In what is easily the biggest series of the year for the defending World Champion Giants, they got off to a good start last night, defeating the upstart Arizona Diamondbacks 6-2. Their victory also snapped Arizona's nine-game win streak, which helped the Snakes vault to a commanding six game lead in the division prior to their loss. The Giants' work isn't finished however, as they will definitely have to sweep the series in order to stay alive in the NL West. While the deficit San Francisco faces isn't insurmountable (five games back with 24 left), the season has definitely gotten to the point where they almost need Arizona to cool off a bit for them to come back.
The scary thing about the Diamondbacks however, is that they look legitimate this year. They don't have that "fluke" feel to them like San Diego did last year, not to mention that Arizona actually got hotter in late August as opposed to last year's Padres. Ian Kennedy is quietly putting together a fantastic year in their rotation, as he enters today with a 17-4 record and a 3.03 ERA in 187.1 innings. Justin Upton is leading their offense in nearly every major statistical category, including batting average (.295), home runs (26), RBIs (80), OBP (.374) and hits (152). While their team ERA ranks a pedestrian ninth in the NL at 3.88, they are fifth in the NL in runs scored with 614. Arizona is also just one of two teams with a positive run differential in the division at +35 (the lackluster, third-place Dodgers are the other at +8).
The Giants certainly will not go out quietly, as Matt Cain twirled a gem for them last night, and they have Tim Lincecum on the hill this afternoon against Kennedy. However, time is running out for the defending champs, and it is against a team that may be a little better than people give them credit for. At this point, the Diamondbacks can go just 13-11 the rest of the way to finish with 91 wins, while the Giants will need to go 18-6 just to match them. They still have five games left against each other, including the final two of this weekend's series. If the Giants want to have another shot at October glory, they better get busy.
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