The Giants are now 30-40 on the season which has them in last place in the National League West, 11 games out of first place.  The Giants are also 10 games out of the wildcard spot in the playoffs.  The Giants will need to get hot to avoid having an epic firesale for the ages.  The Giants could part out Randy Winn, Omar Vizquel, Bengie Molina, Ray Durham, Rich Aurilia, Ryan Klesko, Dave Roberts, Mark Sweeney and Matt Morris.  Their have also been whispers that the Giants would consider trading Barry Bonds after he breaks Hank Aaron’s record if they don’t have any hope of making the playoffs.  All of this could change with an extended hot streak, but the Giants need to make that happen soon.

The Giants have placed Rich Aurilia on the 15-day disabled list with a strained neck.  He has played in 52 games so far this season for the Giants and he is 45 for 191 (.236 avg, .624 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 2 homers and 19 RBIs.  The Giants will miss Aurilia’s versatility as he can handle any position on the infield defensively.  The Giants have recalled 33 year old switch hitting 2B Luis Figueroa to replace Aurilia on the Giants’ roster.  Figueroa has played in 63 games in AAA ball this season and he’s 71 for 229 (.310 avg, .742 OPS) with 32 runs scored, 1 homer, 26 RBIs and 5 stolen bases.

Randy Winn has been on fire his last 26 games.  In those games, Winn is 35 for 109 (.321 avg, .850 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 4 homers, 11 RBIs and 3 stolen bases.  Winn’s surge at the plate has lifted his season average to .309 and his OPS to .804.  The Giants need him to continue swinging a good bat as they are having problems scoring runs this season.

The Giants are only 4-9 the last two weeks despite outscoring the competition 51-46.  The Giants are wasting good pitching and that’s going to leave a mark this season.  The Giants enter this week with a 28-34 record which has them in last place in the National League West, 8 games behind the D-Backs and Padres.

The Giants have placed Russ Ortiz on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right forearm.  Ortiz is off to a rough start to the season as he’s pitched in 9 games (5 starts) and he’s 2-2 with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP.  In 35 innings this season, he has allowed 44 hits, walked 11 batters and whiffed 22.  The Giants have recalled lefty reliever Jonathan Sanchez from AAA ball to replace Ortiz in the bullpen.  Sanchez has pitched in 16 games this season and he’s 1-1 with a 5.19 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP so far.  In 17.1 innings, Sanchez has allowed 16 hits, walked 13 batters and has whiffed 23.  Sanchez can turn into a dominant relief pitcher if he can just tighten up his control a little bit.

The Giants have placed outfielder Fred Lewis on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right oblique.  He has played in 23 games this season and he’s 22 for 90 (.244 avg, .709 OPS) with 19 runs scored, 2 homers, 12 RBIs and 3 stolen bases.  Lewis did a decent job replacing Dave Roberts while he was injured and I’m sure the Giants front office will remember that in the future.  The Giants have activated Dave Roberts off of the DL to replace Lewis.  The Giants need Roberts to play up to his ability if he’s to help the team.  In 28 games this season for the Giants, Roberts is 21 for 101 (.208 avg, .629 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 2 homers, 6 RBIs and 7 stolen bases.  He’s too good of a baseball player to continue playing this poorly.

The Giants have placed Eliezer Alfonzo on the 15-day disabled list with a partially torn PCL in his left knee.  He will be out at least two months with rest and he would miss the remainder of the season if he opts for surgery.  He has played in 21 games this season for the Giants and he is 13 for 50 (.260 avg, .702 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 1 homer and 5 RBIs.  This will hurt the Giants as Alfonzo has developed into a very solid backup catcher.  The Giants have recalled Guillermo Rodriguez from their AAA team.  The 29 year old righty swinger is known more for his mitt than his bat.  In 33 games in AAA, Rodriguez is 25 for 103 (.243 avg, .649 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 1 homer and 16 RBIs.  Look for the Giants to be on the hunt for a veteran catcher to backup Bengie Molina as he needs regular rest.

The San Francisco Giants have quietly assembled a great starting rotation.  Three of the guys are home grown (Cain, Lowry and Lincecum) and two were free agent signings (Barry Zito and Matt Morris).  Zito and Morris have done a fine job of leading the kids into battle this season.  Morris has rebounded from a rough first season with the Giants as he’s been their best starting pitcher so far this season.  He is 6-2 with a 2.66 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP so far this season.  Barry Zito started a little slow but he’s picked up the pace as of late.  He is now 6-5 with a 3.87 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP this season.  Noah Lowry has rebounded from an injury filled 2006 to give the Giants a dependable second lefty in their rotation.  He is 5-5 with a 3.28 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP so far this season.  Matt Cain hasn’t been getting much run support this season as he’s only 2-5 despite having a 3.42 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP.  Look for his luck to change soon as he’s much too good of a pitcher to sport that kind of record.  Rookie Tim Lincecum has exploded on the scene for the Giants after he replaced the then injured Russ Ortiz in the rotation.  He is 2-0 with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP so far this season and it looks as though he is in San Fran to stay.  If the Giants start to hit better and the bullpen improves the Giants will have a shot at the playoffs because they now have one of the best rotations in the major leagues.

The Giants are the latest team to be pleased with the all around play of Bengie Molina.  In his last 22 games, Molina is 23 for 83 (.277 avg, .757 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 4 homers and 21 RBIs.  Part of the reason that Molina hasn’t scored more runs is because he might be the slowest runner in all of major league baseball.  Still, he does a good job of running the pitching staff and he’s a godo clutch hitter.

With the trade of Armando Benitez to the Marlins, Brad Hennessey will get the first crack at the closer’s job for the Giants.  In 22 games this season, Hennessey is 1-1 with 2 saves, a 2.82 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP.  He has thrown 22.1 innings this season and he has allowed 19 hits, walked 4 batters and whiffed 14.  The problem with Hennessey as the closer is that he doesn’t have dominant stuff, but he throws strikes and that will help him in the closer’s role.