Trying a little something different with the game recaps for this series as I did not do individual game recaps for the first two games. In typical fashion, nothing came easy for the Giants in San Diego, but they were able to take two out of three against the last-place Padres.

Game 1: Padres 6 – Giants 5

Timmy Bad, Timmy Good: This game was all about the Jekyll and Hyde routine put on by Tim Lincecum which I discussed at length here. Once again, one bad inning doomed Lincecum, but the 8 strikeouts that followed in innings 3 through 6 was encouraging. Even with the bad inning that put the Giants in an early hole, they still gave themselves a chance to win.

Bullpen Mismanagement: A lot was said about Bruce Bochy’s decision to bring Steve Edlefsen into a tie game in the bottom of the ninth despite having Sergio Romo ready to go. Edlefsen promptly gave up the game-winning homerun to Padres second baseman Logan Forsythe, costing the Giants the game and dropping them to four games behind the Dodgers.

At first blush I was willing to give Bochy the benefit of the doubt here because he generally handles the bullpen well and with all the injuries down there I understand not wanting to go go all Fredi Gonzalez on his guys and blow his best relievers out. I was also willing to give him a pass because unlike recent years he has a couple of holes in his pen this year and he can’t just not use guys like Edlefsen and Shane Loux.

However in his post-game comments Bochy admitted he was saving Romo for a save situation and I’m not ok with that. If Bochy had Romo ready to go and didn’t put him out thee for any other reason than he thought Edlefsen was was the better matchup in the inning, then he was wrong and deserves to be criticized for it.

The Shark and The Riot: I’ve talked about both Gregor Blanco and Ryan Theriot multiple times over the last few updates, but it’s worth mentioning yet again how much these guys mean to the offense right now.

On Tuesday, Blanco was 3-for-5 with a double, a triple and two runs scored, continuing his near-perfect lead off hitter routine. Theriot meanwhile was on base five times, stole a base and drove in three runs. It’s worth noting that Blanco and Theriot also led the team in pitches seen with 19 and 21 respectively. This speaks to how well both guys are seeing the ball right now and just how good their approaches have been.

As I’ve said, I am not going to be one of those people who goes all ga-ga over Theriot’s current hot streak because we’re talking about a crazy small sample size from a guy whose best days are clearly behind him. But as our favorite commentary team likes to say, stay hot Ryan Theriot.

I remain bullish on Blanco however as I believe in the skills he brings to the table and his ability to work a pitcher and get on base consistently. In 836 plate appearances over parts of three seasons with the Braves and Royals, Blanco posted a .358 OBP, so his ability to get on base is very real and ideal for a Giants offense that needs stability at the top.

Any way you look at it, both guys have been outstanding and hopefully they will be the 2012 version of Andres Torres and Freddy Sanchez going forward.

#freeBelt Report: Belt was 0-for-3 in the first game of the series with an RBI via a sac fly. More troubling than the lack of hits however was the fact that he only saw 10 pitches in his 4 plate appearances. I firmly believe the Giants staff is in his head right now and it’s clearly affecting what was once a patient approach at the plate. Funny how we praise a guy like Blanco for his ability to work a pitcher and get on base, but when Belt does it we’re quick to dismiss him.

Game 2: Giants 6 – Padres 5

Where is the Strikezone?: This was a very strange game from the outset as home plate umpire C.B. Bucknor, widely regarded as one of the worst umps in the game, was up to his old tricks apparently calling balls and strikes with his eyes closed. Both starting pitchers suffered thanks to the ineptitude behind the plate which led to both Madison Bumgarner and Clayton Richard exiting the game in the 6th inning.

No Belt: With the lefty Richard on the hill for the Padres it was predictable that Bruce Bochy would start the right-handed Brett Pill at first base, despite the fact that Pill came into the game hitting a robust .189 off lefties coming into the game.

Pill had an ok night going 2-for-3 with a solid single in the first that would have driven home a run had there not been a passed ball that allowed a run to score during the AB. CSN Bay Area writer Andrew Baggarly tweeted after Pill’s second hit (a bloop single to right) that Pill had taken some good swings, to which I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Aside from the single in the first, the only other contact Pill made all night was two jam shots into shallow right field, one of which resulted in that second hit. I don’t mean this as a slight to Pill because as I’ve said, I like him as a quality bench player, but every time he plays it becomes more and more clear that he should not be starting.

Romo’s Knees: As if the Giants bullpen needed any more drama, Sergio Romo managed to tweak his one healthy knee while squatting in preparation for his impending relief appearance. The freak injury prompted panic in the Giants dugout as the training staff rushed out to the bullpen to check on on Señor No Dot.

A new knee brace and three outs later, order was restored as the Romo got the save and nailed down the one-run win. Correct me if I’m wrong, but does any reliever in baseball seem more fragile than Romo? Not just physically, but watching him pitch brings a certain level of dread to my heart and I can’t quite explain it. I realize his numbers are crazy and speak to his standing as one of the most effective relievers in the game today, but I can’t help but think every time he goes out there that he’s going to give up the gopher ball.

Perhaps it’s a flashback to the homerun he served up to Eric Hinske in the 2010 NLDS that nearly cost the Giants the pivotal Game 3 of that series, but despite his stellar numbers I can’t help but squirm every time he comes in. Yes, I’m weird, I know.

Game 3: Giants 8 – Padres 3

Solid Investment: At 27-years-old Matt Cain is quite simply one of the best right handed starting pitchers in baseball and Thursday’s performance was simply confirmation of that fact. Pitching through one of the uglier defensive performances the Giants have had recently, Cain limited the Padres to three unearned runs over 7 innings, striking out 9 and lowering his ERA to 2.41 on the season.

More than that however, Cain showed the poise and fortitude he is known for, pitching under pressure all day and coming through as usual. I really can’t think of another horse I would rather hitch my cart to at this point in his career and getting him signed long term will go down as one of the best moves Brian Sabean and company ever pulled off. This is certainly the homer in me talking, but you can take any pitcher in the game right now and I will stand behind Cain every time, he’s just that good.

Blanco and Theriot Strike Again: For the second time in the three game set, it was the top of the lineup led by Blanco and Theriot that really led the charge for the Giants offense.

Blanco homered for the second time in as many games, equaling the number of homeruns he hit in his three previous seasons as a big league ballplayer. I don’t think the power surge will last, but he is quickly becoming a major force at the top of the Giants lineup.

Theriot meanwhile collected four more hits, pushing his batting average up to .284 while stealing his third base of the season. The last time Theriot finished a season with a batting average over .271 was in 2009 when he was with the Cubs when he hit .284. Enjoy it while it lasts folks.

Redemption Song: I mentioned the ugly defensive performance on Thursday that led directly to the three runs scored by the Padres, however it wasn’t all bad as all four players who committed errors in the game made up for it by either driving in runs or making spectacular plays in the field.

Angel Pagan, who continues to take some of the most hideous routes to fly balls, actually too a pretty good path to a long drive hit by Cameron Maybin in the third, only to watch it clank off his glove for a two base error. Four innings later however, Pagan put the game out of reach with a two-run blast to right field.

Also making errors on Thursday were Blanco (2-for-5 with a HR), Belt (2-for-4 with 2 RBIs) and Joaquin Arias who made several fantastic plays after his error in the 6th. Generally speaking this is actually a pretty decent defensive team, especially when Arias and Belt play the corner infield spots. Errors, as we know, will happen and are not a good indicator of how well a player or a team defends the field, so hopefully this was just a blip on the radar.

#freeBelt Report Part 2: Belt got his second start of the series against Padres right-hander Jason Marquis and certainly made the most of it, collecting two hits and reaching base three times in the win.

The game marked the second time in three starts that Belt has managed to reach base safely three times, which is even more impressive when you consider his overly aggressive approach these days. Belt swung at the first pitch in four of his five at-bats on Thursday, but managed to make the approach work, especially in his first at-bat when he smoked an RBI double over the head of Chris Denorfia in right field.

The game pushed his OBP up to .356, which ranks fifth on the team and only two points behind Pagan for fourth. Here is a look at what I consider to be the best lineup the Giants can put on the field when Pablo Sandoval returns next week and where each player ranks in OBP:

Blanco (2nd) Theriot (7th) Melky (1st) Posey (6th) Panda (3rd) Pagan (4th) Belt (5th) Crawford (10th)

Notice anything there? You guessed it, every player in that projected starting lineup except for Crawford ranks in the top-8 in OBP on the team. Outside of Belt, I think most people would agree that the other seven players in that lineup should be starting when healthy, so it goes to show the correlation between OBP and optimal lineup construction. That is not to say OBP is the be-all end-all of stats, but it goes without saying that it is very important to the success of an offense to have as many men on base during a game as possible. This lineup does that for the Giants. If you’re curious, Aubrey Huff and Nate Schierholtz rank 8th and 9th respectively.

Sadly, the Texas Rangers are in town tonight to take on the Giants and are their starting pitcher is lefty Matt Harrison. That of course means we will get another chance to watch Brett Pill and his .211 average vs. lefties while Belt hangs out on the bench, waiting for Bochy to get him in the game for defense. **sigh**

I Love Buster Posey: That is all.

As a side note, I will be out of town over the weekend and unable to post anything new for a couple of days. Most likely I’ll throw something up breaking down the first game between the Giants and Rangers tonight, but after that I probably won’t able to post until Monday.

A big thanks to everyone who has taken the time to check out the blog as I’m having a great time doing it and I really appreciate the positive feedback I’ve gotten from so many of you.

Cheers.