On July 28th, 2006, the Giants were three games back. They were just above .500, sure, but only three games back. Brian Sabean said to himself, "Sabes, you need to go out and get a lefty who can throw 23 innings over the next two months. Our playoff chances depend on it."
Three years later, the person traded for Mike Stanton held the Giants to two hits.
Don't worry, though. The Giants received a supplemental first-round pick for Stanton.
Wait, that pick was used on Charlie Culberson. And Jordan Zimmerman was still on the board, and the Nationals eventually took him in the second round. All of a sudden, I'm really annoyed with the Nationals.
It's hard to complain too much about this one, though. Zito pitched well, and the Giants haven't lost a series since the middle of April. For the short-term, I'll just be satisfied that Zito is a worthwhile starting pitcher again. Maybe if they package him with Rowand this offseason, the Giants can get that missing middle-of-the-order bat.
Full boxscore for the sadists.