Oh. That Barry Zito.
It's not an original sentiment -- a few people in the GameThread beat me to it -- but is there a better way to describe that game? You know, that Barry Zito. He's the guy who doesn't know where the ball is going. Sometimes it's outside the strike zone, sometimes it's outside outside the strike zone, and every now and again, it leisurely crawls across the top of the strike zone, looking the hitter in the eye and asking for a spanking all creepy-like.
And I was caught off guard, dang it. After watching Zito for the first half of his 64-year contract, I knew what to expect. But the trip to the disabled list fuzzed up my thinkin' brain, and I was optimistic when he came back with three good starts. His strikeout-to-walk ratio was pure Barry Zito, but he wasn't allowing runs. Stupid, stupid, stupid me. I thought that meant something.
Nope. Zito is Zito is Zito. We know exactly what to expect. Some good mixed in with some bad, some excellence mixed in with some putrefaction. It all evens to a steaming pile of average, which isn't exactly what you paid for, but it beats Todd Wellemeyer.
With that, you have to expect games like tonight. The guy throws 85-mph fastballs. If he doesn't know where it's going, it's a mess. If he always knew where it was going, he wouldn't be a steaming pile of average -- he'd be pretty danged good. He's not. He's Barry Zito, one of the 150 best starting pitchers in the major leagues. Give or take. And with that, you'll get a stinker every now and again. It's pretty annoying, especially with the other four starters going well.
Also of note: Jesus Guzman would look pretty good at first for the Giants. Typing that sentence makes my nose bleed. It makes me wish the Giants had some sort of first baseman who could step in and start. Alas, that's just a pipe dream.