Schierholtz Helps Carry Giants

The Giants moved back within 10 games of .500 after they took the last two vs. the Yankees at AT&T Park. It was actually the most exciting baseball I've seen the Giants play in over a month. I think having the Yankees in town lit a little bit of a fire under the Giants' and the old legs and bats showed a little bit of life over the weekend. I am also getting more impressed by Nate Schierholtz the more I watch him. Not only did he win a game with a base hit on Saturday, but he came up with a crucial sac fly, behind in the count vs. Roger Clemens, a spot where many Giants have failed all to often this season. Schierholtz hasn't shown much power at all since his promotion, but he puts the ball in play a lot, and his batting average is showing it. The exciting thing about Schierholtz is that he seems to be more polished with the bat at the big league level than Ortmeier and Lewis, and he's 3 years younger. I think his power will come with time, but the thing I like about him is he is coming up with clutch hits in big situations. For now, I would really consider getting him in the lineup as much as possible if I were Bochy. I know it would be quite an expensive platoon, but I wouldn't mind seeing Dave Roberts and Randy Winn share center field for a while to give Schierholtz 100-150 consistent at bats.

I'd like to take part of this post to give my condolences to Rod Beck's family and friends after his tragic death over the weekend. I have many memories of Beck on the field and even had the opportunity to talk with him a few times over his years with the Giants. He was never a guy who left any of his fans unsatisfied and would never hesitate to sign an autograph or have a conversation with someone. The best memory I have of Beck on the field is when he struck out Greg Vaughn of the San Diego Padres to clinch the 1997 NL West division title (Pictured). It sent the Giants to the playoffs for the first time since '89, and there was an atmosphere at the 'Stick that I will never forget in my life. Thanks for the memories Shooter, and rest in peace.