Rangers win MUST game as Giants revert back to BOOM or BUST

The Rangers won a game they HAD to win. The Giants lost a game it would have been nice to win. Any time an NFL game features a game where one team MUST win versus another team that would LIKE to win, I go with the team that MUST win. The old cornered rat thing. Or the boxer, backed into the corner. The only way out is to punch back. If you curl up and take the hits, it's not long before you are counted out.

And so the Rangers win 4-2. The Giants will not sweep the series. But who really thought they would? If you told me after three games, 'the Giants will be up 2-1' I would have taken it. The difference in the game: The Rangers 2 HR's were a 3-run blast and a solo versus the Giants 2 solo jobs. That's it.

Andres Torres gets his signature hit. The Cody Ross Experience continues with another HR, his fifth of the post season. Huffie laces a laser beam double. Burrell is struggling. PAINFULLY STRUGGLING.

The Rangers still have to run the table at home and get one in Frisco, so we're still in pretty good shape.

I like the match-up today MadBum versus Hunter. Both young pitchers so who knows which pitcher shows up. If Bumgarner settles in early, he can be tough as nails.

GO GIANTS!!!

Boom or Bust offense goes boom, then bust - dooms Giants

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/sfo

“WE DIDN'T BURY THEM EARLY. WE KIND OF WENT IN CRUISE CONTROL AFTER THE HOMER.”

- 1B Aubrey Huff on the Giants' 5-4, 11-inning loss in Game 2 of the Division Series. Pat Burrell's homer provided a three-run lead in the first, and Matt Cain

This kind of summarized the game and the latter part of the season for the Giants. A big bop by Burrell stakes Cain to a three run lead and only one run after that for support. So we have two manufactured runs in twenty innings and one of them is of dubious quality given that it has been tainted by replay and even if it wasn't, was produced via a SB by Buster Posey. The other run produced via an RBI from P Matt Cain. Not good.

Even when they try to play small ball it blows up. Renteria leads off an inning with a nice bunt, is advanced by another bunt by Torres, but the inning ends in a DP grounder by Posey. DP's have killed the offense all year, the Giants lead the NL by a wide margin.

I didn't like bringing in Wilson when they did, given that it was somewhat off the script. Not second guessing, just had a feeling when managers go off the plan like that, it seems like a desperation move when the Giants were in command. Why not let Rodriguez bail out Romo and hand the ball to Wilson to start the ninth rather than come in and clean up the mess. Even Mariano Rivera seems to close better when he can start an inning rather than come in with guys on.

Had the same feeling right before Ankiel hit his jack, thinking out loud 'if he leaves one up Ankiel will jack one into orbit'. Next pitch gone. I saw him hit one just like it in the Florida HS state championships against Dunedin HS. I think that ball is still in low earth orbit.

Portent of doom. I should have kept my mouth (and mind) shut, I guess.

Wilson, to his credit, took the fall.

The Giants then called on Wilson, who has never had a six-out save in his career, according to STATS LLC.

“Sometimes the save can be in the eighth inning,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “He was fresh and we’re trying to stop it then. At that point we’re going with our closer to try to get out of the eighth. I have no concern with Willie going two innings.”

Wilson did lead the majors this season with 10 saves of longer than an inning but he couldn’t come through in his first career postseason appearance. He wouldn’t blame coming in so early for his mishap, calling that a “crutch.”

The momentum swings to Atlanta and so does the venue. Giants just have to suck it up and take one of two there. And more boom, less bust.

Giants offense continues its "Boom or Bust" ways

The Giants wrap up the set in Chicago with thirteens runs tonight after managing one and zero the previous two nights. Another shutout for the pitching staff. Glad to see Joe Torre making my argument on behalf of Buster Posey for ROY as well. A good day for the Gigantes.

According to the Cubs announcers, the wind is blowing out, apparently only when the Giants bat since the Cubbies have managed zero runs so far. I've always found that the wind did blow harder when your pitching sucked. Seems like that would violate some law of nature or physics or something, but that's just my observation.

Trust me, even though I am a die-hard Giant fan, I would turn the Rays-Yankees on in a heartbeat but ESPN isn't carrying that one.

Can you believe it? There's maybe five teams still in it in MLB out of thirty teams and they can't show a potential League Championship preview? Who's in charge of marketing this game? Who makes fans play "Where's Waldo?" with games of this importance? And wonder why fan interest and ratings disappoint.

The exact opposite of the NFL experience coming down the homestretch, where only five of thirty teams would be eliminated with two-three weeks left in the season.

This should be taped to Pablo Sandoval's pillow this off-season (and maybe one or two other Giants?) -- the famous Ted Willams 77-ball strike zone. Know yourself as a hitter, your strengths and weaknesses. Bam-Bam are you listening?

And then have a good hitting approach throughout the count.

The rest should be easy, we know he can hit.