Keep Your Courage

Friday June 27
WP: Cueto: (8-5, 1.88) , LP Bumgarner (9-5, 2.90) HR: None

I am always saying, "Keep hope alive."  I believe in the idea of Major League Unconditional Love.  Stand by your team. In a summer like this one, it would be easy to flip loyalty to the Oakland As. But I am from Boston, and I could never root against the Red Sox. While I really admire what the As are doing, I am here with the Giants. It took me a long time to shift my loyalty to orange and black, but now I am stuck on the Giants. No matter what.

It was easier when the Giants were 9.5 games ahead in the NL West and had the best record in baseball than now. You know, hanging on to the divisional lead by a mere two games and being the worst team in the Major Leagues for the last two weeks. Oh, they are still over .500, but how long is that going to last? They are easily intimidated by excellent pitching. You can't stay in first place of the NL West if you are afraid of the opposition.  You were fierce in the beginning. Please get fierce again. What did you guys do with your courage?

Pablo Sandoval: Stop worrying about your 100th homer. I don't know if you are still wearing the boots, but they have run out of magic.  Back to basics - see the ball, wait for your pitch, hit the ball.

Mike Morse: Your bat is frozen, too. You are not that fast, so those home runs are your road to Beast-dom. Hang up the BEAST shirt until the BEAST returns.

Hunter Pence: Thank you for never giving up. Keep your courage.

Adam Duvall: Thanks for giving us hope.

Joe Panik: Keep your eye on the ball.  All the time.

Buster Posey: You are amazing. I like you more and more.

Fans: Keep showing up.  don't give up. Stop laughing at how Hunter Pence runs. Watch his efficiency as a base runner, by doing whatever it is he does, he saves steps rounding corners. He gets there faster. Watch it.  (Glad I finally got that off my chest)

• • •

Everything changed when we lost Angel Pagan. Call him a table-setter, a rainmaker, a spark, a starter. I miss him.

Brandon Belt will be back soon, but then what will happen to Adam Duvall.

I wonder if Marco Scutero will ever return.  This is a huge loss, but let's remember that until they  lost Angel they were winning.

• • •

Saturday Probables:
CIN: Simon (10-3), 2.92
SF: Matt Cain, (1-6, 4.82)