The Giants went 1-6 since our last podcast, and have completely taken the season in a different direction, being outscored 55-19 in the process. In addition, they gave up 15 unearned runs this week, which is almost half of the season total of 32. They are dead last in hitting and fielding percentage, and 3rd worst in the NL in ERA, a spot they were third in just a few weeks ago. They've lost 5 in a row, 6 of 7, and are on pace for 97 losses. Mac Williamson was DFA'd again, Carl Yaztremski's grandson was called up and got 3 hits, and the only win of the week was so improbable, with the Giants being down to their last strike 8 times. Baseball is weird. We talk about it in episode 167 of the TortureCast!

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The Giants went 3-1 after our last podcast, and have exceeded expectations (sadly) with a 17-17 record over their last 34 games. They took 2 or 3 from Arizona and their regulars have been performing well. Crawford won 2 games by himself with a game-saving play and a homerun. Panda hit 2 pinch hit HRs and won a game. Zaidi keeps the roster rotating with some shrewd trades and moves. Listen to this and more in episode 166 of the TortureCast, the podcast by and for fans of the San Francisco Giants!

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We review the last week in Giants' baseball, including a 2-4 record, using Nick Vincent as an opener after being outscored 42-5 in the first inning through 40 games, Derek Holland's comments about a "fake" injury and Zaidi's response, injuries, the revolving door that is the roster (36 on the 25 man and counting), who's hot and not, Hunter Pence's renaissance, and much more. Although the Giants sit in the NL West cellar, there's always interesting topics to discuss...just gotta look for it!

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The Giants could have had a much worse week if it weren't for the fact that they came back from 8 runs and 4 runs down in two games in Cincinnati. They took 2 of 3 against the Dodgers and split 4 in Cincy. The Giants lead the league with a 9-2 record in one run games...that's good but not good considering their lack of ability to put teams away. Their win after an 8 run deficit is the 5th time they've done that in Giants history and the first time in 30 years. They followed that up with a 4 run deficit win against the Reds, and that is a miracle of its own.

We celebrate Eric's 40th birthday and Willie Mays' 88th birthday in episode 164.

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The Giants started off this week with a 2-game sweep in Toronto and finished a 4-4 road trip before heading back to San Francisco to face a depleted New York Yankees team that had 15 players on the injured list. That didn't matter, as the Yanks swept the Giants at Oracle thanks to bad starting pitching, poor defense, and getting behind early.

Despite going 2-3 this week, the Giants sit at 11-17, last in the NL West and only surpassing the Marlins in overall record in the NL. Bum, Holland and D-Rod all did poorly against the Yanks, and Gary Sanchez hit the ball out of the yard twice, one time at 467 feet. 

We talk about the week, the last visit to SF by the Yankees (Chad was there for Bonds v Clemens in 2007), who's hot and not, should Mac be called up, should the pens be moved along with the elimination of Triples Alley and more.

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The Giants raised their team batting average over the last 6 games from .199 to .209. The bad news is that the Giants' pitching staff ERA went from 2.75 to 3.22. Christian Yelich hit 8 homeruns...this week. The Giants have 13 homeruns...as a team....all season. Eric and Chad talk about a 2-4 week during this road trip, dropping 2 of 3 each to the Nats and Pirates. But, in almost every game, a single play was the difference. The Giants are, well...competitive. They truly are. A few hits here and there and the Giants could be .500 or better. They are not getting crushed. They just can't win most of the close games, which is, well most of their games. At least Buster Posey won a game single-handedly with a 3 run jack to defeat the Pirates 3-2. He also applied the tag to Kang to record the final out at home that game. So, there's that. But, that's exactly what the Giants need. And more times than once every 23 games. Also, why can't the Giants score in the first inning? They are dangerously close to setting the MLB record for not scoring the first to open the season. They are at 23, while the record is 28. Hell, why not? Who cares? BTW, they are hitting .096 in the first inning. All 7 hits are singles. I want to see them score that first first inning run via the little league homerun with like 7 errors on an infield hit.

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Where would the Giants be without Kevin Pillar? He dominated the week, hitting 4 homeruns with 12 RBI. In fact, no other Giant had more than 1 RBI for the week! The Giants sit at 7-10, 4 games back of the Padres, but it would be much worse without Pillar's contribution. That said, he's only hitting .155 on the season, so he's getting timely hits. How long will this last?

We talk about Pillar and the week in review on episode #161, including the insane 18 inning win against the Rockies, surprising pitching from the Shark, and how the bullpen leads all of baseball with a 1.77 ERA. However, they also are at the bottom of the NL with a .199 batting average, and have mustered only 10 homeruns, which is the same as Kris Davis! Eric also introduced a new segment called "Guess that Giant," which Chad performed poorly in. Let us know in the comments if you guessed this Giant faster than Chad did (we're sure you did). This was a fun podcast to talk about a winning week. The Giants go on a long east coast trip, so their hitting has to come around at some point. 

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In episode #160, Chad and Eric have a lot to discuss. The Giants are 10 games into the 2019 season, and although they haven't been swept, they also haven't won a series, going 3-7 in that span and dwelling in the cellar in the NL West. The pitching has been excellent, in fact, 2nd best in the NL, but their offense is non-existent. They have averaged only 2.5 runs per game and are hitting .207 overall. Cody Bellinger has more homeruns (7) than all of the Giants (6). We also talk about the two trades Zaidi pulled off this week and the short cups of coffee for Michael Reed and Connor Joe. Eric brings in a new minor league report, and he's planning another new segment for the episodes to come this season.

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Chad and Eric host our annual season preview episode a little bit late...well, after 4 games into the season, but there is a good reason for that. Chad had the flu one week, then was traveling for work, then last week was having the experience of a lifetime, diving 2 miles under the ocean in the historic Alvin submarine, exploring a recently discovered "octopus garden" near an extinct underwater volcano while the BBC broadcast all this live back to the UK for their "Blue Planet Live" show. So, yeah, good reasons.

The Giants started off the season with a whimper, losing 3 of 4 in San Diego, while mustering only 5 runs in the process. They are hitting an NL-worst .177, but at least their pitching is 2nd! By the way, who expected Michael Reed and Connor Joe to be on the roster? We review this series, and preview the season, reading off all of YOUR predictions for total wins this year. Spoiler alert...most of you don't think they're going to win that many game. We also give our playoff, statistics, trade, and milestone predictions.

Spring has sprung, and baseball is back, baby! Can't be sad about that.

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Chad and Eric reconvene after the #Harperwatch ended last week. The Giants were once again the bridesmaid after Harper said no and took the rose from the Phillies. But, we talk about the reasons why he stayed in the NL East, and why it could have been a prohibitive contract for the Giants, especially if they aren't going to be competitive for a few years.

We also talk about the start of spring, the crowded outfield and pen, starting rotation possibilities, Bochy's retirement announcement and the unfortunate Larry Baer incident.

The season is a mere 24 days away, and we can't wait!

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