Bad News By The Bay

Let me start by saying I'm a Bruce Bochy fan (for the most part). He may not be the best manager in baseball, but his track record is pretty solid. Through 90 games, his Giants are in the mix for the NL West crown. The bad news for Giants fans is that they don't have a shot in hell! Maybe that's a bit harsh, but at a minimum it looks like a tough road to the postseason. Consider the following:

• THE OFFENSE IS OFFENSIVE: Even with Aubrey Huff's resurgence, the Giants still struggle to score runs (currently 11th in the NL). While Kung Fu Panda is likely to pick up the pace, Huff, Burrell, Posey, and Torres will almost certainly see a drop in production. The consistently empty at bats of Juan Uribe and Aaron Rowand are the final pieces of this inept puzzle.
• THEY OUGHT TO OUTLAW SOUTHPAWS: OK, Mickey was a tad off base when he dropped that bomb on Rocky Balboa, but I do see trouble for two of Bochy's lefty starters. So far Barry Zito (.249 OBA) and Jonathan Sanchez (.214 OBA) have pitched with good fortune and exceeded expectations. Both should see their share of hits allowed in the second half, which means Lincecum and Cain will have to carry the load once again.
• IT'S TOUGH AT THE TOP: Even with the punching bag that is the Arizona Diamondbacks, there's too much competition in the division for San Francisco to overcome. Sooner or later the Rockies will get healthy. The Dodgers certainly have a better 25-man roster. And the Padres? Well, I keep waiting for their ship to sink, but at some point we have to recognize the fact that they might be for real. The Giants simply don't have enough talent to jump over three teams, plus the wild card contenders.

Perhaps Bochy's crew will surprise me and stick in this interesting race. After all, Madison Bumgarner has been solid after four starts, and Brian Wilson is a hammer at the end of the bullpen. But at the end of the day, the Giants sure look like a seriously flawed team playing above their talent level. On the other hand, the National League has plenty of squads fitting that description.