subject: San Francisco Giants Tickets - Under The Radar, On The Rise [print this page] With a fourth consecutive victory on Aug., the San Francisco Giants have pulled within one game of first place in the National League West. Winners of 21 out of their last 26 games, the Giants are becoming a sneaky contender for the National League pennant. Now that this club has found their offense, they could be a legitimate pick to represent the N.L. in the World Series in 2010.
Coming into this season, it was the San Francisco pitching staff that sold San Francisco Giants tickets. Headlined by two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum, the Giants' starting rotation was expected to be among the best in the bigs this season. This group has not disappointed thus far, sporting a team ERA of 3.41. Lincecum has not been as dominant as the past two seasons, but he's still been one of the better pitchers in the National League. Matt Cain and Barry Zito have performed very well, as has Jonathan Sanchez. Rookie Madison Bumgarner has also thrived since his call up, assimilating to the big leagues with relative ease.
The success of the pitching staff was expected coming into the 2010 campaign, but the lineup was seen as a glaring weakness that could hold the team back from postseason competition. For the first half of the season that appeared to be true, and many saw the Giants as a team that needed to make a run at Prince Fielder or another big bat. However, something has clicked since then, and the San Fran offense appears to be firing on all cylinders.
The addition of rookie slugger Buster Posey has worked wonders for this lineup, as the backstop has been somewhat of an offensive catalyst for the Giants. As of Aug. 3, Posey is hitting .356 with a slugging percentage of .538. He's making a run at the Rookie of the Year Award, even though he hasn't been in the bigs all season. Posey figures to be a fixture of the San Francisco lineup for a long time, which is surely music to any Giants fan's ears.
Posey hasn't been the only one carrying his weight offensively, though. Aubrey Huff is putting together a fantastic all-around season, hitting .310 with 20 homers and 65 RBI through 104 games. Huff has had some big seasons in the past, but not much was expected of him this year. His production has been a pleasant surprise in the Bay and he's a key reason that the Giants have World Series potential. Outfielder Andrew Torres has been another pleasant surprise. Torres has risen from relative obscurity to shine in 2010. As of Aug. 3, Torres is hitting .289 with 11 dingers, 44 RBI and 19 stolen bases. If Pablo Sandoval begins to hit like he did last season, this lineup could be really dangerous.
The Giants appear to be a team that is built for the postseason. With a solid lineup and top-tier pitching, they could challenge just about any team in the National League in a series. They'll have to hurdle the San Diego Padres and fend off the Los Angeles Dodgers first, but sleeping on San Francisco this season could be a giant mistake.
