Imagine having a significant other for six years and splitting up. It wasn’t messy, but that doesn’t mean you don’t want to impress your ex every time you run into her. Yet every time you see her, you just happen to be drunk in a Home Depot, throwing up in a showroom toilet. Just one of life’s little coincidences.
So congratulations, Barry Zito. You ran into your ex, and you were wearing an Armani suit and smelling of fresh summer meadows. Damn, that has to feel good.
Also of note: I’m still screaming "Throw strikes!" at my TV. My TV is unsure how to respond. That was almost a prodigious bullpen meltdown. With a three-run lead, a team can’t walk four hitters in an inning. The Giants probably should have lost just out of principle.
Also also of note: Remember this game the next time Brian Wilson gives up a bloop and a blast to blow a save. He’s not vintage Mariano Rivera, but he shouldn’t have to be. He’s just a guy with a 98-MPH fastball, a wicked slider, and steadily improving control. With the amateur draft still fresh in our memories, it’s worth remembering that Wilson was one of the best low-risk/high-reward gambles the Giants have ever taken in the draft.