Giants score season-high 8 runs

I hate Coors Field. Every game the Giants play there is a potential nightmare. Here's the best thing I can say about tonight -- Nate Schierholtz, who hit two homers tonight for the first time since the epic July 6 6-5 vic in 14 last season.

The Rox announcers noted that that Nate had hit a no-doubter on the second one, up into the second level. It changed the score from 16-7 to 16-8. I was recalling that Nate hit one last summer in Coors that went over 460 feet. The announcers pointed out that tonight's were the 19th and 20th career HRs for Nate -- with 7 of those coming at Coors.

It's hard to write about this without worrying about Tim Lincecum, who's gotten hammered both times he's pitched this year. He'll next pitch on Monday at home against Roy Halladay, who's blowing them away as usual.

So, with 8 runs, there wasn't a total humiliation although it sure felt like one. Grant at McCovey Chronicles addresses the big worry --

It’s only 5 games, but for the second straight season the Giants begin 1-4. They have allowed 34 runs in those 5 games. Their gold standard pitching has looked more like aluminum foil colored with Hi-Liters.

However, there are some reasons to remain blindingly optimistic, besides the ridiculously small sample size: the 2003 Braves won over 100 games after allowing 41 runs in their first five games. Their starting rotation wasn’t nearly as impressive as what the Giants have. And, the Giants’ offense has shown more than just "signs of life", they’ve looked positively formidable at times. Speed, some selectiveness, and a bit of power.

But it’d be a lot easier to forget this game and how bad it was if a) it hadn’t followed a string of poor pitching performances (Zito’s masterpiece excepted, of course) and b) it wasn’t the worst start of Tim Lincecum’s career....

So, right away this season is a huge question mark. If Tim Lincecum doesn’t regain form and the pitching just blahs it up, there is quite literally nothing the Giants can do about it. They’ve invested everything in these arms and if they don’t show up, then the Giants go home early for the second straight season.