Freak stat of the day:
Giants record when scoring exactly three runs: 8-1
Giants record when scoring exactly six runs: 1-2
So everyone’s all agog over Andres Torres’s grand slam, but don’t forget about Brandon Crawford’s RBI single earlier in the inning. Without it, the Giants would have scored only six runs, and then they probably would have lost. This sort of thing is why math is so confusing.
Of all of the surprise players last year -- specifically Burrell, Huff, and Torres -- if I were told that only one could keep his offensive production, I think Torres would be the obvious choice. A plus-defender in center with leadoff skillz and a little power is a harder thing to find than a low-average clomper like Burrell or an offensive-minded first baseman.
As such, today’s a perfect day to give the whining a rest. Temporarily, of course! But a day with Torres reminding us that he’s still pretty good is a good day to reflect on what’s going right. And for a few hours at least, the Giants are tied for first. It can’t all be a smoldering husk. One of the things going right: Torres is back, and he’s the hitter from last year so far. If you followed the preseason projections, that was something that was less likely than Huff or Burrell performing at a similar level. Small victories.
Another thing that’s going right: Madison Bumgarner is the third straight highly touted pitching prospect to come up for the Giants and look like he really, really knows what he’s doing. It’s an easy thing to take for granted, but other teams dicker around with their prospects for season after season, trying to figure out their role, wondering if they’re ever going to develop into something notable. It’s pretty amazing that Cain, Lincecum, and now Bumgarner have come up as good pitchers dripping with potential. Sometimes all that young pitcher potential just makes the floor slippery.
First place again for at least another couple of hours. I'll take it. Now let us never speak of those hats again.