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Few things in life are certain, especially baseball pennant races.The Arizona D-backs haven't started to count any chickens. None have hatched. Rather, manager Kirk Gibson may be counting sheep in his sleep. That's because the San Francisco Giants may be providing sleepless nights. Visions of the 2010 NL West pennant race are still too vivid. Too fresh. The Giants bats have emerged from a lon football games g deep freeze just in time. The race is on. A division title or a Wild Card berth may be at stake. The D-backs remember 2010 when the San Diego Padres melted late in the season like a snowman on a sunny winter day. One year ago, on the last day of the season, the Giants snatched victory from the fading Padres. The Giants entered the last three games of the season with a slim three-game lead on Sa football games n Diego. The Padres won the first two games. The lead was down to one game on the final day. The Giants won and went on to win the World Series. Late season additions have helped San Francisco. At the July non-waiver trading deadline, Carlos Beltran was probably the biggest prize available. The Giants forfeited their best pitching prospect, right-handed starter Zack Wheeler to obtain Beltran football games from the Mets. Hurt in his initial days with San Francisco, Beltran has made major offensive and defensive contributions to the club. Beltran's bat means better pitches for third baseman Pablo Sandoval and first basemen Aubrey Huff and Brandon Belt. Some have feared that Beltran's surgically repaired right knee would torment him for the remainder of his career. As of this writing, Beltran has football games played 35 Giants games, while hitting .333 with five homers and 16 RBIs. One hitter like Carlos Beltran can have a ripple effect on an entire lineup. That's exactly what Beltran has done.The impact of Pablo Sandoval can't be over stated. Sandoval has been tormenting pitchers with his switch-hitting mastery and unorthodox style at the plate. Sandoval began his career with an eye-opening first fu football games ll season in 2009. He hit .330/25/90 and was seen by many as the best "bad ball" hitting player since Yogi Berra and Vladimir Guerrero. His 2010 season was a nightmare. As the season progressed, Sandoval gained weight and looked dreadfully out of shape. His game suffered. His hitting went south. He ended the regular season at .268/13/63. Benched by manager Bruce Bochy in the 2010 post season football games and World Series, Sandoval took the wakeup call and changed his lifestyle. He would not allow himself to eat himself out of the big leagues. Following an offseason conditioning program that resulted in better overall fitness, improved muscle tone, better stamina and much needed weight reduction, Sandoval now reminds observers of the exciting hitter that entered the NL In 2009. Recently on the ro football games ad against the Colorado Rockies, Sandoval managed to hit three home runs in three games. In one game he hit for the cycle. The triple proved that Sandoval can motor better than one may think. Sandoval's free-swinging approach is unorthodox. He slaps at some pitches, he takes a full extension at others. Although he sees more right-handers, Sandoval is equally effective against both left and rig football games ht-handed pitching.The recent Rockies series, swept by the Giants, provided the momentum and spark that has catapulted the team back in the pennant race. While Beltran and Sandoval led the offensive charge, once again, the pitching has been outstanding. The winner of two Cy Young Awards, Tim Lincecum never ceases to amaze. Lincecum has defied the teams that failed to select him early in the 2006 football games First-Year Player Draft. He was chosen 10th overall behind pitchers Luke Hochevar (first), Greg Reynolds (second), Brad Lincoln (fourth), Brandon Morrow (fifth), Andrew Miller (sixth), and Clayton Kershaw (seventh). That shows there is no certain formula for Draft selection success.Lincecum's mechanics were viewed as troublesome to some baseball executives. Scouts feared he would break down und football games er the weight of an unorthodox delivery taught, trained and monitored by his dad. Tim Lincecum has eliminated any doubt about his pitching style. Lincecum has had a few troubling moments this season. His velocity appears to be down now from the high 90s earlier. He is using more of his lethal two-seam fastball that sinks like a stone in a country pond as well as the higher velocity four-seamer. football games He is missing bats with an array of fastballs, curves, sliders and a wicked change-up. His velocity and location variations are enough to alter the timing and balance of even the best hitters. A savvy, seasoned and totally professional craftsman on the mound, Lincecum still controls the game. His four-seam fastball hits the mid 90s. Lincecum sets the tone for the rest of the Giants starting football games rotation.Following Lincecum, opposing lineups will probably see Matt Cain, lefty Madison Bumgarner, Ryan Vogelsong and possibly surprising rookie newcomer, left-hander Eric Surkamp. Several factors make the Giants rotation so outstanding. First, each pitcher uses a complete repertoire of pitches. There is no reliance upon a fastball and one form of breaking ball to get through a Major League lin football games eup. Each of the starters has the ability to add and subtract velocity from the fastball. Most use sink to induce ground balls. The starter with the most consistent velocity is Bumgarner. His most dominant quality is the movement he achieves on virtually every pitch. Cain throws an outstanding fastball, but his breaking pitches are so consistent and so crisp that he fools hitters when he retu football games rns to the 94 mph four-seam fastball. He seems to work his slider and curve to his advantage as the game progresses. Ryan Volgelsong, a tremendous addition to the Giants after a career that even took him to Japan, has found himself a home in San Francisco. He changes speeds from his 92-94 mph four-seam fastball to his 77 mph curve and his 86 mph slider. All are very tough pitches to hit.New addi football games tion Eric Surkamp has given the Giants quality starts beyond expectations. His calm and cool mound demeanor, solid command and control and his pitch variation have slowed the bats of opponents. He isn't overpowering, but his repertoire of high 80s fastballs, mid-70s curves and a nice high 80 change-up show hitters that he knows how to pitch.Back from injury, the team welcomes the return of close football games r Brian Wilson. He's the shut down ninth-inning guy required of a winner. Lefty reliever Jeremy Affeldt's season is over due to a hand injury. Ramon Ramirez, Sergio Romo, Santiago Casilla and Javier Lopez are all formidable bullpen arms that form the nucleus of the bullpen. It's possible veteran lefty Barry Zito will see bullpen action down the stretch.As the season winds down, all eyes in Ariz football games ona and San Francisco will be watching the scoreboards. The next week may seem like an eternity for the D-backs and Giants.For the time being, the pesky Giants stand in the way of a D-backs celebration. Memories of their 2010 triumph over the Padres still linger. A three-game Giants vs. D-backs series waits this weekend. Anything can happen in baseball. It shows that every game can make a dif football games ference.That's what makes the game so great. football games
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