Are you down?

What a difference a week makes.

Last Wednesday, Giants fans everywhere (myself included) were rejoicing with how well the season was going, how great the team looked. They were scoring runs, pitching well (well, except Wellemeyer). It looked like it was going to be their season, this year they would make the playoffs and their offensive troubles were over.

That was short-lived.

In the last week, the Giants have gone 1-4, they're only win coming on a day when Lincecum and the bullpen didn't give up a single run. The pitching has remained solid, with Zito, Cain, and Sanchez all being robbed of wins after pitching gems (Zito going into the 8th, giving up only 4 hits and 1 run on saturday; Cain pitching 6, giving up only 2 runs on Monday; and the best of them all, Sanchez. Last night he pitching a 1 run, 1 hit, 10 strikeout gem, only to take the loss).

So, what's happened?

Apart from a couple bullpen homeruns (which would have made no difference could the Giants have scored 1 or 2 more runs per game...so, 1 or 2 runs total), the averages have slipped. Most of them, pretty significantly. Taking a look at the main starters for the Giants, Molina and Renteria have the biggest losses in average over the last week. Last wednesday (April 14), Renteria was batting .382 and Molina was at .455. After Tuesday night (April 20), their averages stand at .296 and .351, respectively. That's a drop in average of .104 for Molina and .086 for Renteria. Keep in mind that Renteria was batting near .800 a mere 2 weeks ago and this does not bode well for the rest of the season. Neither of these guys has what it takes to start everyday and actually produce offensively. They had big bursts coming out of spring training because, at 34 (Renteria) and 35 (Molina), they were well-rested. As the season goes on, they will wear down. Again, the age of this team is already becoming a factor for them (DeRosa, 35, has already had to miss a few games because of a strained muscle. It's April).

Edgar and Bengie are not the only ones to lose some of their averages over the past week. Bowker has dropped from .250 (not great to start with) to .176. That's a loss of .074, good enough for the 3rd biggest decline on the team. Uribe has lost .024, to end up at .320 for the season and Sandoval is down .021, bringing him to a .321 average coming into today's game. While those numbers aren't anything to be worried about (yet), they are in direct correlation with the team's current losing streak. So, they are making an impact.

There have been some bright spots on the team during this stretch, however dim. Huff has managed to bring his average up, going from .273 to .288. He is also continuing to get on base, whether it be through a hit or a walk. Nate Schierholtz (who should've been starting in right field this entire season) has also raised his average. He's gone from .286 last week to .350 this week. He's also already got an outfield assist and 1 of the team's 5 stolen bases on the season. Someone tell me why, again, Bowker and Torres keep starting in place of him? (sidenote: Torres has raised his average in the last week from .000 to .111. so, in a way, he has made the biggest improvement by actually getting a hit. actually, 2 hits)

If the Giants insist on continuing with this line-up, they will continue to have numbers like this: 1-for-25 with runners in scoring position and 22 men left on base the last 3 games.

If they want to make the playoffs, those numbers need to go up. For that to happen, the age of this team needs to come down.

Jen