odds and ends

Just a few quick thoughts as we go through these dog-days of August:

1. Belt.
I don't want to say "I told you so," but I will. He's batting .464 so far in ten games in August, up dratiscally from .186 in July. He's raised his overall average to .259, and he's got more hits this month so far (14) than he did in all of April (10), May (13), and July (13). Belt's OBP in August is .531 and he's third on the team in the last month. (Well, technically he's 4th, behind Buster Posey, Melky Cabrera, and, wait for it, Nate Schierholtz. Too soon?) Perhaps his most impressive game of the season was this past Sunday, where he went 4-4 with a run and an RBI. Belt has played 11 of the 13 games in August so far. He's back to consistent playing time, and, surprise surprise, he's killing it at the plate. But just to be safe, everyone go knock on wood that I didn't just jinx him for the rest of the season.

2. Pence.
Yes, Nate Schierholtz was my current favorite Giant. He'd come up through the organiztion, he was from the Bay Area, and he always seemed like a hard worker. Plus, in all honesty, it'll be very hard for anybody to play right field at AT&T park better than Nate Schierholtz. But I think that Hunter Pence was a great pick-up for the Giants. Honestly, I wish Sabean had gone after Pence last July instead of Carlos Beltran. Pence came from the Phillies on July 31 batting .271 with 17 homeruns and 59 RBIs. While he's struggled a bit in a Giants uniform, batting just .145 with one homerun, he does have 11 RBIs in 13 games. Sunday's game against the Rockies was huge for Pence as well, when he made his first homerun as a Giant really count. He crushed a three-run shot over the left-centerfield wall to break a 6-6 tie in the 8th inning. It gave the Giants the 9-6 win that they desperately needed to keep pace with the Dodgers, who had won earlier that day. Perhaps most encouraging, though, was Pence's post-game comments. Even though he had every reason to bask in the glory of his performance, he spent time praising his teammates for their tough at-bats and key hits. Pence is clearly a great teammate and a team player. The Giants are stronger with him.

There's more to come on Posey and the already-intense Giants-Dodgers pennant race. Stay tuned.

I love this time of the year.