The Giants have acquired 28-year old righty reliever Ramon Ramirez from the Red Sox for 23-year old righty reliever Daniel Turpen. Ramirez pitched in 44 games (0 starts) for the Red Sox this season and he was 0-3 with 2 saves, a 4.46 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. He has now pitched in 268 games (0 starts) in his five years in the majors and he is 16-14 with 3 saves, a 3.55 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. Turpen was not one of the Giants better prospects. Turpen pitched in 37 games (0 starts) in AA-ball this year and he was 5-5 with 1 save, a 4.09 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. This was a good trade for the Giants as Ramirez will help tighten up the pen and the price was right.

The Giants have acquired 32-year old lefty reliever Javier Lopez from the Pirates for 26-year old lefty swinging 1B/OF John Bowker and 27-year old righty reliever/starter Joe Martinez. Lopez pitched in 50 games (0 starts) for the Pirates this season and he was 2-2 with a 2.79 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. He has now pitched in 393 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 13-9 with 4 saves, a 4.37 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP. Lopez fills an immediate need for the Giants due to the recent injuries to Jeremy Affeldt and Dan Runzler. Bowker played in 41 games for the Giants earlier this year and he was 17 of 82 (.207 avg, .609 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 3 homers and 8 RBIs. Bowker played in 183 games in his three years with the Giants and he was 113 of 475 (.238 avg, .678 OPS) with 47 runs scored, 15 homers and 58 RBIs. He has been buried on the Giants’ depth chart so they essentially did him a favor by trading him to the Pirates. Joe Martinez pitched in 4 games (1 start) for the Giants this season and he was 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA and a 1.91 WHIP. He pitched in 13 games (6 starts) in parts of two years for the Giants and he was 3-3 with a 6.80 ERA and a 1.93 WHIP. The Giants certainly didn’t have to pay a big price to fill a big need by making this deal.

The Giants are pleased with 23-year old righty swinging catcher Buster Posey. Posey has played in 48 games for the Giants this year and he is 66 of 178 (.371 avg, .986 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 8 homers and 33 RBIs. Posey’s excellent start allows the Giants a lot of flexibility at the trade deadline as they might not need a big bat anymore in the outfield. This might allow them to add to the bullpen which no one has really talked about yet.

The Giants have placed 28-year old switch hitting IF/OF Eugenio Velez on the 15-day disabled list with a concussion. He was hit in the head the other day while on the bench by a line drive off the bat of Pat Burrell. Velez has played in 21 games for the Giants this year and he is 9 of 46 (.196 avg, .644 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 2 homers and 8 RBIs. The Giants have called up 26-year old righty swinging infielder Ryan Rohlinger to replace Velez on the active roster. Rohlinger has played in 10 games for the Giants this year and he is 3 of 14 (.214 avg, .527 OPS) with 1 run scored and 1 RBI.

The Giants have placed 31-year old lefty reliever Jeremy Affeldt on the 15-day disabled list with a slight tear of his left oblique muscle. Affeldt has pitched in 37 games (0 starts) for the Giants this year and he is 2-3 with 3 saves, a 4.11 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP. The Giants don’t have a lefty reliever in the pen now with Affeldt and Runzler on the D.L. The Giants have recalled 27-year old righty reliever/starter Joe Martinez to replace Affeldt in the bullpen. Martinez has pitched in 3 games (1 start) for the Giants this year and he is 0-1 with a 4.00 ERA and a 1.89 WHIP.

I don’t think the Giants need to make huge changes heading into the trade deadline. But I would make three small deals that would help them in the last couple of months of the season. First off I would offer 28-year old switch hitting IF/OF Eugenio Velez and 26-year old lefty swinging 1B/OF John Bowker to the Cleveland Indians for outfielder Austin Kearns. I would then offer 26-year old outfielder Nate Schierholtz and 26-year old infielder Matt Downs to the A’s for Jack Cust. Kearns can play some CF and you could always platoon Kearns and Cust in RF which I would think would be a productive pairing. Finally I would offer 27-year old righty starter/reliever Joe Martinez to the Orioles for lefty reliever Mark Hendrickson. Adding Kearns, Cust and Hendrickson might not sound too sexy but they would make the Giants a better team.

26-year old righty swinging outfielder Tyler Graham has been solid in the minors so far this season. Graham has played in 67 games in AA+AAA-ball so far this year and he is 66 of 196 (.337 avg, .819 OPS) with 35 runs scored, 1 homer, 19 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. Despite his solid season Graham is behind quite a few players on the organizational depth chart. The Giants could still promote him when rosters expand September 1st as long as he continues to play well as they could use his speed down the stretch.

The Giants have signed 28-year old lefty starting pitcher Dontrelle Willis to a minor league deal. Willis has pitched in 15 games (13 starts) this season for the Tigers & D-Backs and he is 2-3 with a 5.62 ERA and a 1.95 WHIP. Willis’ big problem this season has been his control as he has walked 56 batters in only 65 2/3 innings this year. Willis has now pitched in 192 games (189 starts) in his 8 years in the majors and he is 71-63 with a 4.12 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. The Giants will likely leave Willis in the minors until they determine he has earned either a shot or his release.

The San Francisco Giants are 47-41 in the first half of the 2010 season which has them in 4th place in the N.L. West, 4 games behind the Padres. Here is a closer look at the surprises and disappointments of the first half of the 2010 season:

Pleasant Surprises: 23-year old righty swinging catcher Buster Posey pushed Bengie Molina right out of town. Posey has played in 38 games for the Giants this season and he is 48 of 137 (.350 avg, .959 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 7 homers and 25 RBIs. 33-year old lefty swinging 1B/OF Aubrey Huff had a huge first half for the Giants. He has played in 85 games for the Giants so far this season and he is 90 of 305 (.295 avg, .929 OPS) with 55 runs scored, 17 homers, 54 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Huff usually plays better in the second half of the season so he could finish 2010 with monster numbers. 32-year old lefty starting pitcher Barry Zito is pitching the best ball of his career for the Giants. He started 18 games in the first half of the season and he was 7-4 with a 3.76 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. 27-year old lefty starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez is pitching the best ball of his career to date right now. Sanchez has started 18 games for the Giants this year and he is 7-6 with a 3.47 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. He has only allowed 81 hits in 103 2/3 innings with 104 whiffs in 2010.

Disappointments: What has happened to the Kung Fu Panda? He has played in 86 games this season for the Giants and he is 88 of 335 (.263 avg, .704 OPS) with 42 runs scored, 6 homers, 34 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. The Giants need Sandoval to pick things up with the bat if they want to seriously contend in the N.L. West. 32-year old starting CF Aaron Rowand got off to a fast start but he has fallen into a deep slump recently. Rowand has played in 66 games for the Giants this year and he is 57 of 240 (.238 avg, .681 OPS) with 30 runs scored, 8 homers, 27 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. 31-year old Todd Wellemeyer opened the season as the Giants’ #5 starter but he lost the job. He has pitched in 12 games (11 starts) for the Giants this year and he is 3-5 with a 5.52 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. He has given up 12 homers and has walked 35 batters in only 58 2/3 innings for the Giants this year.

The Giants have placed 25-year old lefty reliever Dan Runzler on the 15-day disabled list with a dislocated left kneecap. Runzler has pitched in 36 games (0 starts) for the Giants this season and he is 3-0 with a 3.30 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. The Giants have recalled 27-year old righty reliever/starter Joe Martinez to replace Runzler in the pen. Martinez has pitched in 2 games (1 start) for the Giants earlier this year and he was 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP. The Giants are going to miss Runzler who was pitching pretty well this year.