Things that stuck out:
- Rich Aurilia has a natural ability to pull great at-bats from his nether regions. When he used to hit in front of Barry Bonds, the Giants would trail by two runs, and Bonds would be on deck. Aurilia would go up to the plate, knowing he needed to reach base, and he'd turn into a combination of Rickey Henderson and Eddie Stanky. He'd work the count, foul pitches off, spit on close pitches, crouch down, and make the pitcher work.
After his at-bat, his eye of the on-base tiger would fade as quickly as it came. He became Merely Rich Aurilia. It was uncanny. And he did it again tonight, working Jonathon Broxton for a bases loaded walk to tie the game. My only regret is that the GIANTS DIDN'T WIN THE DAMN GAME. Grrrrgffg. - I wish Comcast Sportsnet had a picture-in-picture thingie going on Pablo Sandoval at all times. He's so freaking into the game. When Aurilia walked, Sandoval tossed a paper cup in the air and did a little dance. He looked back at Molina, who kind of made a face like, "yeah, uh, that's great, kid." Sandoval didn't care and kept beaming. It was awesome.
- Howry didn't get booed, which is as it should be. For now. He's a useful reliever, and all relievers have games like this. But he sure is a pailful of impending doom right now, isn't he? What happens in April isn't indicative of how the season will go, so it isn't time to sharpen the waiver hatchet yet.
- Blaming Howry is fine and dandy, but the Giants only scored three runs. I'm starting to wonder if the offense is the problem.
- The Burriss/Ishikawa double play was a little too metaphorical for my liking. Weak hitting, poor baserunning, semi-prospects, a bunch of speed that doesn't do any good, a double play, and a rally wasted in a unique way: Your 2009 Giants!
- This game sucked. I'm gonna get a drink.