Giants Complete World Series Sweep With Team Effort

San Francisco Giants closer Sergio Romo struck out Miguel Cabrera to win the World Series. (Ezra Shaw)

Seemingly everyone I talked to prior to the World Series wanted to talk about how amazing the Detroit Tigers were. They had the best pitcher in the world, the best one-two punch in their middle of the lineup and were coming off a sweep of the New York Yankees. I had more people tell me that the Tigers were going to sweep the San Francisco Giants and waltz their way to the World Series trophy and rings.

On paper, it certainly did seem that way. However, if I have learned anything from my almost 22 years of being a baseball fan, there's a reason they play the game. The unlikely becomes the likely. The Cinderella wins at the buzzer. The Hail Mary is somehow caught in a crowd in the endzone. You get the picture.

After he had only pitched two games this season, the Giants lost All-Star closer and fan favorite Brian Wilson to Tommy John surgery. On August 15, Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera, who lead the National League in hits and was second in batting average, was suspended for 50 games after testing positive for testosterone. Their two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum struggled badly during the entire regular season, finishing with an ERA of 5.18. As the postseason approached, it was their rival Los Angeles Dodgers who pulled blockbuster trade after blockbuster trade in an attempt to win the NL West.

The Giants could have given up at any of these junctures. They seemed to have too big of obstacles to overcome. But they hung tough and won the division. Their reward was hosting the Cincinnati Reds to start the NLDS. In a best-of-five series, the Giants lost the first two games to the Reds.

They now knew that they had to win three straight in Cincinnati to rally and advance past the Reds. That is just way they did. When catcher Buster Posey hit his grand slam in Game 5, it felt like it was all over. He truly showed why he is one of the favorites to win the NL MVP.

In the NLCS, the St. Louis Cardinals came out strong and took a three games to one lead over the Giants. The Giants knew they would need to win three in a row to stay alive and advance once again. In Game 5, they were forced to give the ball to much maligned veteran pitcher Barry Zito. Zito though was lights out and propelled his team to pull off three straight wins. In Game 7, the Giants offense exploded for nine runs in their shutout win to advance to the World Series.

In Game 1 of the World Series, few people gave the Giants a chance against Tigers ace Justin Verlander. Verlander had been dominant all postseason, but the Giants got five earned runs off of him and chased him after only four innings of work. The Giants never looked back, winning the game 9-3.

In Game 2, the Giants gave the ball to a struggling Madison Bumgarner. In his first two starts of the postseason, he had an ERA of 11.52. But in the World Series, he throws seven scoreless innings, giving up just two hits, while striking out 8. The Giants won the game 2-0.

The series now shifted to Detroit. The Giants' Game 3 starter was 35-year-old journeyman Ryan Vogelsong. Vogelsong and Lincecum combined for eight scoreless innings. Closer Sergio Romo came in and closed out his second game in a row.

Looking to complete the sweep in style, the Giants took the Game 4 lead 3-2 on a Posey solo home run in the top of the sixth inning. But the Tigers designated hitter Delmon Young tied up the score again in the bottom half of the inning with a solo homer of his own. The score remained 3-3 heading into extra innings.

To lead off the top of the 10th inning, designated hitter Ryan Theriot hit a bloop single to right field for a base hit. Shortstop Brandon Crawford sacrificed Theriot over to second. The next batter, center fielder Angel Pagan, struck out for the second out. This brought second baseman Marco Scutaro to the plate with a man on second and two outs. On a 3-1 pitch, Scutaro singled to center and Theriot slide into home for the leading run.

Looking to protect a 4-3 lead, Romo came into to close out his third save in as many games. Romo dominated the Tigers first two batters, center fielder Austin Jackson and pinch hitter Don Kelly, and struck them both out on his lethal slider. This brought AL Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera to the plate with the World Series on the line. With the count 2-2, Cabrera fouled off a slider. He had to be waiting on another one with the next pitch because Romo's 89 mph fastball right down the middle froze Cabrera for a called strike three.

The Giants were World Series champions for the second time in three years. They did as a team and with some of the unlikeliest of heroes. Theriot, who scored the game-winning run, made his first start of the postseason in Game 4. Scutaro, who had the game-winning RBI, was an under-the-radar mid-season acquisition. Romo, who closed out the Giants last three wins of the World Series, was the team's third pitcher to assume the role of closer the team this season.

The Giants weren't the likeliest of World Series champions at any point this season. However, in the end, they played team baseball and stepped up when they needed to. As legendary baseball manager Tommy Lasorda once said, "The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination." The Giants showed their determination throughout the season and now are World Series champions as a result.

Sandoval's Historic Performance Gives Giants Momentum

Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval's historic three-homer performance could be the crucial series changer. (Doug Pensinger)

Very few people gave the San Francisco Giants much of a chance in the World Series prior to it's beginning. Even fewer gave them any hope of winning Game 1 with Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander on the mound.

"A Tigers sweep is likely," a knowledgeable baseball source told me this afternoon. I shook my head. These Giants never lay down and give up. They fought back and beat the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS. Why couldn't they at least battle in the World Series?

As it turns out, there was one Giants player who particularly believed in his team and wanted to show it right away. Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval hit three home runs in his first three at-bats of Game 1, including two off of Verlander.

Sandoval became just the fourth player in MLB history to hit three home runs in a World Series game, joining legends Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson and Albert Pujols. The fact that two of the homers came off Verlander make the performance even more incredible.

In the first inning, Sandoval got an 0-2 fastball that was elevated from Verlander. However, he managed to get his bat up to it and cranked out a line drive 421 feet to center. How unlikely was this home run? According to ESPN, Verlander had not given up a 0-2 home run all season and only four in his entire career.

Sandoval's second plate appearance came in the third inning. After giving up a second run, Verlander threw two changeups in the dirt to Sandoval. This brought Tigers pitching coach Jeff Jones out for a quick mound visit. Verlander's next pitch was a fastball on the outside corner. Sandoval connected and drove it just into the left field bleachers. His opposite-field power was on full display.

In the fifth inning, Sandoval now faced Tigers reliever Al Alburquerque. The 1-1 slider was almost in the dirt, but Sandoval decided to swing. He golfed into a beautiful arching homer into the center field crowd. Later on, Sandoval did add a single to finish the Giants 8-3 win 4-for-4 with three homers and four RBIs.

One of the amazing things about Sandoval's performance is none of the pitches his home runs came off were bad pitches. In fact, two of the three pitchers were out of the strike zone. The homers were simply pure strokes of genius by the man they call Kung Fu Panda.

With a performance like this and the fact that Giants are still at home, momentum is fully with the hosts. Their rolling offense will look to keep their strong play going against the Tigers' Doug Fister. The Giants will look to get starter Madison Bumgarner going. The lefty has struggled this postseason, but claims to be ready to turn things around when it matters most.

If the Giants go on to win the World Series, we will know that Sandoval's performance played a significant role in the outcome. What is certain is that folks will be talking about Kung Fu Panda's incredible night of work for a very long time.

World Series Game 1 Preview and Prediction

Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander has waited eight days to make his World Series Game 1 start. (Danny Moloshok)

World Series Game 1 - Detroit Tigers @ San Francisco Giants
Wednesday October 24 - 8:00 PM EST, FOX

Starting Pitchers

Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers - Verlander is the best pitcher in baseball. I don't care what anyone else has to say. He is capable of getting it done in different ways. In his two playoff starts against the Oakland Athletics, he struck out 11 batters in both games. However, when he faced the New York Yankees in the ALCS, he only stuck out three. Verlander rarely has a bad outing and seems to always last deep into ball games to help out his far from rock solid bullpen.

Barry Zito, San Francisco Giants - Zito has been around baseball for a long time. His tumultuous ups-and-downs are well known among baseball fans and experts alike. Zito is ten years removed from his Cy Young campaign, but he is pitching like his vintage self as of late. In a must-win Game 5 of the NLCS, Zito came out and threw 7 2/3 scoreless innings, shutting down a previously red hot St. Louis Cardinals offense. If he is able to pitch anything like that in Game 1, we could be in for a very low scoring ball game.

Why Each Team Will Win

Tigers - They are well-rested and focused coming into the game and know the task set before them. They have the best pitcher in baseball starting the game. Their lineup is loaded and features one of the best one-two punches in baseball in Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder. They also benefit from being fresher and healthier.

Giants - They have been playing everyday and their offense showed it's ready after beating the Cardinals 9-0 in Game 7. They have a long stretch of winning games with Zito on the mound, so that only has to help their confidence. They also benefit from the fact that the Tigers bullpen has been very shaky, especially closer Jose Valverde.

Prediction

Tigers 3 Giants 2 - It's just too hard to pick against Verlander here. He has been so dominant this postseason. I believe that Cabrera or Fielder will come up with a decisive hit late. My only concern is that if Verlander doesn't throw a complete game, I am not nearly as confident that Valverde or whoever else can close out the win.

Carpenter Leads Cardinals to Victory in Postseason Debut

Cardinals utility man Matt Carpenter hit a two-run home run in his first  at-bat of the postseason. (David J. Phillip)

The St. Louis Cardinals have a long history of unexpected postseason heroes. Tonight, they added one more player's name to that list. In his first at-bat of the postseason, utility man Matt Carpenter hit a two-run home run to give the Cardinals the lead for good.

As the game began, it appeared that this would be just another typical day where Carpenter rode the bench and helped fill out the roster. However, when Cardinals outfielder Carlos Beltran suffered a left knee injury running out a double play in the first inning, it was Carpenter who got called in to replace the injured veteran.

Carpenter wasted little time before making a huge difference. He came up to bat for this time with the San Francisco Giants leading 1-0 and two outs in the bottom of the third inning. Carpenter was set to face one of the best pitchers in baseball, Giants ace Matt Cain. He made full contact on a two-strike slider that soared deep into the crowd for a game-changing two-run home run.

The game lasted much longer after this play, but the Giants were never able to tie or regain the lead again. Carpenter's clutch hitting was vastly important to give the momentum and lead needed to help their bullpen successfully close out the game. He probably never even expected to play, let alone becoming the catalyst to bringing his team one step closer to a return to the World Series. You never discount the significance of a player on your team. They might just be waiting to have their Matt Carpenter moment of a lifetime when your team needs it the most.

Giants and Athletics Win to Live Another Day

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Brett Anderson threw six scoreless innings of two-hit ball. (Ezra Shaw)

October baseball is in the air folks. When it's the playoff, it ain't over until the fat lady sings. Neither the San Francisco Giants or Oakland have heard any singing as of yet. Both trailing 2-0 in a best of five series, they both won a must-win Game 3 to force at least one more game. My blog post recaps both teams' Game 3 performances.

Giants 2 Reds 1 (Final in 10)

The Reds had no problems scoring runs in the first two games in San Francico. However, at home, they found themselves in a pitcher's duel in Game 3. The Reds did get on the board first in the opening inning. Right fielder singled to right to allow shortstop Zack Cozart to score, making it 1-0. The Giants got the run back in the third inning. Center fielder Angel Pagan hit a fly ball deep enough in center to plate left fielder Gregor Blanco.

Those were the only runs surrended by the starting pitchers on the mound.  Giants veteran right-hander Ryan Vogelsong allowed only three hits in five innings of work, before being lifted for a pinch hitter. The Reds countered with Homer Bailey, who was absolutely superb. In seven innings of work, he allowed just one hit, while striking out 10 Giants batters. Both bullpens pitched excellently as well. This meant we were headed to extra innings tied 1-1.

In the top of the 10th inning, the Giants had men on second and third with two outs. Up to bat for the second time was backup shortstop Joaquin Arias. He hit a slow ground ball down the third base line. The home crowd to see what would happen at first base. As it turned out, that didn't matter because Reds veteran third baseman Scott Rolen bobbled the ball, giving Arias enough time to beat the throw to first base.

In the bottom half of the frame, Giants reliever Sergio Romo shut the door on the game with a 1-2-3 inning. Game 4 will be tomorrow afternoon at 4:07 pm EST.

Athletics 2 Tigers 0

Trailing the Tigers two games to none, the Athletics wasted no time getting their offense on the board early. In the bottom of the first, Coco Crisp lead off with a single. He was followed by shortstop Stephen Dew, who walked to bring rookie left fielder Yoenis Cespedes to the plate in a dangerous situation. Cespedes singled to center, but it was only enough to score one run.

On the mound for the Athletics, starting pitcher Brett Anderson was dominating the Tigers lineup. He worked six strong innings, allowing just two hits on only 80 pitches thrown. The home side added an insurance run in the fifth inning when designated hitter Seth Scott hit a solo shot to deep center to make the lead 2-0.

Unlike in Game 2, the A's bullpen was back to it's masterful ways. Ryan Cook threw a scoreless seventh inning. Sean Doolittle struck out the side in the eighth. Closer Grant Balfour wasted little time in the ninth. He induced Tigers first baseman Prince Fielder to ground in to a game-ending double play.

The Athletics got the job done when they needed to. Game 4 will be tomorrow night at 9:37 pm EST.

MLB Postseason Preview & Predictions

In Friday's AL Wild Card Game, the Orioles will rely on newly acquired starting pitcher Joe Saunders. (Ben Margot)

For each of the ten playoff teams, 162 games are in the books. Two of the teams will only play one more game. Others wait to find out where they will play their next game. Regardless, I am going to go ahead and predict what I think is going to happen for the entire postseason. Call me crazy if you wish, but what do I have to lose.

AL Wild Card Game - Baltimore Orioles @ Texas Rangers - Friday, 8:37 PM EST, TBS

This is a very difficult pick because you don't know what you will get with either team. The Orioles are a young, inexperienced team that must go on the road to play in a high intensity atmosphere. They will turn newly acquired Joe Saunders on the mound. He has pitched well as of late, but has struggled badly against the Rangers in his career. Speaking of the Rangers, they lost nine of their last thirteen games to put themselves in this situation. They will give the ball to rookie Yu Darvish. He been very good lately as well, but will be making his postseason debut.

Prediction: Rangers 3 Orioles 1

NL Wild Card Game - St. Louis Cardinals @ Atlanta Braves - Friday, 5:07 PM EST, TBS

For much of the season, people wondered if the Cardinals would have a chance to defend their status as reigning World Series Champions. They turned it on at the right time in the season to earn the NL's second wild card spot. They will turn to Kyle Lohse to the decisive game. If you told me before the season that Lohse would finish the regular season with a 16-3 record and an ERA of 2.86, I would have told you that you were absolutely crazy, but that is exactly he has accomplished. The Braves successfully avoided the meltdown they experienced last year when they missed the playoffs. They will have Kris Medlen on the mound. While this may seem like an interesing choice, the Braves haven't lost one of his starts in over two years.

Prediction: Braves 5 Cardinals 2

AL Divisional Series - New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers - Begins October 7

Since I have already talked about the Rangers, I will focus on the Yankees here. With the Orioles in hot pursuit, the Yankees had to be superb baseball to remain in first. Second baseman Robinson Cano is one of the hottest hitters in baseball. Raul Ibanez has added some clutch hits. The Yankees pitching has improved lately as well.

Prediction: Yankees 3-1

AL Divisional Series - Oakland Athletics vs. Detroit Tigers - Begins October 6

How about them Athletics? In the stretch of three months, they have gone from 13 games out to winning the AL West. Without any real superstars and the lowest AL payroll. The Tigers held off the Chicago White Sox to win the AL Central. They must now look for a way to slow done the Athletics for one game.

Prediction: Tigers 3-2

NL Divisional Series - Washington Nationals vs. Atlanta Braves - Begins October 7

Since the Braves have already been discussed, the focal point is here to look at the Nationals. Their magical season has earned their team home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. A balanced offense is pushed by a talented pitching staff, lead by Gio Gonzalez.

Prediction: Nationals 3-2

NL Divisional Series - Cincinnati Reds vs. San Francisco Giants - Begins October 6

The Reds have simply played balanced baseball this season. A mostly consistent pitching staff and reliable lineup allow them to easily win the NL Central. The Giants have had their share of ups and downs this season. While certain players have struggled and are no longer available, others have stepped up to fill their holes.

Prediction: Giants 3-2

AL Conference Series - New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers - Begins October 13

While the Tigers may have better individual players, such as Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander, I believe that the Yankees are the better team from top to bottom.

Prediction: Yankees 4-2

NL Conference Series - Washington Nationals vs. San Francisco Giants - Begins October 14

The main difference in this matchup is experience. How much of factor does it play? With a matchup this close, I've decided to use that as my deciding factor.

Prediction: Giants 4-2

World Series - New York Yankees vs. San Francisco Giants - Begins October 24

This would be an excellent matchup in all aspects of the game. When it comes down to separating the two sides, I believe that the Yankees have more depth in their lineup and pitching staff.

Prediction: Yankees 4-1

Bottomline: I am predicting the New York Yankees to win the World Series.

Pirates Complete Best First Half in Twenty Years

MVP candidate Andrew McCutchen has led the Pittsburgh Pirates to their best record at the All-Star Break since 1992. (Keith Srakocic)

Who would have believed before the season began that A.J. Burnett would have ten wins, while Tim Lincecum would have ten losses? Absolutely positively no one. You would have told me I was crazy. San Francisco Giants ace Lincecum's shockingly horrible first half could be summarized by his performance today against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He gave up six runs on seven hits over only 3 1/3 innings. Meanwhile, Burnett, who has long been known as erratic pitcher, was steady as he has been all year. He limited the Giants to just two runs while pitching into the seventh. Burnett has now won nine consecutive decisions, becoming just the second Pirates pitcher to win at least ten games before the All-Star Break since 1993.

Offensively, it was the Neil Walker and Andrew McCutchen show. Walker went 5-5 with a home run, a double, and scored four runs of his own. McCutchen crushed a pair of two-run homers. He has been absolutely red hot as of late. McCutchen is on a 21-for-38 (.552) tear, including six multiple hit games in his last nine games. He has 23 RBIs in his last 19 games. His 18 home runs have all come over the last two months. A NL-high 12 of them have come with baserunners on.

Hits aren't the only thing piling up for the Pirates. Wins happen to be as well. Remember this is a franchise that has endured a North American professional sports record 19 consecutive losing seasons. But these Pirates are looking to put all of that behind them. The NL Central leaders are 48-37, their best record at the All-Star Break since 1992. Since May 12, they are a major league best 34-19. including 10-2 in their last 12. Every way you look at it, the Pirates are playing great baseball.

Manager Clint Hurdle's culture change has been a major reason why. He has his players believing in their abilities to win ball games. With the extra gained revenue and excitement, the front office is even exploring their options to upgrade either the outfield or starting rotation. With the All-Star Break here, it will be easy for the Pirates to cool off. It is important that they maintain their confidence and hot play. If they are able to keep this going, not only will the Pirates finish above.500, they will be vying for a spot in the playoffs.

Throwback Nationals Rally to Sweep Giants

Adam LaRoche celebrates as he watches Bryce Harper cross home plate for the game-winning run Thursday night. (Evan Vucci)

The San Francisco Giants came to Washington to play a three game series against the Nationals in what was hailed as a battle of division leaders. The city was buzzing with talk of a possible playoff preview. Both teams were well aware of the importance of the series, and the respect that could be gained from it.

Tuesday's series opener saw Jordan Zimmerman take the mound for the Nationals. Zimmerman hoped to benefit from the sudden run production he received in his last start. Meanwhile, the Giants countered with Tim Lincecum. Lincecum's struggles earlier this season have been well documented, but he appeared to be turning things around following two of his best starts of this season. Unfortunately for the Giants, that trend ceased to continue.

The Nationals hitters hit Lincecum hard. Danny Espinosa, Jordan Zimmerman, and Adam LaRoche all had RBI doubles. Ian Desmond followed that up his 14th home run of the year. From there, things only got worse for the Giants. In all, Lincecum lasted only 3 1/3 innings and gave up eight runs on nine hits. Zimmerman took care of the rest as the Nationals rolled to a 9-3 victory.

The Giants had to think things would turn around for them on the Fourth of July. After all, they had Madison Bumgarner on the mound, who was one of baseball's best pitchers in the month of June (5-0, 2.42 ERA). The Nationals, on the other hand, were simply hoping Edwin Jackson would bounce back from a terrible outing at Colorado. The Giants struck first off Jackson. In the top of the first inning, Pablo Sandoval hit a bomb to center field to increase the Giants lead to 3-0.

In the bottom of the third inning, the Nationals tied things up following a double by Ryan Zimmerman and a single by Ian Desmond. From there, the Nationals took the lead on a combined three home runs by Jhonatan Solano, Zimmerman, and Michael Morse. In five innings of work, the Nationals tagged Bumgarner with seven earned runs. The Giants tried to rally, but Rick Ankiel sealed the deal with a two-run homer off Giants reliever Clay Hensley to make the Nationals lead to 9-4. The Nationals held on to win by that margin.

Thursday's series finale took the players, fans, and even the groundskeepers back to 1924. The teams paid tribute to the 1924 World Series between the Washington Senators and New York Giants. Both teams donned the historic jerseys, and there was an added aura of the historicity to the great American pastime. With the game underway, Giants starter Matt Cain appeared to be in cruise control. It helped that Melky Cabrera and Angel Pagan combined for five RBIs to give him 5-1 lead going into the seventh inning stretch.

However, momentum started to sway when Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa hit back-to-back solo shots off Cain to trim the Giants lead to 5-3. Giants closer Santiago Casilla came in the bottom of the ninth with just a one run advantage. Pinch hitter Tyler Moore led the inning off with a double. Steve Lombardozzi attempted to sacrifice, but an error by Casilla led to first and third, no one out for the Nationals. Bryce Harper singled home Moore to tie the game and Lombardozzi went to third.

Ryan Zimmerman was intentionally walked to load the bases. Michael Morse grounded into a fielder's choice as the throw came home to nail Lombardozzi at the plate. So the bases remained loaded, but now with one out. Adam LaRoche hit a ground ball to second for what should have been a routine inning-ending double play. The Giants got the second out at second base, but shortstop Brandon Crawford bounced the throw to first in the dirt. First baseman Brandon Belt couldn't come up with it, and LaRoche was safe at first, which allowed Harper to score the game-winning run.

The Nationals completed the sweep of the Giants. This series is yet another reminder that this team is for real. They are young and may not have everything figured out, but they are finding ways to win ball games. It will be exciting to watch the Nationals as the look to keep their excellent play going in the second half and the push for the postseason.

Giants Complete Shutout Sweep of Dodgers

Dodgers pitcher Chad Billingsley is tagged out by Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum while trying to score on a wild pitch. (Jeff Chiu)

A month ago, the Los Angeles Dodgers had a season-high 7 1/2 game lead over the San Francisco Giants in the NL West. However, the Dodgers came into this week's series in San Francisco scuttling quite a bit. They hoped to simply hold onto their dwindling divisional lead. The Giants had other plans. They hoped to use their momentum to show that this division was going to be a race to the end. The Giants certainly had their way when it came to this series.

In Monday's series opener, the Giants offense wasted little time as they exploded for seven runs in the first two innings (8 ER total) off Dodgers starting pitcher Nate Eovaldi. That was more than enough for Giants starter Barry Zito. Zito rebounded from a string of poor outings to throw seven scoreless innings of three hit ball against the Dodgers. The Giants finished off the beatdown of the Dodgers for an 8-0 win.

The Dodgers looked to get revenge in Tuesday's game with ace Clayton Kershaw. The Giants countered with a great, young pitcher in Ryan Vogelsong. This one turned out to be a good old classic pitcher's dual. Both pitchers were attacking the strike zone and getting outs. The Giants did finally get to Kershaw in the fourth. Melky Cabrera led off the inning with a solo shot to left. Angel Pagan hit into a fielder's choice and then stole second base. Pablo Sandoval singled home Pagan to give the Giants the 2-0 lead. That was it for the Giants offense, and it turned out that the Dodgers offense never did get going. Vogelsong completed seven scoreless innings. In the ninth inning, Santiago Casilla closed out the 2-0 win for his 21st save of the season.

The Dodgers hoped to avoid the sweep Wednesday afternoon. They sought to get back on track with starter Chad Billingsley on the mound. The Dodgers banked on another poor outing my Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum to help jump start their offense. However, it was the Giants offense who struck first. Cabrera had a RBI double in the third inning. Pagan also added a pair of RBIs. Meanwhile, Lincecum showcased some of his vintage form. Billingsley did manage a double off his counterpart. He advanced to third on a wild pitch. On another wild pitch by Lincecum, Billingsley tried to score, but was blocked and tagged out by Lincecum. Lincecum went seven scoreless innings and was rewarded with his first win in nearly two months. Sergio Romo sealed the sweep of the Dodgers with a four-out save of the 3-0 win.

The Giants sweep has propelled them into first place. Their pitching was dominant in the shutout sweep. Not only did the Dodgers not score a single run in the series, Billingsley was the only Dodgers player to reach third base. As if news couldn't get any worse for the Dodgers, Matt Kemp does not appear to be ready to return from the DL anytime soon. Additionally, fellow outfielder Andre Ethier injured his oblique and could be joining Kemp on the DL soon. With their two best hitters injured, things don't look any better for the Dodgers anytime soon. Meanwhile, the Giants are enjoying their hot play and look to use it to their full advantage.

Votto and Cain Locked Up Long Term

The Cincinnati Reds have been trying to extend the contracts of all of their young stars. Probably the most important player to the team, first baseman Joey Votto, had yet to do that. However, that changed today. Votto came up through the minors in the Reds system and overcame bouts with depression and anxiety issues to reach stardom in the majors. Votto's breakout season was 2010 when he hit for .324 average, 37 home runs, 113 RBIs, and 106 runs. He was awarded for his excellent defensive play in 2011 when he won his first Gold Glove. Votto's new contract is a 10-year deal worth $225 million. This guarantees Votto would be the heart of the Reds' lineup for a very long time.

The San Francisco Giants have been trying to hold on to their stars from their World Series championship in 2010. One of the integral players to that improbable postseason run was starting pitcher Matt Cain. In that entire postseason, Cain impressively surrendered zero runs. The 27-year-old went 12-11 with a 2.88 ERA. That record is clearly skewed by the often anemic offense of the Giants. The contract Cain signed is a six-year extension worth $127.5 million. This makes Cain the highest-paid right-handed pitcher in baseball history. This seems like a great move, however, it must be considered that his overall record is only 69-73 with a 3.35 ERA. This is while making home starts in pitcher-friendly AT&T Park and within a weak NL West.

These are certainly not small amounts of money being thrown around. Votto's contract is the fourth largest in MLB history, and as I mentioned, Cain's is the highest for a right-handed pitcher ever. These deals are going to definitely have significant repercussions on future contracts to come. Many around baseball are realizing this right away. Milwaukee Brewers GM Doug Melvin said in regards to this, "There will be an impact, I'm sure. Any signing impacts other people who haven't signed." This means big contracts can be expected for pending free agents, such as Zack Greinke, Cole Hamels, and ultimately Cain's teammate Tim Lincecum. Baseball contracts are not getting any smaller. Days like today remind us of that.