Undervalued – SP Tim Lincecum: The veteran endured the worst season of his career in 2012 as he yielded a 5.18 ERA and a 10-15 record. Despite struggling with control issues throughout the season Lincecum still managed to strike out 9.2 batters per nine innings. His second-half performance was better (3.83 ERA) as he held opposing hitters to just a .243 average. After watching him in the playoffs owners should’ve have regained some confidence. He makes for a nice mid-round bargain to help make up any fantasy rotation.

Overvalued – 2B/SS Marco Scutaro: Often clutch performances in the playoffs lead to fantasy hype the following season.  That appears to be the case with the veteran middle infielder. The Giants paid heavily to secure Scutaro, but the fact he doesn’t offer much power or speed limits his fantasy appeal. Don’t forget he’s never eclipsed a .800 OPS and has only had one season where he produced double digit homeruns and stolen bases.

Sleeper – 1B Brandon Belt: The power numbers have yet to come, but the fact he maintained a solid OPS and BA kept Belt in the lineup more frequently in 2012. With Aubrey Huff out of the mix (retirement), Belt won’t be looking over his shoulder.  He has once again had a great spring and this could finally be the year he starts delivering on the hype. Belt is definitely a late-rounder who could prove to be a valuable corner infielder for owners that take a stab.

Bust – SP Barry Zito:  Those owners convinced that the lefty has turned his career around after a 15-8 2012 campaign will be disappointed. His 4.15 ERA is below average by NL standards and his low strikeout totals won’t bring much to the table for fantasy owners either. Pitching in AT&T Park helps a bit, but Zito’s zip is long gone. There are simply options with way more upside, even as back-end fillers for your rotation.

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The Cincinnati Reds will wrap up the first half of their season with an 11-day, 11-game road trip to California to take on the Giants, Dodgers and Padres. They entered the stretch of games with a 41-33 mark and holding a two-game lead over the Cardinals and Pirates for first-place inside the NL Central. However, the trip west has never been friendly for the Reds.

History has not been kind to the Reds, even back in the days when these teams were division foes in the NL West. Even during the time of the Big Red Machine. Since the Giants and Dodgers arrived in the late 1950’s and the Padres were born in 1969 California has been where good Reds’ teams go to die.  Overall the Reds are 515-566 against those three teams in their home parks, equaling a dismal .476 winning percentage.

Hall of Fame beat writer Hal McCoy said it best during a recent post for FoxSportsOhio.com, “For the Reds, trips to the west coast have been like booking passage on the Hindenburg, even if they knew what awaited at the end of the trip.”

I remember very well the 2-9 road trip in 2006 that literally took the Reds out of the race.  The team started the mid-August swing one-game back in the NL Central with a 66-61 mark. They won the opening game vs. the Giants to pull into a first-place tie with the Cardinals, but dropped nine of 10 games to drop to six games back and never recovered.

Last season the Reds only played three games at each stadium going an uncharacteristic 6-3 in these games, but were not able to parlay the success into meaningful movement in the standings.

During the team’s division-winning 2010 campaign they had two West Coast trips. They went 3-3 in a rare Interleague swing to Seattle and Oakland, which I attended four games of.  In their more traditional trip west versus NL opponents they pulled off a 6-3 mark during visits to Arizona, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

How will this trip define the team’s 2012 season?  It remains to be seen, but heading into the All-Star break on a good streak is always a successful playoff formula. If the Reds can accomplish that feat while also clearing one of the traditionally biggest hurdles it would be huge!

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain became the 22nd person in MLB history to throw a perfect game in Wednesday’s win over the Astros, striking out 14 batters in the process.

Amazingly, it’s the fifth no-hitter thrown to this point of the season, and the Mets’ RA Dickey nearly threw one earlier in the night in his 1-hit effort versus Tampa Bay.

Already this year, there have been two perfect games, the second time in three years there have been two perfect games in the same season. The only other time that happened was in 1880.

There have already been five no-hitters by mid-June. There hasn't been this many no-hitters at this juncture since 1917.

With the Steroids Era officially behind it, Major League Baseball is becoming a pitcher’s league. However, it is not the only factor to be considered.  Equally important has been the ban on amphetamines, which took place before the 2006 season. This has caused players not to be as fresh and tire easily.

In addition, the trend of more teams going younger in their lineups is a factor. Cain dominated an Astros team that is 26-36, eight in the NL in runs and whose lineup had six hitters 25 or younger. Younger hitters typically mean hitters that aren’t as disciplined.

Pitchers are striking out batters at a record pace 7.5 times per nine innings.There were 10 starting pitchers who had at least eight strikeouts Wednesday night, and according to ESPN, the 257-strikeout total tied for the third-most in a single day since 2000.

COMPLETE PERFECT GAME HISTORY (MLB.com)

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1. Phillies (57-34) – If they were in NL Central they would be up 8.5 games in the division
2. Red Sox (55-35) – Starts second half on a 6-game win streak and having won 11 of 13
3. Yankees (53-35) – The A-Rod injury leaves a void in the lineup that will need to be filled
4. Braves (54-38) – Enjoying an unprecedented 5-game lead for NL Wildcard at break
5. Giants (52-40) – Cleaning up against division foes with 22-13 mark vs. NL West
6. Rangers (51-41) – They rank second in AL in batting average, homers, and total runs
7. Brewers (49-43) – Wasted no time in upgrading bullpen by trading for K-Rod
8. Rays (49-41) – The fact they’ve gone 6-9 against weak AL West has haunted them
9. Cardinals (49-43) – Pujols returned much sooner than expected to give Cards boost
10. Diamondbacks (49-43) – Only Boston has won more games since May 13
11. Angels (50-42) – The Halos have gone 11-2 since our last rankings; back in mix
12. Indians (47-42) – Despite squandering divisional lead Tribe still my pick in division
13. Tigers (49-43) – Rotation is too top-heavy and inconsistent for them to contend
14. Pirates (47-43) – Bucs are feel good story of year, but may have hit their ceiling
15. Blue Jays (45-47) – It is getting ready to be time for the annual Blue Jays’ fire sale
16. Mets (46-45) – New York dealt K-Rod. Is Carlos Beltran next?
17. Reds (45-47) – Have not won on two straight days since June 14-15
18. Rockies (43-48) – Playing .500 ball at home has taken Colorado out of race
19. Nationals (46-46) – Davey Johnson keeping Nats playing competitively
20. White Sox (44-48) – An 8-16 mark against AL West (1-7 vs. MIN) tells the story
21. Marlins (43-48) - They are 11-8 since Jack McKeon took over on June 20
22. Mariners (43-48) – Dropping 5 straight games was a sour end to first half
23. Twins (41-48) – Slowly getting healthy, but have a long way to go in AL Central
24. Dodgers (41-51) – It is going to be a long couple months ahead for Dodgers fans
25. Padres (40-52) – Hopefully Heath Bell brings some rewards as the cupboard is bare
26. A’s (39-53) – Has the AL's second-lowest average, slugging and on-base percentage
27. Orioles (36-52) – The Showalter magic is wearing off; a 14th straight losing season ahead
28. Royals (37-54) – Dropping 20 of last 29 has led to having AL’s worst record at break
29. Cubs (37-55) – The team is hoping to dump as much salary as possible before deadline
30. Astros (30-62) – The fact they are seven games behind the Cubs says it all

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If you haven’t seen it yet, San Francisco Giants’ catcher Buster Posey’s injury during a play at the plate on Wednesday night was one of the most gruesome injuries on the field to date this season.

The play occurred on the go-ahead run in the tenth inning as the Marlins Scott Cousins barreled through Posey, who was blocking the plate. The reigning NL Rookie of the Year suffered a broken left leg and torn ankle ligaments.  Many reports have indicated that he is likely out for the season, but the team is optimistic it could only sideline him for two months. It is a big blow for the defending champions, who have struggled to put runs on the scoreboard throughout the season.

To help provide a spark offensively the Giants have recalled top prospect Brandon Belt. It’s unclear where he’ll fit into the lineup at this point, but he tore it up down in the minors since being sent down a month ago by batting 337/.470/.525 with four homers and 21 RBI over his first 132 at-bats.

The incident has once again raised some concerns that baseball needs to consider some rule changes, but count me on the side of those that suggest such plays are just part of the game.  I thought it was particularly interesting to see what Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy, a former catcher, had to say to reporters on Thursday about the incident:

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1. Phillies (25-14) – Going to be tough to knock them out of top spot
2. Indians (24-13) – Still not a believer, but they are running away w/AL Central
3. Marlins (23-16) – The most underrated team in baseball; need to maintain it
4. Reds (23-17) – Showed they are best in NL Central by sweeping STL
5. Giants (22-17) – Defending champs starting to get some offense, but need more
6. Braves (23-19) – Won series vs. PHI; will make playoffs one way or another
7. Rays (23-17) – Rebounded from atrocious start and have Longoria back
8. Tigers (22-18) – Seven-game winning streak has them on rise
9. Rangers (21-19) – Need Hamilton back and more consistency from rotation
10. Red Sox (20-20) – Despite struggles still my AL pick for World Series
11. Yankees (20-18) – No pitching, clubhouse turmoil hold them back
12. Angels (22-19) – Benefactors of weak division and soft schedule
13. Cardinals (22-19) – Going nowhere unless they upgrade their bullpen
14. Blue Jays (20-20) – Toronto can score with any team in baseball
15. Rockies (20-18) – Streaky play leaves me scratching my head
16. Royals (20-19) – A nice young nucleus breeds optimism
17. A’s (20-20) – Pitching will keep them around in AL West race
18. Brewers (19-21) – Underachievement early in the season could prove costly
19. Mets (19-21) – Injuries have haunted the Mets early on
20. Orioles (19-20) – Got out of the gate fast, but have come back down to earth
21. Dodgers (19-22) – Have a tough time seeing this team better than .500
22. Pirates (18-22) – Another losing season ahead for the Bucs
23. Cubs (17-21) – The most overpaid team in baseball will not be a factor
24. Nationals (19-21) – Showing improvement; but still doomed for last place
25. White Sox (17-24) – Bad start causes concern; could still back in division race
26. Diamondbacks (17-22) – Rebuilding going in right direction in desert
27. Padres (17-23) – Now you know why they sold off Adrian Gonzalez
28. Mariners (16-23) – Sleepless in Seattle, this team is boring to watch
29. Astros (15-25) – Hands down the NL’s worst team; 100-loss season ahead
30. Twins (12-26) – The biggest disappointment in baseball this year

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2010 Rewind: 92-70, first place NL West, World Champions. The Giants barely won the NL West but then went on an amazing run en route to winning their first World Series in 53 years. While they have a core of solid players, their lineup was a hodge podge of veterans and journeyman. The chemistry worked as they hoisted the trophy.

The Good: Brian “The Beard” Wilson became a superstar in the playoffs for his burly facial hair, but his stats were what propelled the Giants bullpen to the top of the NL. When the Giants had a lead late in the game, it was more than likely a win for them. Andres Torres replaced the very worthless Aaron Rowand in centerfield and went on to be near the top of the NL in doubles and extra base hits.

The Bad: Pablo Sandoval. The portly third baseman regressed in 2010 where his batting average fell from .336 to .268. The third base job is still his, but he’s going to have to bounce back to win over fantasy owners.

Biggest Loss: Juan Uribe. Uribe signed a three-year deal with the rival Dodgers. Shortstop will be filled by Miguel Tejada, who is more than capable of hitting Uribe’s 24 HRs, or he could bust. Between Uribe and Edgar Renteria, the Giants are missing two big clutch hitters.

Best Addition:  Other than the aforementioned Tejada, the Giants stood pat. They did manage to resign Mike Fontenot to a one-year contract and the middle infielder will provide some much needed depth, but has no fantasy value.

Fantasy Slant: The Giants are loaded with fantasy studs. Tim Lincecum is one of the top five pitchers in the NL. Buster Posey is the National League’s version of Joe Mauer and should be treated as such fantasy-wise. Two young players to watch are lefty Madison Bumgarner who has secured a spot in the rotation. Brandon Belt is the Giants first baseman of the future who will likely start the year in the minors.

Final Take: I don’t see any team in the NL West being able to contend with the defending champs. I do see the rest of the NL catching up with them and the Giants being unable to defend their title...2011 Record: 93-69, 1st Place, NL West

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A YEAR AGO:  After having what appeared to be a breakout campaign in 2009 in which he hit .330 with 25 homeruns with 90 RBI, Pablo Sandoval struggled badly a year ago as he posted just a .268 average with 13 HR and 63 RBI.

PROS:  The Giants have a good offense around him and the dip in production will come up with a slide in the draft order. He is currently going off the board as the 12th third basemen taken with an overall ADP of 145 in drafts on MockDraftCentral.com.

CONS: Sandoval had a good lineup around him last season and was not injured, but failed to produce.  His work ethic has been questioned and being in poor shape was a factor in 2010. The team has put him on a diet and a strict training regimen this offseason.

FINAL TAKE: Expect the Giants third baseman to provide excellent value, but don’t get too carried away as he does come with some risk.  I like him more than Ian Stewart, Casey McGehee, and Aramis Ramirez, all of whom boast higher ADP’s.

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The San Francisco Giants are the World Champions. Here’s how they did it…

PITCHING, PITCHING, PITCHING
After disappointing in Game 1, Tim Lincecum was masterful in Game 5, striking out 10 batters and picking up his fourth win of the postseason.  Matt Cain was nearly unhittable with a 0.00 ERA in the post-season starts. The bullpen, led by colorful closer Brian Wilson, was dominant. In the year of the pitcher, it was pitching that led the Giants to a title. The Giants won six games this postseason scoring three runs or fewer and held the highly-touted Rangers offense to just five runs over the last four games of the World Series.

TIMELY HITTING
The Giants had 17 two-out RBIs in the five-game series, tied for the third-most in a single World Series. Only the 1997 Indians (21) and 1982 Brewers (20) had more. Both of those teams went on to lose their World Series. When the chips were down San Fran came up with hits when they needed to.

HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE
San Francisco became just the second team to wrap up all three postseason series on the road. However, their home-field advantage was a major factor.  They should send some gifts to Cubs’ outfielder Marlon Byrd for his All-Star game heroics that gave them the edge in the final series. Ironically, Byrd is a former Ranger and was rooting for Texas.

BATTLE TESTED
Consider the Giants didn’t wrap up the division and its playoff spot until the regular season’s final day.  That actually proved to be a plus in the playoffs as the team was already in playoff-mode when the postseason started.  They also spent just 36 days in first place in the NL West, becoming the first team to spend so few days atop the division to win a World Series since the 1985 Royals, who spent 30 days in first.

NO “I” IN TEAM
From Edgar Renteria to Cody Ross, the Giants had many post-season heroes. But it was a total team effort. The team had a great mix of young talent and experienced veterans. They didn’t have a superstar, but the chemistry is priceless. It’s just another example you can’t just buy championships, you have to build them.

LEADERSHIP
Hats off to Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy and his coaching staff! They had their team ready to play and managed their rotation and batting orders perfectly. Putting Juan Uribe in over Pablo Sandoval was a bold move that paid off early in the series. Whatever buttons Bochy pushed it seemed to work. Bochy mixed and matched with a lineup that had its occasional offensive dips, and the team thrived. In the three games in Texas, for instance, Bochy used three different designated hitters.

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In honor of the World Champion San Francisco Giants, I wanted to repost my trip to AT&T Park earlier this year:

Orginally posted on 06/29/10...

This past weekend I paid a visit to AT&T Park for the first time and was on hand for an Interleague match-up between the Giants and Red Sox.  It was the first of a three-game set and both teams’ fan bases were represented well within the sellout crowd.

WHAT I LIKED
--Ambience: From the sailboats in the Bay to the trains rolling into the ballpark, AT&T park unique pier setting give the stadium a one-of-kind touch.  There are a ton of bars around the stadium, but enough options are available if you wish to wet your whistle.

--Views: Whether it is a view of the Bay from the upper levels or a look inward from the outfield area, the sights are amongst baseballs finest to take in.

--Scoreboard: The 100-plus foot HD scoreboard is crystal clear and one of the best I’ve viewed. I really liked how they scored the inning in real time in the main batting order feature. It made it real easy to catch up on something if you missed a batter.

--Concessions: There’s no doubt the smells rivaled Safeco Field as amongst the best I’ve ever experienced inside a stadium. There was no shortage of good food to choose from including garlic fries, crab cake sandwiches, sushi, seafood, and our personal favorite the Cha Cha Bowl (grilled chicken, rice, black beans and four choices of salsa).

--Passion: It was something I noticed during my entire time in the city – Giants’ fans are passionate. It was extremely evident at the game itself as they jawed back and forth with Red Sox fans.

--Colors: I didn’t realize how much I like the Giants’ colors until at the park. The decorations and fan gear was cool and the Giants even wore their orange jerseys on this night.

--Dimensions: The odd dimensions of the bark are as different as they come. It’s only 309 feet down the right field foul line and 399 to center, but 421 feet to the deep right field alley. They make up for the differences with a 25-foot wall in right field, but just an 8-foot wall in center and left field.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
--Weather: While it’s a big improvement over Candlestick Park, its cold in San Francisco. If you plan to go to a night game be sure to bundle up. Between the fog and the winds it is going to be chilly. Fans were decked out in gear that resembled a football game in late June.

--Ushers: I’m not sure if Fort Knox is guarded more securely than many of the sections at AT&T Park. I make a point of canvassing the entire stadium upon a visit, but that simply was not possible here as ushers prevented us from entering lower sections and McCovey Cove and some of the other outfield spots.

--Prices: Considering San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities to visit anyway, it came as no surprise that the ticket, concession, parking, and other purchasing options at the park were some of the highest I’ve ever seen. Add to it that I was watching them host the Red Sox and we paid a premium.

--Home Run Celebration: I am always interested in seeing what home teams do for a homerun. At  AT&T Park when the Giants go yard, strobes flash in the Coca Cola bottle in left field as bubbles appear to float on top in the bottle’s mouth. In addition, there was steam come out of some smokestacks. It was pretty cheesy and mostly uneventful.

OVERALL GRADE: 95

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