Here We Go Again

So, the second half of the baseball season starts tomorrow. I can't wait. The Giants finished the first half at 46-40, just a half game behind the Dodgers (and zero games back in the loss column) for first place in the National League West. San Francisco had some great moments in the first half: Cain's perfect game and sweeping the Dodgers in three games with three shutouts. It was all capped off by the Giants making their fans look smart (and Mets fans look bitter) when they dominated the All-Star game in Kansas City. Pablo Sandoval, Buster Posey, and Melky Cabrera went 3-7 with one walk, zero strikeouts, and five RBIs. Matt Cain pitched two shut-out innings, setting the tone for the rest of the National League pitching staff to pitch seven more. Cabrera was named MVP. The night literally couldn't have gone any better for the Giants or their fans.

While these moments have been great and have provided some great first-half memories, there are definitely things that the Giants need to work in the second half if they want to make a push for the postseason.

1. Lincecum. The Giantts are 46-40 on the season and are 4-14 in Tim Lincecum's starts. That means they are 42-26 when he's not on the mound. He's shown flashes of brilliance (April 23 against the Mets, April 28 against the Padres, June 27 against the Dodgers) but has mostly been erratic and inconsistent. His velocity has been up and down, and he's been leaving a lot of pitches up. Hitters are making him pay, and his ERA is a league-worst among starters at 6.42. There's not much I can say that the stats don't. Timmy just needs to rebound in the second half. Let's just leave it at that.

2. Belt. Brandon began to show his offensive abilities in the last month with more consistent playing time. From June 7 to June 26 he started a season-high 17 games in a row. During that time, he raised his batting average from .236 to .261. He hit four homeruns with 14 RBIs. However, to end the first half, Belt only started six of the last 11 games. During this inconsistent playing time, he hasn't hit any homeruns and has only one RBI. Brandon Belt is 23 and needs consistent playing time to become the kind of high-caliber first baseman that we all know (or hope/pray) that he can be. I'm hoping and praying that Bochy realizes this as well.

3. The Closer. Santiago Casilla did a great job for the most part in the first half of the season. He converted 21 of 25 save opportunities. He has a 2.84 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 31.2 innings pitched. However, he's also given up 31 hits in those innings. He's blown three of the last four save opportunities. His opponent's average is the highest that it's been since 2009 with the A's at .228. In the most devastating blown save of the season last week against the Nationals, Casilla was seen shaking off Buster Posey repeatedly. I know that Casilla is just a temporary fix until Brian Wilson hopefully returns next season, but it might be nice to give someone else a shot at closing in the second half. Sergio Romo's slight frame makes him seem a bit fragile for the role full-time, but his stuff is wicked. Brad Penny is also back and strong and healthy. I mean, after the past couple weeks, what've they got to lose?

Like I said, overall, the Giants have had a great first season. They've all been pretty healthy (knock on wood), and Sabean's off-season pick-ups have been great. Plus, it really doesn't hurt that one of them was just named the All-Star game MVP. As fans, we've had some great stories. Let's hope they keep on coming in the second half.