Padres Preview

After a arduous and painful roadtrip where the Giants went 4-6. They find themselves only 1 game back of the sinking Arizona Diamondbacks.

Why is it then that I feel no victory or solace in this? It is because the Giants have not gotten better yet, and have added to their problems now with Brian Wilson being put on the DL.

Brian hadn't played in a few games anyway with elbow tenderness, but his continued absence in the middle of important games at the end of August is just icing on the cake of devastation and despair. (I'm not sure why we'd have a cake of devastation and despair but I'm guessing I wouldn't want a slice...)

If there is hope then it starts with today and takes us on our longest home stand of the year. 12 games at home against the Padres, Astros, Cubs and Diamondbacks. 3 sub-500 teams and then the team who's leading the division. This is where the Giants make up their ground, and this is what may determine who gets to the playoffs this year.

Today we face Mat Latos, scourge of la jolla... He broke Dave Fleming's car window and barely apologized for it, therefore he must be destroyed...

The Giants up to the task are as follows:

Fontenot ss, Keppinger 2b, Sandoval 3b, Huff 1b, Belt lf, Ross rf, Rowand cf, Stewart c, Cain p

Yes Mat Latos is a righty and no Nate is not playing... my only guess for this nearly inexcusable mistake of putting Rowand in against a righty is that Nate got hurt in his plate collision in Houston and/or was otherwise disposed saving the world from nuclear annihilation. Otherwise I don't entirely hate this lineup. Anytime we have Brandon Belt in the lineup and not Miguel Tejada or Orlando Cabrera I am happy.

What we do not see today is one Mr. Carlos Beltran in the lineup. He was seen in the batting cages hitting from both sides and yet still... no show for the lineup. If this is one of those stories where Beltran will not step on the field unless he feels he's at 100% then we have a problem. A less than 100% Sandoval hit a game winning 2-run homer on Sunday. even if Beltran is at 75%, I think that barring some emergency, he should be in the lineup card every day.

Oh and Matt Cain!... Do what you do...

Laws of the Day

Giants DL Team lineup

OF

Andres Torres, Carlos Beltran, Pat Burrell

IF

Freddy Sanchez

Catchers

Buster Posey, Eli Whiteside

Pitchers

Barry Zito, J. Sanchez, Sergio Romo, Brian Wilson