Bengie Molina

So far this MLB off-season, the teams in New York have been very busy.  The Yankees' move this week may have been the biggest.

From 2008-2009, the San Francisco Giants had their starting catcher Bengie Molina hit cleanup. Now despite being the most lackluster everyday cleanup hitter in the entire league, Molina was San Francisco's most productive offensive threat during that time frame.

However, with the emergence of Pablo Sandoval and a lineup featuring veterans like Freddy Sanchez, Edgar Renteria, Aaron Rowand, and hopefully another year of Juan Uribe; Buster Posey would not be forced into a situation where the spotlight is entirely on him.

With the exception of the last three contests, the San Francisco Giants have failed all year long to sustain quality offense from one game to the next.

But during two of the three latest offensive outbursts (seven runs, nine runs, ten runs), catcher Bengie Molina has hit in the fifth spot in the order. Prior to the drop in the order, Molina hadn't hit anywhere but cleanup for the Giants since 2007 when Barry Bonds was still with the team.

The sarcastic comment to make as a Giants fan is: "It's about goddamn time!!"

For the first time since 2005, the San Francisco Giants have a chance to be in the playoff race down to the final week of the season.

Players like Pablo Sandoval, Nate Schierholtz, Sergio Romo, and Ryan Sadowski have seemingly come out of nowhere to be major contributors to the NL Wild Card leading San Francisco Giants.

Combine the surprising young studs with the savvy 1-2 punch of aces Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, the Giants have a core group that may end up taking the team to the playoffs.

Rich Aurilia wanted to come out this season and be a major contributor for the Giants. On Sunday Afternoon he made his first big contribution.

Aurilia homered off Adam Wainwright to lead off the bottom of the seventh and give the Giants a one-run lead that they would not surrender for the rest of the afternoon.

The Giants started the game well taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first with Randy Winn's sacrifice fly.

The Cardinals tied it up in the third inning with a Ryan Ludwick sacrifice fly. The game was tied 1-1 heading to the fifth.

The San Francisco Giants were never expected to tear the cover off the ball coming into the 2009 season. There were reasons to be optimistic, but they were never expected to be a team that would improve a little bit.

Well, that hasn't really happened.

The Giants are currently the lowest-scoring team in Major League Baseball by a pretty good amount. Even a trip to Coors Field saw the Giants struggle to score runs on two of three occasions.

Big Money has been money

With 2008's dismal season behing them, the San Francisco Giants are looking to bounce back in 09.

With one of MLB's best starting rotations and an unproven defense the Giants will look to make a run for the National League West's Penant.

Manny Ramirez and Dodgers loom as the obvious choice for the division leaders. The Padres, Diamondbacks and Rockies all have more recent post season appearances than the Giants.

Still, if the Giants can play to their strengths and limit their weaknesses, they might have a fighting chance.

I know, I know—I'm a tad late with this one. Not only have the San Francisco Giants already started their next series against the Colorado Rockies, but the first pitch for the second game is only minutes away.

And it's all the more inexcusable because the series I've been dragging on was a fantastic offering that saw our good guys slay the evil Los Angeles Dodgers twice in three chances.

The San Francisco Giants will finish off their six-game homestand this weekend with three games against the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies are in last place in the NL West with an 8-12 record and are beginning a five-game road trip out West.

The Giants are 10-10 and are only three games behind the Dodgers.

The Giants are playing very well at home this season and have an 8-3 record at AT&T Park. The Rockies have a 4-7 road record.

Never in the 126-year history of the Giants have fans endured five straight losing seasons.  But patrons passing through Willie Mays Plaza on their way to the bayside ballpark are faced with that formidable fact in 2009.

Usually, standing at the precipice of history suggests greatness is at hand. But for the Giants—with 2004 the last time a season ended in positive territory—it’s more like an abyss.