The San Diego Padres outclassed the Giants in April and May while beating them seven times in eight games. The Giants have spent the past three months chasing them in the standings.
There will be no need for scoreboard watching today, when the Padres arrive at AT&T Park to begin a three-game series.
The Giants will be quick to tell you they are nfl jersey
a different club now. They didn't have Buster Posey, Freddy Sanchez or Pat Burrell when they last rendezvoused with San Diego on May 18. They didn't have Madison Bumgarner, either. And those aren't all their new attributes.
"Mentally, we're in a great place," Giants right-hander Sergio Romo said. "Now we're believing in ourselves from beginning to end. We're expecting to compete and win every ballgame.
"And maybe that's the defining factor. We honestly believe now that it's really possible. We can be a playoff team."
While some Giants coaches and veterans privately cringed when left-hander Jonathan Sanchez guaranteed a three-game sweep and an eventual trip to the postseason, others in the room didn't mind the bravado.
"I'll be honest, he's not the only one in this clubhouse who thinks that's possible," Romo said. "He just happens to be more vocal about it. It doesn't change our task at hand. We always try to play with high intensity. If anything, he just made us all that much more eager to get after it."
Sanchez's comments will motivate both sides, though.
"Lot of courage to say that," Padres outfielder Scott Hairston told a San Diego TV station. "It's going to be a good series but he's already guaranteeing a sweep? I think that pumps us up a little bit.
"I don't think he's too smart of an individual if he's guaranteeing a sweep right now. So we'll just be more motivated and hopefully get the first game to prove he's wrong.
"That's just one player speaking. It's not like he's the team captain or anything."
Said closer Heath Bell: "All right, cool. We're going to get swept. Well, I swept my garage this morning.
"I like it. Add a little fuel to the fire. É I'm ready to play. If I'm pitching the next three days, I'm pretty sure it's not going to be a sweep."
It'll take a sweep to put the Giants in first place. They'll enter the Saints jersey
series trailing by 2 ? games, although they lead the NL wild card standings.
And for all he buildup, this series won't decide anything. The Giants and Padres will play seven more games after this weekend ? four at Petco Park Sept. 9-12 and a three-game series at China Basin to end the regular season Oct. 1-3.
Is Posey looking forward to getting his first cracks against the Padres?
"It's a big series, no doubt," said Posey, who leads all major leaguers with a .331 average since his May 29 season debut. "But I'm just pleased we took three of four from the Cubs. At this point, you've got to have everything tightened up every game. Just my opinion, but you should be playing the right way all the time."
The Giants have done that, winning 25 of 35 since July 5. And they'll have their Orange Friday mojo going, too. They're 9-0 when wearing their orange tops.
The two teams are similar in many respects, right down to the ninth inning.
The Padres are 56-1 when leading after eight innings. The Giants are 57-1. They rank 2-3 in the NL in rotation ERA, trailing only the St. Louis Cardinals.
If the Padres have a major edge, it's team speed. They rank second to the New York Mets in the NL in stolen bases and they've grounded into the fewest double plays in the league. The plodding Giants have done better of late, but they lead the NL in double-play grounders.
The running game will be a key for the series. The Padres are 42-9 when they steal at least one base.
Sanchez doesn't allow the Padres many baserunners. Memorably, he no-hit them July 10 of last season. He also held them to one hit in seven innings while taking a loss April 20 at San Diego. And he lost again despite yielding just a run on three hits in eight innings May 13 at AT&T Park.
Given that history, Giants Manager Bruce Bochy said he understood why the left-hander felt he needed to puff out his chest when he said the Giants would grab first place and they "won't look back."
"I don't think he meant for it to come out like that, and he's said that to me," Bochy San Diego Chargers jersey
said. "I don't think anything needs to be said. San Diego is having a nice year and we're having a nice year. That's what it's about. We have tremendous respect for the San Diego club and what they've accomplished."
Added Romo: "We respect other teams. We're just not afraid of them. We think we're pretty good, too."
没有评论:
发表评论