their opposition (564-554). This is mostly due to a few one-sided, embarrassing wipeouts (in half a dozen such games they have been outscored by 81-14), as well as a certain propensity for winning close ones (34-19 in one- and two-run games). Defying the odds so far, the Giants have given us a colorful and exciting season. Now the serious business of winning takes over (and yes, we can expect that runs scored/allowed ratio to tilt favorably before the year ends).

How good are the Giants? Over the long haul, we're about to find out. In a short series, particularly with the new and improved pitching staff, they can beat anyone. Let's see if they get that postseason chance.

Here We Go!

		GIANTS        66-53              Swept in only two series this year...

		Los Angeles   64-54   1 1/2 GB   July hot streak has cooled down.
		


		

		GIANTS        67-53              ... and both those were two-gamers.

		Los Angeles   64-55   2 1/2 GB   Nomo serves up the game-winning homer.
		


		

Today's game: Giants host Chicago; 1:05 at the 'Stick. Mark Gardner goes against young Jeremi Gonzalez who, like the Reds' Tomko, shut down the Giants on the road last week. LA gets the Expos: a fine pitchers' series, with Tom Candiotti facing Carlos Perez tonight.

Yesterday's game: For the first time in his three Giant starts, lefty Wilson Alvarez lived up to his reputation. Nine strikeouts over seven-plus innings, allowing 7 hits and two earned runs while walking two. And trade-mate Roberto Hernandez got the save. Maybe Alvarez is one of those southpaws for whom the old 'Stick was made. Either way, it's good to see these guys get in a groove, and both were quick to credit the crowd: small, as usual (15,890) but evidently enthusiastic.

		GIANTS        67-54              What'll they do with 13 pitchers?

		Los Angeles   65-55   1 1/2 GB   These guys are getting by with about 5
		


		

Today's game: Giants host Chicago; 12:35 at the 'Stick. Shawn Estes, in search of his 15th win, versus the Cubs' Kevin Tapani. LA sends Ismael Valdes against the league's best, Pedro Martinez and his 1.72 ERA.

Yesterday's game: The fourth-inning bench-clearing brawl touched off by Jeff Kent's angry reaction to being hit by a pitch overshadowed the game itself. Mark Gardner was touched thrice by the long ball, but it was Julian Tavarez who gave up the killer hit. Entering the game with two on and one out in the seventh and the Cubs ahead by a run, he surrendered a bases-clearing double to Sammy Sosa, and that was the ballgame.

Notes: William VanLandingham, released five days ago, was claimed off waivers by Philadelphia, the worst team in baseball. Oddly enough, this may prove a tonic for Vandy, since he won't be in any kind of spotlight for awhile. Here's wishing him the very best.... With only four position players on the bench, the Giants can't afford to lose Jeff Kent to a suspension over yesterday's brawl, which he escalated.... Speaking of only four players, why is Terry Mulholland on this roster? Obviously the Giants wanted to "stash" him so another contender couldn't have him, but while that's a slick move on paper, this guy can't pitch anymore. Let Florida or the Mets take him, and wish they hadn't -- Danny Darwin does everything Mulholland can do on this staff, and does it better. The team needs Marvin Benard here this month.

		GIANTS        69-55              .500 riff might make it, or might not.

		Los Angeles   67-56   1 1/2 GB   Just matchin' the pace right now.
		


		

Today's game: Giants finish up with Expos; 1:05 start at Candlestick. Wilson Alvarez against Jose Paniagua. LA hosts the Reds, Nomo against Tomko. Oh-oh.

Yesterday's game: Pat Rapp was unimpressive enough to earn a summary demotion to Phoenix, though rotten performances from Doug Henry and Rich Rodriguez, in relief, turned a reasonably close game into disaster whose final score was softened by three late Giant runs. It will be a fine thing indeed when the Expos leave town, and the Giants' schedule for this year, later tonight.

Last two games: Shawn Estes remained on pace for a 20-win season with a superb seven innings against Chicago on Thursday afternoon. Roberto Hernandez pitched well in relief and added a rare base hit, though the recently-underworked Rod Beck struggled through a tough ninth. On Friday it was Kirk Rueter, mowing down his former teammates with economical aplomb, and also connecting with the bat: two hits and two RBI. Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent each supplied homers, Bonds' 29th being a three-run shot. Meanwhile, LA iced the Expos Thursday night, 1-0, but were hammered by the Reds on Friday. The lead's held unchanged at 1-1/2 since Wednesday.

		Los Angeles   72-58              5-2 pace over last week of play.

		GIANTS        71-59     1 GB     First series-sweep loss at worst time.
		


		

Today's game: Giants at New York, opening a three-game stand against the Mets which will conclude this gloomy road trip. It'll be Shawn Estes against Bobby Jones, a good matchup. Jones was unimpressive in his only start against the Giants, back in mid-April when SF could do no wrong. LA moves on to Pittsburgh, with Ramon Martinez getting the start tonight.

Yesterday's game: Mark Gardner's third straight lousy start was saved by a determined Giants rally -- down 3-0 after two and 5-1 after 4, they scored a run in each of the final six innings, while Rich Rodriguez and Roberto Hernandez held the Bucs scoreless -- which then was betrayed by a nightmarish four-run eighth, brought to you courtesy of Doug Henry and Jim Poole. Bleagh.

The Past Week: After a heartening getaway win against the Expos last Sunday at the 'Stick, the Giants opened their road trip with one of those excruciatingly embarrassing blowout losses with which they've seasoned this weird campaign. Then, following the 12-3 debacle, they broke out with a six-run first inning the next day, enough to stake Shawn Estes to his 16th win. Up to that point, it had been vintage '97 Giants all the way. But Wednesday's rainout, followed by Thursday's off-day, presaged some truly wretched baseball in Pittsburgh. Friday night they could not hit the ball, wasting Kirk Rueter's good effort, and Saturday's debacle was perhaps the most infuriating loss yet: errors, eight men left on base (four in scoring position), indifferent pitching all around. Meanwhile, the Dodgers matched the pace during the week, even up to Wednesday's rainout, but then won four straight to take over the division lead.

		Los Angeles   73-59              Pittsburgh hasn't gotten friendlier.

		GIANTS        72-59    1/2 GB    Estes now 9-0 following a loss.
		


		

Today's game: Giants at New York; 7:40 start (4:40 PDT). Wilson Alvarez tests his tender shoulder. LA sends Chan Ho Park out to face the Bucs in Pittsburgh.

Yesterday's game: Shawn Estes, Roberto Hernandez, and Rod Beck -- the Giants' best three pitchers -- handled the Mets with ease. Seven Giants combined for 11 hits, and each of those players scored one run. From Estes' two singles to Glenallen Hill's 450-foot blast, it was a team effort, exactly what the club needed after its nightmarish weekend.

		Los Angeles   74-59              September 17 and 18 at the 'Stick...

		GIANTS        73-59    1/2 GB    ... are going to be huge, huge games
		


		

Today's game: Giants finish up with Mets; a daytime start (10:35 PDT), with Kirk Rueter going against Jason Isringhausen, whom the Mets just called up from Triple-A. LA's at Pittsburgh, also a daytime getaway game.

Yesterday's game: With two on, two out, and the score tied 1-1 in the top of the sixth, J.T. Snow blasted a towering home run high over the right-field fence at Shea Stadium, and the Giants went on to win one of the biggest games of this season. It saved what just two days ago looked like a disastrous road trip, and it gave Wilson Alvarez the cushion he needed to relax and pitch well. After a shaky start, he finished up fine through six, and reported no shoulder pain after his 10-day layoff. Jim Poole got Doug Henry out of a jam in the seventh, and Julian Tavarez's poor eighth thus did no harm. The Giants actually can finish this road trip at .500 if they finish off the Mets today for the sweep.

		Los Angeles   76-59              Three in the first, and then coast.

		GIANTS        73-61   2 1/2 GB   One in the eighth, and then crash.
		


		

Wednesday: Giants lost to Mets, 15-6, while LA finished up taking 3 of 4 from those suddenly mild-mannered Pirates in Pittsburgh.

Today's game: Giants finish this weirdo interleague series with Texas at the 'Stick; 7:35. Mark Gardner gets the start. He hasn't been right for three weeks, and the team needs him to get right, right now. LA sends Ismael Valdes against the A's down south.

Last Two Games: The Giants' bullpen was a disaster in each case, turning what should have been a win into embarrassing defeat. Wednesday they actually led the Mets early on, but Kirk Rueter was mediocre and couldn't finish the fifth. Rich Rodriguez bailed him out and kept things calm through six, but after Doug Henry came on in the seventh, it started falling apart in man-sized chunks. By the time Henry and Jim Poole had finished, the Mets had pushed eight runs across the plate. Yesterday, the Giants broke a 4-4 tie in the eighth. Much-maligned Terry Mulholland had made his second strong relief appearance in two days, and Glenallen Hill's pinch-hit double, followed by Marvin Bernard's clutch RBI single, could have and should have made him a winner. But Rod Beck had perhaps the worst outing of his career in the ninth, blowing the save and losing the game in grand style: five hits, two(!) walks, including one with the bases loaded(!), and seven runs allowed. The carnage overshadowed Barry Bonds' 31st homer and J.T. Snow's 22nd, as well as Jeff Kent's 100th RBI.

Notes: Will Clark, the former Giant great whose return to the 'Stick as a Ranger was one of this week's featured attractions, didn't make the trip. He's laid up with what could be a season-ending foot injury... What is this ridiculous interleague stuff doing in the middle of a pennant race? If you have to have it at all, have it earlier in the year when games don't count as much and attendance is down anyway... As it is, less than 19,000 loyalists made it to the 'Stick last night... More weirdness, courtesy of the interleague schedule: Seattle shows up for a two-game series beginning tomorrow, and whoinell ever heard of a Saturday-Sunday series in baseball? Nobody, 'til now... Wait, it gets better: next week, the Giants play across the Bay on Monday and then on Wednesday, taking Tuesday off. Who dealt this mess?

		Los Angeles   77-59              Can't gain ground if they don't lose.

		GIANTS        74-61   2 1/2 GB   Makes no sense to watch the scoreboard.
		


		

Today's game: Giants face the Anaheim Angels; 1:05 at the 'Stick, with Shawn (17-4) Estes on the mound against Dennis Springer. Angels return on Sunday, then the Giants pop over to the Coliseum for a Labor Day evening battle against the A's. LA gets the Seattle Mariners, who are fighting the Angels for first place over in the AL West.

Last night's game: The Giants rallied three times to win, coming on like a slow-burning fuse. After getting only two hits through six innings (one of them Jeff Kent's 26th home run), they scored twice in the seventh without getting a ball out of the infield to take a 3-2 lead. Then Julian Tavarez and Roberto Hernandez combined to blow that lead in the eighth, but Bill Mueller, Barry Bonds, and Jeff Kent put together a tying rally in the bottom of the frame. Terry Mulholland and Rich Rodriguez held the Rangers scoreless in extra innings, and in the twelfth it was the same three guys -- Mueller, Bonds, Kent -- who won it: walk, double, single. Giants ended up with nine hits as well as nine walks, but left eleven men on base. Still, they got the win, and that's what counts.

		Los Angeles   78-60              Haven't lost a full game since 8/13.

		GIANTS        76-62    2 GB      13 left on road, 11 at home.
		


		

The Weekend: Once again, the Giants and Dodgers remained in lockstep, each winning Friday and losing Saturday. As the note above indicates, LA has not lost a game off their lead since they took that lead on August 24; in fact, the last time the Giants won and the Dodgers lost was indeed August 13.

Today's game: Giants are idle; they finish up against A's tomorrow night at the Coliseum. LA goes to Texas and sends Hideo Nomo to face the Rangers.

Last night's game: The Giants used to be intimidated by the Oakland A's, but that was a long time ago. These A's are a last-place bunch with no pitching, and even their one strong point -- power -- has been weakened since the Mark McGwire trade. Kirk Rueter pitched well through seven, with Hernandez and Beck finishing up. The game was decided in the fifth, when J.T. Snow's two-run single made it 5-1. Snow has eight RBI in his last three games.

The Weekend: Shawn Estes had just enough gas in the tank to finish six and win his 18th against the Anaheim Angels Saturday; Snow, the former Angel, supplied the power with two two-run homers. Saturday, however, Wilson Alvarez continued to have problems with the gopher ball, surrendering a three-run blast to rookie Angel Encarnacion. Alvarez says his arm feels fine, but his pitching is anything but. Meanwhile, another rookie, Darrell May, held Giant hitters to three hits over five innings, and his bullpen handled things the rest of the way.

		Los Angeles   78-62              Three straight losses -- and counting?

		GIANTS        76-63   1 1/2 GB   Gaining ground only when idle.
		


		

Today's game: Giants back home at the 'Stick against National Leaguers once again; it's the 'Stros at 7:05, with Mark Gardner taking a turn. LA is idle.

Last night's game: Yet another in a series of embarrassing blowout losses that have peppered this odd season. Like most of 'em, this one was a ballgame for about five or six innings. Then it got ugly when some familiar names from the bullpen -- hi there, Terry Mulholland, Julian Tavarez, and Jim Poole -- conspired to give up nine runs while collecting three outs between 'em. The mound misery seemed contagious, as fielders forgot to cover bases and hitters stared at called third strikes (Bonds, Kent, and Snow were a combined 0-for-11 with seven Ks). Once again, ineptitude prevailed and the Giants were unable to gain ground on LA, who despite our fervent hopes are unlikely to suffer too many more losing streaks. Boys, better get it while you can!

		Los Angeles   78-62              Team just sold to Murdoch's Fox Group.

		GIANTS        76-64    2 GB      Everything seems to be turning sour.
		


		

Today's game: Giants v. Astros at the 'Stick; 7:35. Shawn Estes goes for his 19th win, and the team needs it bad. Shane Reynolds -- no slouch he -- starts for Houston. LA is at home against Florida. Another good matchup: Alex Fernandez and Ramon Martinez.

Last night's game: There's definitely something wrong with Mark Gardner, either physically or mentally. He's been clueless for a month, and last night he retired only two Astros -- one via run-scoring sac fly -- before being yanked in the first inning, down already by 5-0. And it got worse from there, as the Giants reverted to their blowout posture: "buns-up kneeling," to quote Frank Zappa. The indicators now are all extremely ominous. This is two embarrassing wipeouts in a row, and the Giants now have been outscored by 29 runs for the season. Their record projects to 67-73, nine games worse than their actual mark, and about even with last-place San Diego. I would bet that no team in the history of major-league baseball has ever won a pennant while being outscored so badly; not even the '73 Mets. Has any pennant-winning NL team since 1950 given up 800 runs? As of today, the Giants have allowed 698, a rate of five per game, with 22 games left to go. Should the Giants right themselves -- or the Dodgers collapse -- a division title for this club would likely say more about the state of baseball in 1997 than anything else. It is not that they are a bad team; far from it, they are a good team. But a championship team? I wonder. They are down to two decent starting pitchers, Estes and Rueter, with no guarantee that anyone else will last more than three innings. They've only half a bullpen -- the middle relievers are ineffective, whether by overwork or something else -- and not enough offense to compensate for it. The defense is inconsistent. And Barry Bonds continues to be invisible in the clutch. This isn't like the weird two-week nightmare slump of '93, where the team inexplicably stopped performing. This is a situation where all the well-camouflaged weaknesses of this team have been pitilessly uncovered. The Giants now are right where the "experts" picked them to be, and perhaps we ought to be grateful things lasted this long. It is no exaggeration to say that as things stand today, this team cannot catch the Dodgers. They are going to need a repeat of April's thrilling, nail-biting success, including a major confidence-building winning streak, to prevail. And there was no pressure whatever in April. There's pressure aplenty now.

		Los Angeles   81-62              They pound, pound, pound away.

		GIANTS        79-64    2 GB      Just when you thought it was over...
		


		

Weekend series: Each team won three straight. Yeah, it's Nip, and over there, that's his brother, Tuck.

Today's game: Giants are idle. LA finishes up with the Marlins. Hey, Kevin Brown -- how about another no-hitter? Like, tonight, against Nomo?

The Weekend: Great pitching all three games for the Giants, and for two of those the 'Stros' guys did pretty well, too. Friday night, Darryl Hamilton's leaping, diving, sliding catch of Chuck Carr's drive to right-center may stand as one of the great moments in this season if things work out. It saved a 1-1 tie in the seventh, and an inning later Hamilton's two-run single was the key hit in a winning Giant rally. It came too late for Shawn Estes, who missed his 19th despite a fine effort, but Roberto Hernandez and Rod Beck opened the weekend's entertaining sub-plot with a fine tag-team close-and-save job.

Saturday saw Wilson Alvarez once again show off his potential: a superb seven-inning, 12-strikeout performance. He too came up empty; this time the Giants broke out for four in the eighth, wiping out Houston's fragile lead: a rally started by Marvin Benard's 15th pinch-hit of the campaign and punctuated by Jeff Kent's 106th and 107th RBI. But Beck, on hand to close it out in the ninth, was rapped around for three hits in the space of one out, with a run scoring and Giant-killer Jeff Bagwell due up. Dusty Baker then did the unthinkable, yanking Beck with the game on the line and turning it over to Hernandez and his 100-mph fastball. Hernandez fanned Bagwell, then blew away Derek Bell, and the Giants had a win -- and a controversy. While both pitchers claimed there was no rivalry or any jealousy between them, Beck had to be seething inside.

He got a chance to redeem himself the very next day. Though the Giants had built a healthy lead thanks to Darryl Kile's eight walks and a sharp showing from Kirk Rueter, all eyes were on Beck as he came out to pitch the ninth. Hernandez, the new crowd favorite, had just wowed 'em with two Ks in the eighth, but Beck was just as strong, fanning two himself, on fewer pitches, to end the game. It wasn't even a save situation, but the big closer had to be immensely satisfied nonetheless. And so the Giants have won three straight for the first time since August 6, just as we were ready to bury 'em. You gotta love this game, and you gotta love this team -- win or lose.

Notes: LA takes off after tonight's game on a seven-day road trip to Houston, St. Louis, and -- Candlestick, September 17 and 18. Then five quick ones at home against the Rockies and Padres before finishing with four at Coors Field. As for the Giants, they end the homestand with two against the Cards, then begin a brutal two-week stretch wherein every game is on the road except those two monumental tussles with the Dodgers. It begins with a rain-out make-up at Philly on Thursday, continues down in Miami and Atlanta and then, after the LA series, rolls on to San Diego and Denver. But they finish up with an off-day and three at home with the Padres while LA's pitchers are up in Coors Field. If they can keep it within two games or better until then, it'll be quite a final weekend.

		Los Angeles   81-64              Road trip looms just ahead.

		GIANTS        80-65    1 GB      They, too, visit unfriendly territory.
		


		

Yesterday: Giants lost to St. Louis, 5-3, while LA fell to the Braves' John Smoltz, 4-3. The Dodgers also lost to Florida on Monday night.

Tomorrow: Giants at Philadelphia in a make-up of that rained-out August tilt. Wilson Alvarez is slated to start, but Baker's been juggling the rotation lately.

Yesterday and Today: Simply saying the Giants split a series with the Cards does it no justice.

Last night's loss was a ulcer-generating killer, a cornucopia of missed opportunities (Bonds pops up with two on, nobody out, and a run in) and pitches that got away (Rich Rodriguez, on in relief of Terry Mulholland and Doug Henry with two down in the seventh, yields the game-winning double to Delino DeShields).

And today Shawn Estes struggled through six without his best stuff; offsetting homers by Bonds and Mark McGwire left it at 3-3 in the seventh. Then Henry and newcomer Cory Bailey were raked savagely as the Redbirds tallied three, and you could almost feel, at long last, the fight go out of the Giants. They'd grounded into three inning-ending double plays on the afternoon, and the spectre of blown chance after blown chance hung heavy over the park. Even with LA losing two straight, it seemed the local boys just didn't have it.

But that's where you'd be wrong, wrong, wrong. They scrapped back for one in the bottom of the seventh. They scraped together another in the eighth. Rod Beck held the Cards in the ninth, and Stan Javier then blasted one, off the great Dennis Eckersley, deep to right; for a moment the 'Stick crowd of 12,000-plus held its breath -- and erupted as the ball cleared the fence, tying the game.

Beck, pitching a rare second inning, set 'em down in the tenth and then it was Bonds, with a walk, Kent, with a fielder's choice, and Tony LaRussa intentionally walking J.T. Snow. That left it up to Damon Berryhill pinch-hitting for Beck; Berryhill, the last player left on the roster. And he smoked a shot over Ray Lankford's head in deep center for the game-winner, triggering an on-field frenzy not seen here since that joyful Columbus Day afternoon in 1989. We've said it before and we'll say it again: LA has to win this thing, because the Giants are too tough to lose it.

Notes: McGwire's homer gave him fifty for the season, the second year in a row he's passed that mark. Only Babe Ruth, who did it twice, has accomplished that feat before. McGwire may be the greatest power hitter of our lifetime; his career totals are impressive in any case, but had he stayed healthy year-in and year-out, there's no telling where he might stand among the all-time leaders.

		GIANTS        81-65              Whoa, Nellie -- look at this!

		Los Angeles   81-65
		


		

Today's game: Giants at Florida, 7:05 local time (4:05 PDT). Kirk Rueter against the undefeated (9-0) Livan Hernandez, who was not in the major leagues the last time these teams played one another. LA's at Houston, with Chan Ho Park facing Shane Reynolds.

Last night's game: Most teams, in the Giants' place, would have lost this game. The Phillies, after their abysmal start, are playing well now (though they retain the game's worst record). Curt Schilling, on pace for his 300th strikeout, was solid through six. Wilson Alvarez had pitched reasonably well for the Giants, but had surrendered a two-run homer to Rex Hudler that was the difference in the game as Philly led 3-1 after seven. That, however, is when the Phils decided to take Schilling out; he'd thrown 132 pitches and had given up three hits and uncorked a wild pitch in the seventh. And the Giants immediately took advantage, as they had to, of the weak Phillie bullpen. A walk to J.T. Snow and singles by Vizcaino, Berryhill, and Javier tied it in the eighth, and Jeff Kent unloaded in the ninth: a two-run homer, his 27th, for the winning margin. Not to be overlooked is the Giant bullpen: Tavarez, Rodriguez, Hernandez, and Beck, who shut 'em down over the last three and let the offense get back into it.

"Took advantage"? That's what the Giants do, they take advantage. And they're tied for first place with 16 games left to play.

Notes: Kent's blast broke Rogers Hornsby's franchise record for second basemen set in 1927. His 110 RBI are the most by anyone at the position since Tommy Herr also plated 110 back in 1985 (Herr's St. Louis Cardinals won the pennant that year).... Giants' next five games are at Florida (3) and Atlanta (2), the two best teams in the league right now. Atlanta's handling of the Dodgers attests to their superiority, but the Marlins, destined to be the wild-card team, are extremely tough customers as well.... Mark Gardner, he of the tired arm, poor second half, and missed start on Wednesday, is slated to go Saturday, with Danny Darwin set for Sunday. That leaves Estes and Alvarez to face the Braves, with Rueter opening the LA series next Wednesday. As for next Thursday's game, possibly the biggest of the season, manager Baker isn't saying. Gardner? Mulholland? Pat Rapp? Or possibly William VanLandingham, now pitching for Phoenix and earning minor-league pay, who has a history of success at Dodger Stadium and can be recalled any time? What a story that would be.... Darryl Hamilton continues to suffer from a hip injury incurred early in Wednesday's game against the Cardinals, and no one knows when he'll be back.

		GIANTS        82-67              Had two days alone at the top.

		Los Angeles   82-67              Four-game losing streak just ended.
		


		

Weekend series: Each team lost two of three. The Giants won Friday, taking a one-game lead, then both lost on Saturday (status quo), before LA regained the tie yesterday.

Today's game: Giants at Atlanta, 7:40 local time (4:40 PDT). Shawn Estes (18-4) against Tom Glavine (13-7). Both are lefthanders, both have identical 3.11 ERAs, and it's Estes' youth against Glavine's experience. LA's at St. Louis.

Yesterday's game: The Giant bullpen, which lately has been so reliable, failed in a tight seventh-inning spot. Julian Tavarez had taken over for Danny Darwin in the sixth, preserving a 1-0 lead, but Rich Rodriguez and Roberto Hernandez gave it away one frame later; the big blow was Gary Sheffield's three-run homer off Hernandez. The Giants did rally, but fell short: Barry Bonds, with two on and two out in the ninth, was unable to match Sheffield. He fouled out, with his old pal Bobby Bonilla stretching into the stands to make the catch.

The Weekend: Without question, Friday night's game, which saw the Giants retake the division lead, was the highlight of the season so far, at least for this team's schizophrenic pitching staff. Kirk Rueter took a shutout into the sixth with a tough, if less than overpowering, effort; then the blister which has plagued his pitching hand flared up again and he left after allowing the first two Marlins to reach base.

Tavarez came on needing a ground ball to preserve the thin 1-0 edge; he got it, only to see it ricochet of Bill Mueller's usually-reliable third-base glove. Generously scored a hit, it loaded the bases with nobody out. Tavarez then got another grounder right at Mueller; this one the youngster fielded cleanly and threw home for the force. With the lead wavering, Tavarez then got his third ground ball in a row -- Kent to Vizcaino to Snow, double play -- and escaped without damage. From then on it was Tavarez, then Hernandez, then Beck, cutting Marlins down with increasing magnificence; Beck set the side down in order to end it with a strikeout flourish, and the Giants had their first 1-0 win of the season and sole possession of first place.

The lead held Saturday despite the team's total inability to handle Kevin Brown. He's already no-hit the Giants this year; he holds a 2-0 mark against them with a 0.50 ERA, so his tidy three-hitter was no great surprise. But Mark Gardner's sixth straight wretched outing -- what on earth is wrong with him? -- virtually assured the sturdy veteran righthander will see mop-up duty for the rest of the year. Terry Mulholland (all right, quit grindin' your teeth, he's actually pitched rather well of late) or Pat Rapp will get the call on Thursday against LA.

Notes: The Giants called up John Johnstone to fill out the bullpen for the stretch drive. This means William VanLandingham won't be back up this year, if ever. Johnstone, like Vandy, was waived earlier in the year and re-signed with Phoenix after nobody else picked him up.... Since his brilliant, two-hit shutout at Montreal on August 8, Gardner, in six starts, has pitched 26 innings -- and allowed 26 earned runs.

		Los Angeles   83-67              Can salvage Eastern trip with win now.

		GIANTS        82-68   1 GB       How many more of these can they take?
		


		

Today's game: Giants at Atlanta, 1:10 local time (10:10 AM PDT). Wilson Alvarez against Kevin Millwood. LA sends Ramon Martinez to the mound in St. Louis.

Yesterday's game: If the Giants fail to win the pennant this year, it's likely they'll point to last night's game as the fatal blow. Leading 4-0 after six, with Shawn Estes outdueling Tom Glavine and allowing only one hit -- leading 4-1 after eight, with Roberto Hernandez blowing the Braves away on back-to-back strikeouts in relief and Rod Beck opening the ninth -- somehow, the Giants blew it.

It was Beck, giving up three singles which closed the score to 4-2. It was Beck, getting Chipper Jones to hit a double-play grounder to second that should have ended the game, only to see Jones beat the throw to first by an eyelash. And finally it was Beck against Fred McGriff, the old Giant-killer from '93 himself. McGriff, one of the game's best clutch hitters, had blasted a three-run game-winning homer off Beck in an identical situation two and a half years ago: a loss just prior to the All-Star Break which blew the wheels off the Giants' creaky 1995 wagon and sent them tumbling into the cellar. Now, same players, same situation, same pitch: split-fingered fastball. And same result: a screaming line drive to deepest left-center, above and beyond Darryl Hamilton's leap.

The Braves and their fans went wild; the Giants went, slowly, into the visitors' clubhouse and tried to comprehend what had happened. They had gotten a strong performance from their ace pitcher. Jeff Kent's 28th homer had given them a 2-0 lead in the first. Mark Lewis' clutch line drive with two on in the sixth, bouncing off left fielder Danny Bautista's glove for a two-base error, had added what appeared to be insurance. Hernandez had been downright unhittable. And then... Beck, to his credit, stood up and faced the postgame music, but even he must be wondering if Dusty Baker won't be looking elsewhere when the next save situation comes around.

He and his teammates then looked elsewhere, to the LA game on TV, where the Dodgers went through their own ninth-inning nightmare, blowing a 4-2 lead. But they survived with a tie, and finally hung on to win in 15 despite a two-run Cardinal rally at the very end. Well, McGriff has been an absolute terror against the Giants ever since the Braves traded for him in the '93 stretch drive. It will be a pity if the Giants don't win the pennant and face the Braves in the playoffs, because these two teams play tough, tense, exciting baseball against one another. And while this loss may prove the Ultimate Backbreaker, remember that Atlanta, World Series losses aside, is the best team in baseball, and probably the greatest team since the Big Red Machine of the mid-1970s. But that's cold comfort right now. The only tonic worth mentioning will be a suck-it-up win, today, at Turner Field in just a few hours.

		Los Angeles   84-67              Flying into 'Stick in driver's seat.

		GIANTS        82-69   2 GB       Hell of a time to lose 4 in a row.
		


		

Today's game: Giants host LA; 7:35 PM game time. It's Kirk Rueter, making the biggest start of his life, against Chan Ho Park. This is it, folks.

Yesterday's game: Wilson Alvarez, whom the Giants thought would be pennant insurance when they picked him up six weeks ago, once again showed his one weakness: the crucial home-run ball. This time it was backup catcher Eddie Perez doing the honors with a sixth-inning grand slam, blowing up a 2-2 tie and leaving the Giant offense gasping for air. Held to three hits through 6 by rookie Kevin Millwood, they mounted a noble but doomed rally against Mark Wohlers in the ninth. Trading outs for runs and hits, Wohlers survived where Rod Beck could not the night before.

Here We Go: Rueter and Mulholland face the Dodgers over the next two nights; LA has had trouble with lefties all year. Baker and the team really need a strong showing from Rueter tonight, to save the bullpen for tomorrow night. Mulholland has been very effective this year when going through a lineup once, OK the second time, and you don't want a third time. So the relievers will likely be on duty after five, and that means the less they pitch tonight the more rested they'll be then.

Park, tonight's LA starter, has been inconsistent all year. In two starts against the Giants, though, he's done well: 11 K's in 13 innings pitched, with only 6 hits and 4 runs allowed. One of those wins was a three-hit shutout; the other saw him walk four in six and lose the game. Tomorrow night it's knuckleballer Tom Candiotti (from Walnut Creek). The Giants have lit him up pretty good in years past; this year they've managed only one run off him in 13 innings.

So the Dodgers, their little bad stretch behind them, coming off two rousing last-minute victories in a row, hit town up by two and facing a Giant team that's waited until now to uncork a serious losing streak. The fabled resiliency has slackened just a tad, and now we look nervously at those runs scored/allowed figures, which posit a 72-79 record as opposed to the actual 82-69, and wonder if we aren't, after all, settling to a more realistic level. With 11 games to go, do the Giants have one more gravity-defying leap left in them? While no one in the clubhouse wants to admit it, they badly need a sweep here. A split leaves status quo; and two games to make up, while it certainly can be done, is a tough task when you don't face the team you're chasing. At that point, we're left debating the comparative strengths and weaknesses of Colorado (who play the Dodgers seven times) and San Diego (against whom the Giants play seven). The Rockies, safely out of the race, are playing the best ball in the division right now, while the Padres, well, suck. But we need only recall '93 to know how frustrating it is to base a good chunk of your hopes and dreams on another ballclub's beating your opponent.

Sixty thousand people are expected to cram the 'Stick tonight, with the same number likely for tomorrow. They know what we know: this is it, right here, and right now.

		Los Angeles   84-68              Man, this is what it's all about!

		GIANTS        83-69   1 GB
		


		

Today's game: Giants finish up with LA; 12:35 at the 'Stick. The Biggest Game of the Year, Part Two. Terry Mulholland gets the start -- that's just the start now, gang -- against Tom Candiotti, the Flutterball King.

Yesterday's game: A great drama in three acts. The Giants positively willed themselves, as they've done so well all year, back into the picture with a game, a performance, that went, well, went 'way beyond 'grit' or even 'determination' -- it was something like absolute resolute fury. Some of this current cast of Dodgers were around on that memorable Friday night four years ago when the Giants made a similar stand down in Dodger Stadium. Last night it was Barry Bonds, once again, the hero who's been so visibly absent in the clutch this year, stepping to the plate against Chan Ho Park and his 95-mph heat in the first inning with a man on base.

The crowd of over 56,000 was still settling into its seats as Bonds hammered Park's best fastball clear out of the yard, high and immensely deep to right. It was 2-0 Giants, and that malaise which had followed the team over the last week simply vanished in the 'Frisco fog. Then it was Kirk Rueter, a picture of economy and effectiveness, working swiftly through the dangerous Dodger lineup for seven innings. He gave up a homer to Raul Mondesi in the fifth, but turned back potential rallies in both the sixth and seventh. And for the eighth out came Roberto Hernandez and his withering fastball. He was so overwhelming that Dusty Baker had to let him open the ninth as well, though Rod Beck stood by. But this was Hernandez's moment, and he saw it through, fanning sluggers Mondesi and Eric Karros to open the frame, then getting Todd Zeile for the final out and touching off a heartfelt on-field celebration.

		GIANTS        84-69              Yowza! Yowza! Yowza!

		Los Angeles   84-69
		


		

Today's game: Giants at San Diego; 7:05 start. Danny Darwin against Joey Hamilton (10-6, but no starts against the Giants this year). LA's back home; they host the suddenly-cooled-off Colorado Rockies. Hideo Nomo gets the start.

Yesterday's game: A defining game for the Giants, in many different ways; not only was it the most sensationally exciting finish -- one that could have been scripted by any longtime Dodger-hating Giants fan -- but it was the kind of game the Giants have won, when it's really counted, all year. They won these games in April, putting together a big winning streak from a series of small victories. They won them all summer, stopping losing streaks with one-run victories, shrugging off embarrassing losses with everyday heroics.

It was a defining game for the team's two senior players, Barry Bonds and Rod Beck, both of whom have seen some tough times this year, both of whom stepped up big. And it continued the '97 tradition of that everyday hero, with one of the most recent additions, catcher Brian Johnson, winning the game with a first-pitch leadoff homer in the twelfth.

Even that maligned late entry in the pitching sweepstakes, Terry Mulholland, did his job -- and then some. Asked to go five, he went six. He allowed eight hits, but because he didn't walk a single batter he avoided the big inning. He left with a 5-3 lead, courtesy of Bonds' second massive home run in two days. This one was a three-run blast, off Tom Candiotti in the fifth, which broke it open (or so we thought) 5-1 for the Giants. But after an uncharacteristic error by J.T. Snow, who had homered earlier, brought across those two unearned runs, the Dodgers tied it in the seventh against two tired relievers, Julian Tavarez and Roberto Hernandez. In his 83rd appearance, Tavarez just didn't have it; he left with two on and only one out. Hernandez almost got away clean, but Mike (.357 and likely MVP) Piazza singled in two runs for a tie game. Then Doug Henry guided the Giants through a calm eighth and ninth, handing it over to Beck for extra innings.

And immediately Beck, whose last moment on the mound was that awful McGriff debacle in Atlanta, opened the floodgates. Piazza, Eric Karros, Raul Mondesi -- three straight hits to load 'em up with nobody out, and the packed house of 53,000 filling the playoff-tense air with gusty boos and spicy obscenities. All three hits were cheap, none of them hit well enough to score a man from second, but Beck still had to figure he was history, then and perhaps forever, as Dusty Baker came striding out of the dugout.

But Bake told Beck to dig deep and do it, and the big fellow dug deep and, by God, he did it. First to go was Todd Zeile -- called third strike, you're outta here. Then the venerable Eddie Murray, the 41-year-old active home run and RBI leader, future Hall-of-Famer, a man who can't really play anymore but who still has a few line-drive hits left in that magnificent swing. Beck got him to chase a split-finger fastball, and Murray grounded to Jeff Kent, who threw home to get Piazza, and Johnson's relay to first doubled up the slow-moving Murray. Beck was out of it, and the hail of curses became a shower of cheers as he strode off the field, bellowing back at the crowd all the way. And when the Giants couldn't score in the tenth or the eleventh, Beck went right back out there and didn't give an inch. Five Giants pitchers threw 171 pitches, facing 50 batters over 12 innings on the day; not one of them issued a single base on balls. (The Dodgers may claim they had plenty of opportunities to win this one, and perhaps they did, but it was the Giants who received 10 walks and left 14 men on base!)

Then Johnson stepped up and won the game in the twelfth with his home run, and in the celebration that followed there was Bonds himself, hugging Baker and lifting him clear off the ground. Somehow, some way, the Giants have indeed managed to defy gravity one more time.

		GIANTS        88-71              MAGIC NUMBER: 2!

		Los Angeles   85-73   2 1/2 GB   Lost 4 of 5 at worst possible time.
		


		

This Past Week: The Giants took three of four in San Diego -- wrapping three inspiring victories around the obligatory blowout loss -- then split two in Denver. LA, meanwhile, was swept, at home, by Colorado, then bounced back against the Padres on Tuesday (trimming the Giants' lead to a game and a half), before last night's setback left them with an unsatisfying split.

Today's game: Giants are idle. They'll finish the regular season with a weekend series against the Padres here at the 'Stick. LA is off to finish their season in Colorado. Tonight it's Hideo Nomo trying to stave off the inevitable against Pedro Astacio.

The Week That Was: Barry Bonds is the talk of baseball once again. As the Giants took over the West -- beginning with their two-game sweep of LA -- Bonds hit six homers in seven days to pace the club.

Friday night his two-run shot highlighted a big five-run fifth that decided the game, and made a winner out of Danny Darwin, who pitched well through five and was bailed out by Julian Tavarez in the sixth. Darwin got the win, the first by a Giants' righthanded starter since August 8(!), and Roberto Hernandez picked up the save, bailing out Rich Rodriguez and Doug Henry in a difficult eighth and then surviving the ninth.

On Saturday, Shawn Estes essentially took the day off, retiring only five batters while surrendering five runs on six hits -- and, you guessed it, the rout was on. Perhaps, as the Giants insist, it is better to lose 12-2 than 3-2, because once again the blowout had no effect. The club came back and took the last two games of the series, both in inspiring fashion, both assisted by Bonds homers.

Sunday, Wilson Alvarez left after seven with a 5-2 lead, only to see the bullpen -- primarily Terry Mulholland, though Rod Beck suffered, too -- give it away in a nightmarish, four-pitcher eighth. But Stan Javier's two-run triple broke open the top of the ninth, and a defiant Beck finished it in the bottom of the frame.

Monday night no pitcher was safe: Kirk Rueter, staked to a 5-1 lead, unraveled in the seventh, only to see Henry and Hernandez -- the latter running on empty -- blow the rest of it. But once again it was Javier with the timely hit an inning later, breaking the tie, and that opened the Giant floodgates, Bonds capping it with yet another home run. We had arrived in Seattle on business Sunday evening, and did our best to keep abreast of the Giants' situation; not the easiest thing to do considering the local Mariners were on the verge of clinching their AL West division themselves (they did so Tuesday night).

With LA's continuing collapse at home -- they followed their 'Stick tragedy with three straight losses to the red-hot Rockies -- the Giants had, over the weekend, surged from a flat-footed tie to a lead of two and a half games. They'd made up a total of four and a half games in six incredible days. The pennant was indeed in sight at this time -- but so were the Rockies, the hottest team in the game, and playing on their own field.

Colorado took the first round, banging out fourteen hits off four Giant pitchers, but still the Giants made it tough. Down 7-3 in the ninth, they charged back, with Bonds again leading the way (#39), but fell one run short. They earned that run back last night, though: once again it was Johnson, whose blast killed the Dodgers a week ago, sending one high and deep to left in the top of the ninth for the game-winner. Pat Rapp, the forgotten man of the staff, was brave and tough into the sixth, holding up well under the circumstances, and giving his team a chance to win. And if there's one thing we all can count on from these Giants, it's that they'll take that chance every time. Three relievers -- Tavarez, Mulholland, and the redoubtable Hernandez -- pitched scoreless ball over the final three, and set the stage for Johnson's heroics. The Giants' catcher has 11 homers in 53 games since he came over from Detroit; he's yet another "secret weapon" on a team that's full of them.

Notes: Manager Baker was hospitalized over the weekend with a stomach "flu" of some type. He missed almost all of Saturday's train wreck, but returned Sunday.... Estes ate at the same restaurant as Baker Friday night, and reported feeling lethargic prior to Saturday's start, so perhaps his lousy performance was due to that.... Snow drove in his 100th and 101st runs of the season with his 28th homer. He joins Kent in the Giants' 100-RBI club for the season. Bonds, with 99, is a cinch to make it a trio before the year ends, and the Giants haven't had three 100-RBI men since 1947 in New York (Johnny Mize, Walker Cooper, and Willard Marshall). That '47 club also holds the team record for home runs (221), which was the major-league standard until 1961, when the Yankees hit 240.... Odd to think that Will Clark, Kevin Mitchell, and Matt Williams -- the famed "Pacific Sock Exchange" -- never combined for 100 RBI each in any of their three seasons together, but they didn't.... Williams and Bonds both drove in over 100 in '93, but Clark missed the mark that year.... If LA loses tonight, the Giants clinch a tie and could wrap it up on Friday night at the 'Stick. Their three previous division titles were clinched on the road -- in San Diego twice ('71 and '87) and in Los Angeles ('89).... Should it come to a playoff, it'll be on Monday, at the 'Stick.

		GIANTS        88-71              They could clinch it tonight.

		Los Angeles   86-73    2 GB      Even a sweep probably won't be enough.
		


		

Today's game: Giants host San Diego; 7:35 at the 'Stick. Shawn Estes tries again for his 19th win. Pete Smith, Estes' winning opponent from last Saturday's wipeout, starts for the Padres. 40,000 or more fans are expected to descend upon the ballpark, anticipating celebration. LA's at Colorado, with Ismael Valdes on the mound. This game starts 90 minutes earlier than the Giants', so it's certain there'll be a fair amount of scoreboard-watching, especially if the Rockies get ahead.

		GIANTS        89-71              One more win will do it.

		Los Angeles   87-73    2 GB      "Freedom's just another word for..."
		


		

Today's game: Giants host San Diego again; a 1:05 start, with Wilson Alvarez trying to nail it down. Ryan Hitchcock, a pretty fair pitcher in his own right (though the Giants rowdied him up last Monday in San Diego) starts for the Padres. LA's at Colorado again, also a 1:05 start. They've got Ramon Martinez; the Rockies counter with Vinnie Castillo.

Last night: Seeing the Dodgers leap out to a big 10-1 early lead against the "pitching-challenged" Rockies didn't seem to faze the Giants. Jeff Kent walloped a three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning, and Shawn Estes went right into cruise control. Seven innings, three hits, one earned run, and win number 19 in the book for the Giants' young ace. The game devolved into farce in the bottom of the fifth as the Giants scored eight runs, taking advantage of several Padre errors and rolling up a 14-2 cushion. After that, most of the SF regulars -- not to mention quite a few of the 50,000-plus fans -- took the night off; Barry Bonds provided the last moment of drama with his 40th homer, a two-run shot in the sixth.

Notes: Let's see, a .290 mark, 40 homers, 101 RBI; yep, that's some "off-year" Bonds is having.... Mark Gardner, who's been at his wife's bedside since she was diagnosed with cancer on September 14, rejoined the club last night. He's had a tired arm for the past six weeks and may not make the postseason roster, but if it were up to me, I'd save a spot for him in long relief.... Another familiar name, that of William VanLandingham, surfaced once again as the team bought his minor-league contract from Phoenix. It's unclear if Vandy figures in the team's future plans, but in a typically classy move, they wanted him on the 40-man roster so he could be a full-fledged member of a championship team. Way to go, Brian Sabean.... If the Giants can't clinch today (meaning they lose and the Dodgers win; any other result wins 'em the pennant), Kirk Rueter will pitch tomorrow. If it ends this afternoon, Rueter will likely open the divisional playoff series in Florida on Tuesday.

		GIANTS        90-71              GIANTS   CLINCH   IT

		Los Angeles   88-73    2 GB
		


		

Today's game: Giants host San Diego to finish up the season; 1:05 at the 'Stick. It's either a glorified exhibition or a "victory lap," depending on your perspective. Another sellout crowd is expected, and maybe one of them knows who'll start for the Giants. It could be Terry Mulholland, Danny Darwin, or even Mark Gardner. Alan Ashby starts for San Diego.

Yesterday's game: It all came down to pitching for the Giants, and the heroes were starter Wilson Alvarez, the newest addition to the staff, and closer Rod Beck, the team's senior member. Alvarez pitched by far his greatest game in a Giant uniform, shutting out the Padres on two singles through seven. For a while, young Sterling Hamilton matched him zero-for-zero, and after last night's laugher we had a taut pitchers' duel (and another quick LA lead blinking onto the scoreboard from Colorado). But in the fourth, Glenallen Hill broke the ice with an RBI single, scoring Mark Lewis, who had led off with a double. The Giants chipped across two more in the sixth on a fielder's choice and a sacrifice fly; then in the seventh it was celebration time after J.T. Snow's ringing double drove in two more to cap a three-run outburst. With six outs to go, Dusty Baker turned it over to Roberto Hernandez; he blew the shutout, but there was no doubt when it came to the ninth. It had to be Beck, the only player left from the Craig/Rosen era, the man who saved 48 games in 1993 and who saved game after game for bad teams three years after that. Whatever his struggles this season, Baker knew the big guy deserved this one big-time, and with the unerring class and confidence that have marked his every move this year, Dusty sent Beck out there. A five-run lead, no save situation this time: just the opportunity to drive the Golden Spike. And ten pitches, three batters, and two strikeouts later, Beck was flinging his arms skyward in celebration as the entire team charged the mound, mobbing him while 58,000 fans went completely bananas. For the first time in eight years, the San Francisco Giants are champions, and will participate in the playoffs. This team, this marvelous team, has by God done it!

Notes: Gardner, as expected, will be on the postseason roster. He may even get a chance to start if the Giants go four-deep into their rotation, although Mulholland has to figure as the front-runner, given Candlestick's bias toward lefties.... Speaking of lefties, it'll be three southpaws in a row for the Giants against Florida: Kirk Rueter on Tuesday, Shawn Estes Wednesday, and Alvarez at the 'Stick on Friday.... We'll sum up the season and look at the whole playoff picture after today's finale.

End of the Regular Season

		GIANTS        90-72              Won the West despite being outscored.

		Los Angeles   88-74    2 GB      Piazza's season one of greatest ever.

		Colorado      83-79    7 GB      Finished strong; Walker the MVP?

		San Diego     76-86   14 GB      '96's last were first and vice versa.
		


		

Today: Giants fly to Florida, where they'll open the best-of-five division series against the Marlins tomorrow. Game time is slated for 4 PM local time (1 PM PDT). It'll be Kirk Rueter against Kevin Brown.

The Playoffs: Giants are slight underdogs against wild-card Marlins, who finished with league's second-best record (92-70). Giants, though, won season series against Florida 6-5; they were 4-2 at home and 2-3 in Joe Robbie Stadium. Their only real hitting success came against Alex Fernandez; Al Leiter, Livan Hernandez, and of course Brown all pitched well against the Giants. Shawn Estes had two very good starts against the Marlins while Rueter had one good and one bad. Alvarez, scheduled to pitch at the 'Stick Friday, did not face them; in any case it'll be interesting to see the Giants go with three lefthanders in this series. As many players have noted, the five-game format sucks, giving 'way too much advantage to the team which opens at home, even though the Giants have the nominal edge since games 3, 4, and 5 will all be played here, if necessary. A better format, for the wild-card team anyway, would be only one game at home. But that's not the hand we've been dealt. One edge the Giants have enjoyed over most rivals -- manager Dusty Baker -- may not apply here, since Florida skipper Jim Leyland is among the game's best.

The Other Series: Atlanta, winner of 101 games, plays Houston, winner of 84, beginning tomorrow with Greg Maddux facing Darryl Kile. Since the home-field advantage is assigned on a round-robin rather than best-record basis, the Astros open on the road but will get three at home if they survive that far. It's doubtful they will. Braves are deep in pitching, have a solid lineup, a good bench, and plenty of experience. 'Stros have the marvelous Jeff Bagwell, the steady Craig Biggio, and decent pitching.

In the American League, East champion Baltimore faces West champion Seattle in by far the most publicized of the division series. The O's were the best in the AL over the season, winning 98 games and going almost wire-to-wire ahead of defending champions New York. Baltimore has Cal Ripken, three outstanding starters, and a complete lineup with no real weakness. Mariners have perhaps the game's two best players, Ken Griffey and Randy Johnson; beyond that their pitching is suspect but their hitting -- with Alex Rodriguez and Jay Buhner and Edgar Martinez -- is sensational; they set a major-league record for home runs. One of these two teams is almost certain to reach the Series; neither Cleveland nor the wild-card Yankees appear capable of handling either powerhouse.

And so it's off to the playoffs for the first time since 1989. Hope springs eternal every baseball season, they say; the same goes for this 'second season'. In a short series, teams with momentum often overcome better teams. Atlanta is the only NL club clearly superior to the Giants, and the way those two teams battle, anything can happen. Let's just hope it gets that far.

Wednesday, October 1, 1997

The San Francisco Giants lost Game 1 of the National League Division Series, 2-1, to the Florida Marlins at Miami's steamy Joe Robbie Stadium yesterday. Shortstop Edgar Renteria grounded a bases-loaded, two-out single into right field in the bottom of the ninth inning off Giants' reliever Roberto Hernandez, scoring Charles Johnson with the winning run.

For seven quick, tense innings, this game was a marvelous pitchers' duel between Marlins ace Kevin Brown and the Giants' Kirk Rueter. Each gave up four hits, and each surrendered a solo homer in the seventh. Brown, who no-hit the Giants back in June, still never has lost to San Francisco, but he didn't win this one. That honor went to reliever Dennis Cook, himself a former Giant, who retired all six batters he faced over the eighth and ninth innings. His counterparts -- Hernandez and Julian Tavarez, who took the loss -- did not fare as well, and that was the difference in the game.

Barry Bonds and Darryl Hamilton made superb catches in the outfield to help save Rueter's shutout through seven; meanwhile Brown was once again perfect early on, retiring the first 14 Giants he faced. But he made a mistake against Bill Mueller leading off the seventh, and the young third baseman lined one into the seats in right, breaking the ice in dramatic fashion. Brown seemed to lose his composure at that point, and Barry Bonds took quick advantage, blasting one off the top of the left-field fence for a double. A foot higher, and the Giants likely would have won this game. But Brown toughened up, refused to let J.T. Snow advance Bonds to third, and then got Jeff Kent and Stan Javier to end the threat. And catcher Johnson tied it up in the bottom of the frame with a solo shot off Rueter. That set the stage for Tavarez. He escaped a bases-loaded one-out jam in the eighth by forcing Moises Alou to hit into a double play, but then allowed a leadoff single to Jeff Conine in the ninth, and followed by hitting Johnson with a pitch. Dusty Baker went to Hernandez, whose 100-mph heat almost got him out of it, but after a force, a sacrifice bunt, and a intentional walk, Renteria delivered the game-winner.

Now the Giants face what amounts to a "must-win" game this afternoon. The strange best-of-five format makes the series opener a pivotal game. Losing today would force the Giants to win three straight at home, a tall order even for this resilient ballclub. Shawn Estes gets the start while Al Leiter goes for Florida in a battle of lefthanders. Estes has pitched two fine games against the Marlins, one here and one there; Leiter, for his part, has been superb against the Giants, with a 1.06 ERA in three starts.

Friday, October 3, 1997

The San Francisco Giants face the Florida Marlins in Game Three of the 1997 National League Division Series tonight at Candlestick Park. Game time is slated for 5 p.m. PDT. The Giants are trying to avoid a three-and-out sweep of this five-game series; Wilson Alvarez will get the start.

Florida won Game Two, 7-6, at Miami on Wednesday. Although this game, replete with home runs, errors, walks, and -- with one exception -- lousy pitching, bore no resemblance to Tuesday's tightly-played pitchers' duel, it had two things in common with Game 1. First, it was a thrilling game; second, the Marlins again won it with a base hit off Roberto Hernandez in the bottom of the ninth. This time, it was Moises Alou doing the honors, driving in Gary Sheffield with the winning run.

Neither Shawn Estes, the Giants' 19-game-winning ace, nor Marlins starter Al Leiter was around anywhere near the finish. Estes' control and composure abruptly deserted him in the fourth; he'd allowed a mammoth two-run homer to Bobby Bonilla in the first but the Giants had pulled ahead twice since. After three walks and a RBI single to open the inning, Dusty Baker pulled Estes in favor of Doug Henry, who did about as well as anyone could expect, getting a double-play grounder that did score one more run. The Giants had scored one run in each of the first four innings off Leiter, but Marlins manager Jim Leyland made a brilliant call in the fifth, bringing out the stellar rookie Livan Hernandez to pitch relief. A tremendous Sheffield cannon-shot off Julian Tavarez in the sixth made it 6-4, and paid off when Brian Johnson answered with a solo shot in the seventh for the Giants. But young Hernandez pitched a scoreless eighth, and Florida took the field in the ninth with closer Robb Nen on the mound.

Perhaps Leyland outsmarted himself there, though Nen was hardly the chief culprit, but the Giants immediately mounted one of their trademark improbable game-tying rallies. Darryl Hamilton hustled to first on a ground ball, and was safe when Jeff Conine bobbled it. Stan Javier singled to left; he hit .417 against the Marlins this year and added four more hits in this game. Jose Vizcaino, trying to bunt the runners along, struck out; however, this meant Nen had to pitch to Barry Bonds. And Nen got him, a slow roller to short -- but Bonds hustled like a demon, Javier slid high into second, and Craig Counsell's hurried relay to first went wild. Hamilton came flying around third to score, injuring his hip in the process. Though the Giants couldn't take the lead, they'd tied it, and their record in extra-inning games this year was 11-3.

It never made it to extra innings. Sheffield singled and quickly stole second, Bonilla walked, and Alou dropped one into short center. Dante Powell, Hamilton's replacement, came up with it fast and fired a one-hop bullet to the plate -- but the ball struck the pitching rubber and caromed skyward as Sheffield slid across with the winning run. Appropriately enough, Nen, who'd blown the save in the top of the ninth, emerged as the winning pitcher.

The Giants must face the unpleasant possibility here that they've finally met their match: a team not merely of comparable talent, but of comparable toughness and tenacity, a team even more adept than they at winning late, winning in improbable fashion, and winning when it matters most. The Giants now must win three straight at home to avoid elimination; they certainly can do it, but if they do do it, they'll have climbed their highest mountain yet.

Monday, October 6, 1997

The San Francisco Giants lost the National League Division Series to the Florida Marlins, three games to none. The Marlins wrapped it up in Game 3 at Candlestick Park Friday night with a convincing 6-2 victory to sweep the series.

So the 1997 Giants' implausible quest for glory finally comes to an end. There should be few doubts, few recriminations, few of those woulda-coulda-shoulda second guesses. Florida is a better team than the Giants; not better by much, but better nonetheless. The full house at Candlestick seemed to recognize this; though the mood had grown ugly out in the left-field bleachers in the final innings, everyone stuck around for the finale and serenaded the Giants with a long, heartfelt round of applause. It couldn't wash away the pain of seeing the Marlins celebrate on their home field, but it showed the club how much the fans appreciated this season that no one predicted.

The game itself was a rather ungainly blend of the first two. For five innings Wilson Alvarez and his former teammate, Alex Fernandez, held each other at bay with solid pitching. In the bottom of the fourth, Jeff Kent broke the scoreless tie with a mighty wallop that carried through the stiff wind out to the deepest part of center field and still cleared the fence. But in the top of the sixth, Alvarez began to fade, allowing two singles and a walk after two were down. Dusty Baker paid a visit to the mound, as did catcher Brian Johnson and the whole infield -- and Alvarez stayed in the game. At bat was Devon White, veteran of many playoff games with Toronto over in the American League, but struggling at the plate this year. With the count 2-1, Alvarez dropped a breaking ball down, and White pulverized it: a soaring, majestic drive to deepest left that carried as high as it did far. A grand slam, four runs across, and slowly the life began ebbing out of the Giants.

Not that they went down easy; Bill Mueller led off with a single in the bottom of the sixth. With Barry Bonds at the plate as the tying run, Mueller broke for second on a 2-2 pitch. But Fernandez' perfect pitch froze Bonds -- called strike three -- and catcher Charles Johnson threw out Mueller by a mile. The impact of this aborted rally hit home when Kent, the Giants' lone hero of the night, belted his second homer moments later. It kept it a ballgame at 4-2, but an ominous foreboding settled over the chilly field. Julian Tavarez pitched a quiet seventh, and then in the bottom of the frame Glenallen Hill drew a rare walk, Jose Vizcaino singled, and just like that there were two on with none out. But perhaps too many chances had already come and gone for the Giants; Fernandez sucked it up and made his best pitches of the night, fanning Johnson and pinch-hitter Marvin Benard, then getting Stan Javier on a ground ball to end the threat. And in the eighth, Roberto Hernandez endured the third installment of his nightmare series. Having given up a game-winning ninth-inning hit in each of the first two games, here he helped kick away the Giants' fading chances. Jeff Conine singled and Johnson doubled down the left-field line, the ball glancing off a groundskeeper's door hastily closed by an unwitting stadium janitor and eluding Bonds long enough for Conine to score. One out later, Baker brought in Rich Rodriguez to face Craig Counsell, who clouted another RBI double up the alley in right-center for a 6-2 lead. It was at this point that the drunken contingent, sensing that things were coming to an end, began throwing bottles and garbage into left field. Perhaps they hoped it would rattle the Marlins, but no home-field advantage was going to matter this time. The Giants went down nobly to the end with Rod Beck, appearing in San Francisco black and orange for perhaps the last time, working a scoreless ninth. In their final act, the Giants put two on against closer Robb Nen, but Nen kept his cool, trading bases for outs and finally closing the door with Damon Berryhill's routine grounder to second.

Florida now moves on to play the powerful Atlanta Braves, who also swept their series over Houston. The two were rivals all year long in the East Division; though Atlanta won the pennant by six games, Florida won the season series between the two, eight games to four. Strong pitching predominates both ballclubs, but the Braves get the nod simply because they are the best and have been the best year after year, winning six straight division titles. Either team will face a tough task in the World Series, whether against the superbly-balanced Baltimore Orioles or the peaking-at-the-right-time Cleveland Indians.

And so the Giants will soon turn toward 1998, the harsh reality of the expansion draft, and the sober calculation of the bottom line. The amazing work turned in by this team must now be viewed in the light of future expectations, which will be high. Who among this group is likely to return, and who has shown himself to be expendable?

The bullpen closer issue is a major concern already. Beck, the team's senior member, has lost the heat that once made him special. He's made up for it with better pitch selection, but not consistently enough. A free agent, he still may command large dollars elsewhere, but not here -- and that means he probably won't be back. It's hard to see the club shelling out megabucks for Hernandez now, either; three weeks ago was one thing, but the playoff memories will persist. Again, it's not that these guys are washed up, necessarily, it's that the Giants won't empty their wallets to keep them. That means Julian Tavarez, still only 23, may get the opportunity he's been waiting for.

Most of the late-season veteran pitchers are unlikely to return; that's Pat Rapp, Terry Mulholland, Danny Darwin, and, probably, Alvarez (who likely will command big money elsewhere). Doug Henry and Rich Rodriguez, both of them signed at bargain-basement prices, may well be back, but whether they can match their '97 performances is very much in question. And Jim Poole's season-from-hell likely makes him a goner. That leaves four starters (Shawn Estes, Kirk Rueter, Mark Gardner, and Osvaldo Fernandez), plus Tavarez, as the core of this pitching staff. Gardner's late-season fade remains a concern, but for now he's got to be included.

Expect the Giants to keep three-fourths of the infield intact; Jeff Kent may never duplicate his 1997 numbers, but he means more to this team than the stats will ever show. J.T. Snow is a lock, and Bill Mueller's won himself a job. Odd man out is likely Jose Vizcaino, a free agent who'll find himself in demand elsewhere. Rich Aurilia hit .275 and slugged .500 in part-time duty; he's already got a big-league glove. His time may have arrived. The outfield of Bonds, Hamilton, and Javier is a good one, though the latter two have had durability problems of late. Glenallen Hill, who lost his job at midseason, and Mark Lewis, who couldn't keep Mueller off the field, both make in excess of a million dollars and likely will not be retained. It's a shame, especially in Lewis' case, but high-priced backups are a luxury the team can't afford. Expect that Jacob Cruz and Dante Powell will get more playing time next season. Did we forget anybody? Oh, my goodness -- catcher Brian Johnson! No way do the Giants let him go anywhere, but veteran backup Berryhill is no sure thing, though they'd certainly like to keep him.

The Giants, it must be said, are at a real risk of falling victim to the same fate that plagued the San Diego Padres this season. It was only a year ago that San Diego won the West over a Dodger team that didn't seem to want it bad enough until it was too late. The Padres finished last this year. With very few exceptions, parity -- not to say mediocrity -- reigns supreme in major-league baseball. The Giants played well this year, were inspired and inspiring at crucial times, but they also were lucky in the injury department and in the schedule. Dusty Baker, certainly Manager of the Year for '97, and Brian Sabean, certainly Executive of the Year, give the team a strong advantage at the top. There is no reason to doubt that the Giants have survived their doldrums and will be contenders for the next few seasons, but in '98 it would be unwise to expect another division title from a club that played ten games better than expected. It takes nothing away from this wonderful 1997 team to note that there's work to be done if there's more to be won.

		 T 04/01 Pirates 5, Giants 2   H D   0- 1  Revamped bullpen crumbles: no foolin'
 T 04/03 Giants 7, Pirates 5   H N   1- 1  Bucs issue 13 walks(!); Kent 5 RBI
 F 04/04 Giants 6, Mets 4      H N   2- 1  Bonds' triple highlights late rally
 S 04/05 Giants 2, Mets 0      H D   3- 1  VanLandingham's seven two-hit innings
 S 04/06 Mets 4, Giants 2      H D   3- 2  Rookie Bohanon keeps Jints guessing
 M 04/07 Giants 4, Phillies 3  H N   4- 2  Estes' strong debut a winner
 T 04/08 Phillies 2, Giants 1  H N   4- 3  Shivering Giants can't hit or field
 W 04/09 Giants 3, Phillies 0  H D   5- 3  Bonds' HR stakes Rueter's fine effort
 S 04/13 Giants 5, Mets 1      R D   6- 3  Gardner, Henry, Beck combine; Kent HR
         Giants 7, Mets 6      R D   7- 3  Lewis returns from DL with 2 homers
 M 04/14 Giants 3, Mets 2      R N   8- 3  Kent does it again: winning HR in 8th
 T 04/15 Giants 8, Phillies 4  R N   9- 3  Vandy struggles but mates pick him up
 W 04/16 Giants 6, Phillies 5  R N  10- 3  Hill hits 2; Giants rally, win in 10
 F 04/18 Giants 5, Marlins 4   H N  11- 3  Hill, Kent lead another late rally
 S 04/19 Giants 3, Marlins 2   H D  12- 3  Sheffield drops fly ball, Estes wins
 S 04/20 Giants 2, Marlins 0   H D  13- 3  Fernandez, Beck shine; Giants sweep!
 T 04/22 Braves 4, Giants 0    H N  13- 4  Maddux snaps Giants' streak at nine
 W 04/23 Giants 4, Braves 3    H D  14- 4  Bonds' inside-the-park 3-run homer
 F 04/25 Astros 5, Giants 4    R N  14- 5  Batterin' Bagwell blasts a big 'un
 S 04/26 Giants 2, Astros 0    R N  15- 5  Estes' complete-game 2-hit shutout
 S 04/27 Giants 3, Astros 2    R D  16- 5  SF truly phenomenal in close games
 M 04/28 Cardinals 5, Giants 2 R N  16- 6  Vandy struggles again on road
 T 04/29 Cardinals 9, Giants 7 R N  16- 7  'Pen blows 7-1 lead; first ugly loss
 W 04/30 Giants 6, Pirates 1   R N  17- 7  Kent's 'slam paces Gardner's 3-hitter
 T 05/01 Pirates 3, Giants 2   R D  17- 8  Estes undone by one bad inning
 F 05/02 Reds 6, Giants 2      H N  17- 9  Yikes -- Jints have lost four of five
 S 05/03 Reds 3, Giants 1      H D  17-10  Vandy's 7 shutout innings wasted
 S 05/04 Giants 2, Reds 1      H D  18-10  Hill comes through: 2 RBI in 10th
 M 05/05 Giants 4, Expos 2     H N  19-10  Kent, Lewis launch 'em into the wind
 T 05/06 Expos 10, Giants 3    H N  19-11  First blowout loss for Jints in '97
 W 05/07 Expos 19, Giants 3    H D  19-12  Expos score 13 runs in 6th inning...!
 F 05/09 Cubs 5, Giants 3      H N  19-13  Fourteen innings of frustration
 S 05/10 Giants 4, Cubs 2      H D  20-13  Rueter shuts 'em out through eight
 S 05/11 Giants 11, Cubs 5     H D  21-13  Bonds breaks out, leads Giant attack
 T 05/13 Giants 4, Reds 1      R N  22-13  Kent slams 'em and Estes jams 'em
 W 05/14 Giants 4, Reds 2      R N  23-13  Bonds' blast wins it in 10th
 T 05/15 Expos 8, Giants 7     R N  23-14  'Spos still feast on SF pitching
 F 05/16 Expos 14, Giants 13   R N  23-15  Crumbling bullpen blows 11-2 lead!
 S 05/17 Giants 4, Cubs 1      R N  24-15  Gardner goes 8, restores some sanity
 S 05/18 Cubs 5, Giants 3      R D  24-16  Estes, NO! Roa, SI! Tavarez, CHOKE!
 M 05/19 Cubs 15, Giants 4     R D  24-17  Another ominous blowout loss
 T 05/20 Giants 6, Rockies 3   H N  25-17  Kent wallops his third grand slam
 W 05/21 Rockies 10, Giants 7  H D  25-18  Rally can't overcome 4 costly errors
 T 05/22 Giants 7, Rockies 2   H D  26-18  First-place Giants win a big series
 F 05/23 Giants 2, Cardinals 0 H N  27-18  Estes twirls a tidy two-hitter
 S 05/24 Cardinals 9, Giants 3 H D  27-19  Roa's first start a forgettable one
 S 05/25 Cardinals 9, Giants 3 H D  27-20  No misprint- Vandy victim this time
 M 05/26 Giants 4, Astros 3    H D  28-20  Bonds' blast in bottom of ninth
 T 05/27 Giants 5, Astros 4    H D  29-20  Jints win it in 10, Bonds hero again
 T 05/29 Giants 4, Braves 2    R N  30-20  Solid start to critical road trip
 F 05/30 Braves 3, Giants 2    R N  30-21  Giants rally but lose in ninth
 S 05/31 Giants 6, Braves 4    R N  31-21  They rally to win after awful start
 S 06/01 Braves 4, Giants 3    R D  31-22  They manage to lose after 3-0 start
 M 06/02 Marlins 4, Giants 2   R N  31-23  Sheffield launches one into orbit
 T 06/03 Giants 9, Marlins 1   R D  32-23  Mueller, Estes (!) hit 1st career HRs
 W 06/04 Dodgers 5, Giants 1   R N  32-24  Jints fan 14 times, stranding nine
 T 06/05 Giants 5, Dodgers 4   R N  33-24  Beck survives 399-foot scare in 9th
 F 06/06 Braves 9, Giants 5    H N  33-25  Atlanta's baseball's best, you bet
 S 06/07 Braves 5, Giants 2    H D  33-26  'Pen fails after Gardner duels Maddux
 S 06/08 Giants 5, Braves 3    H D  34-26  Giants solve Smoltz, save series
 M 06/09 Giants 7, Marlins 4   H N  35-26  Bonds breaking out: 3 HR in 2 games
 T 06/10 Marlins 9, Giants 0   H D  35-27  Kevin Brown's near-perfect no-hitter
 W 06/11 Marlins 6, Giants 3   H D  35-28  Giants leave fifteen (!) men on base
 T 06/12 Giants 4, Rangers 3   R N  36-28  First interleague game; howdy, Will
 F 06/13 Rangers 6, Giants 5   R N  36-29  'Pen fails after Jints rally thrice
 S 06/14 Giants 10, Angels 3   R N  37-29  Aurilia slams ex-teammate Watson
 S 06/15 Giants 4, Angels 1    R D  38-29  Vandy walks 8 in 6 but still wins
 T 06/17 Giants 4, Mariners 3  H N  39-29  40,000 brave 'Stick to see 'Junior'
 W 06/18 Giants 4, Mariners 2  H D  40-29  Giants red-hot and rollin' at home
 T 06/19 Giants 5, Dodgers 2   H N  41-29  Javier, Estes continue to produce
 F 06/20 Dodgers 11, Giants 7  H N  41-30  Jints rally from 7-0 but lose in 10
 S 06/21 Dodgers 11, Giants 0  H D  41-31  How can 1st-place team look this bad?
 S 06/22 Giants 4, Dodgers 2   H D  42-31  'Rubberband Giants' bounce back again
 M 06/23 Padres 11, Giants 6   H N  42-32  Giant-killer Finley powers 3 HRs
 T 06/24 Giants 4, Padres 1    H D  43-32  Estes now 10-2 and a likely All-Star
 W 06/25 Giants 14, Padres 7   H D  44-32  Jints post season-high runs and hits
 T 06/26 Rockies 7, Giants 6   R N  44-33  Javier's 4 walks offset by 4 SF GIDP
 F 06/27 Giants 6, Rockies 3   R N  45-33  Rueter zips past power-packed lineup
 S 06/28 Rockies 9, Giants 2   R N  45-34  Gardner shelled for 2nd straight time
 S 06/29 Giants 7, Rockies 4   R D  46-34  Estes 11-2; Jints get necessary split
 M 06/30 Giants 8, Mariners 4  R N  47-34  Giants rally three times to win in 10
 T 07/01 Mariners 15, Giants 4 R D  47-35  Man, can these guys hit the baseball
 W 07/02 Athletics 8, Giants 1 H D  47-36  McGwire's blast recalls A's of '89
 T 07/03 Giants 6, Athletics 4 H N  48-36  Creek reborn as SF's newest starter?
 F 07/04 Giants 4, Rockies 0   H N  49-36  Estes' epic 11-strikeout one-hitter
 S 07/05 Giants 2, Rockies 1   H D  50-36  Vizcaino, Kent come through in 8th
 S 07/06 Giants 7, Rockies 0   H D  51-36  Giants sweep into break 6 games ahead
 T 07/10 Dodgers 11, Giants 0  R N  51-37  LA's 8th straight win makes it a race
 F 07/11 Dodgers 6, Giants 2   R N  51-38  Nomo's 3-hitter; LA only 4 back
 S 07/12 Giants 8, Dodgers 5   R N  52-38  Giants explode with 6 in top of 9th!
 S 07/13 Dodgers 9, Giants 3   R D  52-39  Shell-shocked Jints flee town up by 4
 M 07/14 Padres 5, Giants 3    R N  52-40  'Break clearly did Giants no good
 T 07/15 Giants 16, Padres 2   R N  53-40  What a tonic- team-record 13-run 7th!
 W 07/16 Astros 8, Giants 1    R N  53-41  SF pitchers hit 4 'Stros with pitches
 T 07/17 Giants 3, Astros 1    R D  54-41  Gardner superb as Giants snap back
 F 07/18 Cardinals 6, Giants 5 R N  54-42  Estes ineffective for 2nd game in row
 S 07/19 Cardinals 8, Giants 7 R N  54-43  Gant snakes SF again with HR in 9th
 S 07/20 Giants 9, Cardinals 2 R D  55-43  Hometown boy Rueter stops the carnage
 M 07/21 Cardinals 7, Giants 2 R N  55-44  Foulke shelled all the way to Phoenix
 T 07/22 Giants 8, Phillies 5  H N  56-44  They walk Bonds, and Kent hits it out
 W 07/23 Giants 16, Phillies 4 H D  57-44  Bonds' grand slam leads Giants' rout
 T 07/24 Phillies 7, Giants 4  H D  57-45  Nine walks... but they leave twelve
 F 07/25 Pirates 5, Giants 2   H N  57-46  Giants shopping for more starters?
 S 07/26 Pirates 10, Giants 3  H D  57-47  Yep, 'cause now they're up the Creek
 S 07/27 Giants 6, Pirates 5   H D  58-47  A four-hour, 13-inning exhaust-o-rama
   07/27 Pirates 10, Giants 7  H D  58-48  Lead down to 1 as staff crumbles anew
 T 07/29 Giants 5, Mets 2      H N  59-48  Estes 14-4 behind Lewis' grand slam
 W 07/30 Mets 5, Giants 2      H N  59-49  'Relievers' heap gasoline atop blaze
 F 08/01 Giants 8, Reds 7      R N  60-49  New Giants Alvarez, Hernandez debut
 S 08/02 Reds 5, Giants 1      R D  60-50  Two-hit Jints tied with LA for first
 S 08/03 Giants 8, Reds 3      R D  61-50  Hill walks twice (!) in 5-run  tenth
 M 08/04 Giants 9, Reds 1      R N  62-50  Snow, Rueter shine; SF leads  by 1.5
 T 08/05 Giants 8, Cubs 2      R N  63-50  Darwin's strong debut no mere theory
 W 08/06 Giants 7, Cubs 4      R D  64-50  Rapp healthy; Jints win 4th straight
 T 08/07 Cubs 6, Giants 3      R D  64-51  Cub rookie Gonzalez handcuffs Giants
 F 08/08 Giants 4, Expos 0     R N  65-51  Gardner's complete-game 2-hit shutout
 S 08/09 Expos 2, Giants 1     R N  65-52  'Spos win thriller in bottom of ninth
 S 08/10 Giants 6, Expos 3     R D  66-52  Snow's hit delivers huge win in 12th
 M 08/11 Reds 7, Giants 4      H N  66-53  Rapp shelled for 6 runs in 2 innings
 T 08/12 Giants 7, Reds 3      H D  67-53  Alvarez, Hernandez show their stuff
 W 08/13 Cubs 6, Giants 5      H D  67-54  Tempers flare but Jints go away mad
 T 08/14 Giants 7, Cubs 3      H D  68-54  Beck struggles but saves Estes' 15th
 F 08/15 Giants 6, Expos 2     H N  69-54  Rueter hits, pitches Giants to win
 S 08/16 Expos 8, Giants 5     H D  69-55  Pat's bad Rapp: exile to Phoenix
 S 08/17 Giants 8, Expos 6     H D  70-55  Six-run first stakes gimpy Alvarez
 M 08/18 Phillies 12, Giants 3 R N  70-56  Another one of those embarrassments
 T 08/19 Giants 9, Phillies 5  R N  71-56  Another one of those bounce-backs
 F 08/22 Pirates 3, Giants 2   R N  71-57  Feeble Jints watch LA trim lead to 1
 S 08/23 Pirates 6, Giants 4   R N  71-58  Clumsy Jints kick another one away
 S 08/24 Pirates 9, Giants 6   R D  71-59  Snakebit Jints finally fall to second
 M 08/25 Giants 7, Mets 1      R N  72-59  Estes stops losing streak, wins 17th
 T 08/26 Giants 6, Mets 2      R N  73-59  Snow's 3-run homer in 6th holds up
 W 08/27 Mets 15, Giants 6     R D  73-60  Bullpen redefines 'losing ugly'
 T 08/28 Rangers 11, Giants 5  H N  73-61  Now Beck surrenders 7 in ninth!
 F 08/29 Giants 5, Rangers 4   H N  74-61  Mueller, Bonds, Kent win it in 12th
 S 08/30 Giants 7, Angels 3    H D  75-61  Snow hits 2 as Estes wins his 18th
 S 08/31 Angels 7, Giants 4    H D  75-62  Alvarez continues to give up homers
 M 09/01 Giants 8, A's 2       R N  76-62  51,000 at Coliseum; Jints trail by 2
 W 09/03 A's 12, Giants 3      R N  76-63  Bullpen turns close game into laugher
 T 09/04 Astros 14, Giants 2   H N  76-64  Gardner can't get out of 1st inning!
 F 09/05 Giants 4, Astros 1    H N  77-64  Hamilton's catch, clutch hit save it
 S 09/06 Giants 5, Astros 3    H D  78-64  Hernandez' 100-mph heat rescues Beck
 S 09/07 Giants 5, Astros 1    H D  79-64  Beck back in form as Giants roll
 T 09/09 Cardinals 5, Giants 3 H N  79-65  LA loses, but SF can't gain a game
 W 09/10 Giants 7, Cardinals 6 H D  80-65  Giants scale Everest to win in ten
 T 09/11 Giants 5, Phillies 3  R N  81-65  Kent's homer in 9th- SF tied for 1st
 F 09/12 Giants 1, Marlins 0   R N  82-65  Pitchers' zenith: back in 1st place!
 S 09/13 Marlins 8, Giants 1   R D  82-66  Brown remains confirmed Giant-killer
 S 09/14 Marlins 5, Giants 4   R D  82-67  Sheffield blasts Jints back into tie
 M 09/15 Braves 5, Giants 4    R N  82-68  McGriff's blast stuns Beck in 9th
 T 09/16 Braves 6, Giants 4    R D  82-69  Alvarez gives up the grand slam
 W 09/17 Giants 2, Dodgers 1   H N  83-69  Bonds, Rueter, Hernandez win Round 1
 T 09/18 Giants 6, Dodgers 5   H D  84-69  Johnson's dramatic homer in 12th!
 F 09/19 Giants 7, Padres 4    R N  85-69  Bonds does it again; Hernandez saves
 S 09/20 Padres 12, Giants 2   R D  85-70  Estes torched in 'weekly blowout'
 S 09/21 Giants 8, Padres 5    R D  86-70  Javier comes through in top of 9th
 M 09/22 Giants 11, Padres 5   R N  87-70  Charging Giants can smell champagne
 T 09/23 Rockies 7, Giants 6   R N  87-71  Bonds' latest blast still not enough
 W 09/24 Giants 4, Rockies 3   R D  88-71  Johnson hero once again: HR in 9th!
 F 09/26 Giants 17, Padres 4   H N  89-71  Sky-high Giants rout 'em, clinch tie
 S 09/27 Giants 6, Padres 1    H D  90-71  Alvarez, Beck star as Giants win it!
 S 09/28 Padres 5, Giants 3    H D  90-72  11 innings later, it's off to Miami

In addition to writing the Giants column for SportzNutz, David Malbuff is the editor and publisher of GIANTS COMPLETE BREAKDOWN, which is not an assessment of their sorry mental state (or even Gregg's) at any given time, but rather a detailed statistical analysis of the only team worth analyzing. He'd be happy to hear from you at damalbuff@ecomwave.comu.

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