Series sweeps against division rivals are beautiful things. The Giants dragged their leaky transmission of a team into Arizona, and had every right to try and burn the thing for insurance money. Instead, they outscored the Diamondbacks 24-7, doing it against some quality pitchers. And Shawn Estes.
Quick notes:
- It gnaws at the soul to see Livan Hernandez approach the All-Star break 11-2 with a 3.32 ERA. It'll keep you awake at night if you let it. Jim Brower is long since released, and, to make things worse, there is a small chance that Matt Blank isn't going to be a key contributor for the Giants. So if Shawn Estes were to finish the season with the Diamondbacks with an ERA under 4.00, it would likely break stronger men than I.
No worries. The Estes of last night could have been thawed from a cryogenic holding tank filled in 2001. Poor control, homer-happy tendencies, and Krukow referring to him as a double-play specialist about four times per inning. It was like an ex-girlfriend you don't like, coming over to cook that meal you always hated. The Diamondbacks would be better off starting Tsuyoshi Shinjo at shortstop.
- Tomko, v. 2.2 was exactly as you pictured it. Instead of pitching six innings, melting down in one of them to lose the game, he'll just have a meltdown every sixth game. Last night he sailed through two innings, and gave up a bomb in another. Moving Tomko to the bullpen is an idea with merit, except: a. His trade value is now officially zero, and b. It leaves the Giants searching for another starter after Jeff Fassero. Jeff Fassero, fourth starter, is probably the best reason to let Tomko work through his troubles in the rotation.