Before we launch into the second half, we mourn the loss of the architect of our pitching staff of the first World Series Championships in San Francisco, Dick Tidrow – who died at the age of 74 this week.

John Shea writes, “Tidrow’s 28 years with the Giants began with the 1994 season, initially working as a scout and quickly assuming more authoritative and influential roles as a go-to source for Sabean. Tidrow often worked directly with pitchers on mechanics and mental approach.” His obituary of the guy they called, “Dirt,” can be read here.

DeLucchi over at Round the Foghorn noted, “While Tidrow is probably more known for his work after his playing career, the Hayward, California native had a noteworthy track record on the mound as well.” His more local angle on an obit can be read here.

Speaking of the passing of the man who was influential in drafting Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner, Jonathon Sanchez, and numerous other key pitchers, The Giants drafted in the 14th position and took hella pitchers once again. Looks to me like DeLucchi gave ’em an overall middling grade, but you should check out his analysis here.

Indian-American Giant

As an Indian-American, it is with some pride I noted that the Giants selected the fourth-ever Indian-American player taken in MLB draft history, Rohan Handa. The Yalee has been working on his craft away from the game and shows promise, as per DeLucchi:

“When Yale canceled its baseball season this spring, Rohan Handa dedicated himself to working out, and all of a sudden, he transformed from a middle-of-the-pack Ivy League starter to a legitimate pro prospect. He’s started touching 98 mph with a wipeout slider in the mid-80s. He has made five starts in the Northeast Collegiate League and struck out 25, walked eight, and recorded a 1.06 ERA. It’s hard to know what to make of such a massive popup prospect, but at this point in the draft, the Giants are betting on some captivating upside.”

So welcome to the Giants organization, Rohan Handa. Hope you become a Giant.

On Speculation

There are a LOT of people writing about what we can expect from the Giants in the second half today … I decided not to link to any of them, because really it’s all just speculation, and NOBODY expected us to be here, in first, now.

I think articles about Farhan Zaidi’s mindset are interesting, though. The excellent Susan Slusser reports Farhan saying,

“It’s kind of fun to speculate but there’s a very real impact on the clubhouse. Even if something is a move that makes sense on paper, it’s disruptive to the team dynamic and you just have to think that through. I’ve been through a number of trade deadlines and made some trades that looked really good on paper but maybe didn’t feel great, and if you kind of stumble a little bit you start wondering, ‘Was that the right move for us to make to change a mix that we really liked?’

“That’s going to be a big part of our conversation, appreciating what we have in-house, appreciating some of the guys we have coming back and really thinking carefully about making any changes.”

Al-Pav’s mostly useless piece has Farhan saying,

“With our performance so far as a team, we get asked, ‘What’s the secret?’ There’s no one thing. It’s a lot of things that have gone well. It’s our veteran guys, not just performing well, but really setting the tone in the clubhouse and how they go about it on a day-in, day-out basis. The personality of the team is very reflective of our leaders, of Buster and Craw and Longo, and on the pitching staff, Gaus. They just have a very unflappable nature and are very kind of business-like and understated in how they go about it. It’s a very professional feel to the team, which I know a lot of people appreciate.

“We have had a lot of surprises, too, guys that have helped us in little spurts of the season and other guys that have done well over the course of all (89) games. It has been a combination of those things. I think you need that.”

The Giants start the second half tonight in St. Louis, against a Cards’ side they’ve struggled with. Kevin Gausman is on bereavement leave, so it will be Logan Webb going up against Wainwright tonight.

Lineup: Wade Jr., Yaz, Wilmer Flores, Dickerson, Crawford, Solano, Duggar, Casali and Webb

We start in first place despite significant injuries:

Aaron Sanchez: (bicep), Dedniel Nunez: (elbow), Reyes Moronta: (right flexor), Sammy Long: (back), Mike Tauchman: (knee), Jaylin Davis: (hamstring), Evan Longoria: (shoulder), Tommy La Stella: (hamstring), Brandon Belt: (knee), Buster Posey: (thumb).

It’s going to be a wild second half for sure. I didn’t expect us to keep first place. I was just glad we were winning so we could rack up wins toward the wild card total. If I’m honest, I believe the Dodgers are better than us. Not that we can’t win when it counts better than them. But suddenly chaos amidst rape charges against Trevor Bauer has changed the climate. I am pulling hard for us to win the division.

We get Longo – with his lighter, quicker bat – back soon. Posey and Belt to follow. I really want to see Tommy LaStella in the regular lineup. Tauchman’s defense was epic, even if he struggled at the plate. When, if ever, will we see Reyes Moronta? It has been prolonged absence.

**INJURY UPDATE**

** LONGO OUT TIL AT LEAST AUGUST 05!

** TAUCHMAN BACK UP! STARTING IN STL NOW

** LA STELLA REHAB HALTED AGAIN

sigh. oh well, as of this writing we are up 7-2 in STL (we won)

Let’s go get it!

Let’s Go Get the National League West!

Let’s Go Giants

love,

Karthik