What a great game that was today!  There was a lot of back and forth with getting runs, but we were finally able to pull it off.  So happy that Hunter’s back, and he’s already contributing in a big way.  Heston got tested after that rain delay, but at least he did well before that.  Major kudos to the relievers for keeping us in it, especially Casilla for his amazing save.  Where did all that run production come from in the last few days?  Belt got his first homerun of the season on Friday, then proceeded to get two more the next two days.  When you look at the current batting averages of the starters, it really makes you feel confident that these boys can get some offense going.  I mean come on – 30 runs in the last 3 days, including 7 homeruns, and one of the homeruns was a grand salami by Brandon Crawford.  I was texting with my siblings during yesterday’s and today’s games, and I just kept texting, “This is great!”  It was so nice to be in the lead for the majority of the time – for once!  I know the broadcasters kept calling it Great American “Small” Park because it’s easy to score runs there, but still!  So proud of all my boys for taking 3 of 4 against the Reds.

Did anyone else notice how extra buff Hunter looks?  He must have spent a lot of time in the last couple months pumping iron because the boy has developed some wicked biceps.  And did you notice how Heston was swearing into his mitt when he left the game today?  He really must have been upset with himself as he usually seems pretty mellow.  But there it was – the mitt coming up to cover the face, then that head jerk.  At least he covered his mouth for the kiddies.

There was one play today that you don’t see every day.  Crawford threw the ball into third to get a runner out, the ball hit the helmet of the runner, then it rolled into the dugout.  The runner got home, but the guy coming from 2^nd had to stop at 3^rd.  The Reds complained that the runner from 2^nd should have gotten to go all the way home, but once the ball went into the dugout, it was dead and players were only able to advance two bases from where they started.  Crawford got charged with an error.  Poor guy – it wasn’t really his fault that the guy ran into the ball.

I forgot to mention yesterday that Hector Sanchez got sent to Sacramento to make room for Hunter on the 25-man roster.  Guess Andrew Susac had made a better showing than him recently.  I’m sure we’ll see more of him with the big boys this season.  Hope he can work on getting that batting average back up.  Good luck, Hector.  Hey, at least it’s Sacramento and not Fresno!  Erik Cordier came off the DL today and was subsequently designated for assignment.  How sad!  I’m sure he’ll be picked up by someone – that guy is pretty talented.  That leaves a space on the 40-man roster that can be filled.  I’ll keep an eye out for details on whoever that is – no one has been mentioned yet.

I have a couple of cool links for you.  Here’s a video of Sergio Romo being interviewed on Intentional Talk.  Pretty entertaining.  Sergio is just so loveable!  I love how he interacts with Dan Plesac at the end, a fellow reliever.  Also here’s an article that explains the origin of every current MLB team name (thanks to Tina from SF Giants Gamer Babes Facebook Group for the link).  I always wondered why they were called the Giants, and why the A’s have an elephant as their mascot.  Some of the stories are pretty interesting, especially the ones with political and military significance.  And I never knew that some of the names were actually voted on by fans.  It’s also interesting to hear what the teams were named before they received the current names.  Redlegs??  Really?

I finally tracked down the whereabouts of Tyler Colvin.  You’ll recall that he was the 2014 overall Spit Master General.  He’s landed with the White Sox Triple A Affiliate, the Charlotte Knights.  That certificate is on its way to you, Tyler!  I’m sure you’ll be thrilled with it!

I was able to do another spit count today.  It was the first one I’ve ever done with a rain delay.  I didn’t count spits during the delay in order to be consistent (even though there was definitely spitting going on during the wait to get back on the field).  Here you go:

May 17^th

Giants:

• Belt 5
• Aoki 3
• Petit 3
• Duffy 2
• Affeldt 2
• Heston 1
• Bochy 1
• Casilla 1

Reds:

• DeSclafani 13
• Byrd 8
• Frazier 8
• Phillips 7
• Cozart 3
• Chapman 3
• Pena 1
• Votto 1
• Bruce 1

Game Spit Master General = DeSclafani at 13

Giants Game Spit Master General = Belt at 5

That’s a total of 63 spits during a 3 hour and 30 minute game for an average of 1 spit every 3.3 minutes.

Several of Brandon Belt’s spits were pretty juicy, even though I don’t think they were due to chewing tobacco because he was chewing gum at the time.  What’s up with that??  The really nice thing I’ve noticed is that Buster Posey is not spitting nearly as much as he has in years past.  In fact, I didn’t catch him once today.  Giants in general have been spitting much less than guys on other teams.  Good job, Boys!

The guys had a happy flight home and will face the Dodgers next starting on Tuesday.  I hope they take advantage of their day off tomorrow to get some rest so they’ll be prepared.  And I hope the momentum from that awesome series in Cincinnati will carry over against their rival.  We’re currently in second place in the division, with only 4.5 games standing between us and the Dodgers.  It would definitely be nice to gain some ground on them this week.  You can do it, Boys!  You’ve shown that you have the potential to keep that line moving.  And now Hunter’s back!  And Casey’s batting average is above the Mendoza line!  You can do it!  GO GIANTS!!  BEAT THOSE STINKIN’ DODGERS!