Matt Cain off; Washington Nationals nail San Francisco Giants-again

Turnabout is fair play.  What the San Francisco Giants are getting from the Washington Nationals is a good dose of what the Giants have been administering to all of baseball for the past seven weeks, and that is a tutorial in sound, fundamental baseball.  Wednesday’s lesson included a 6-2 beating and an extension of San Francisco’s futility to three consecutive losses.

And this is a good thing, I might add.  For all of those baseball fans who are falling apart, I say tighten your strings and pull yourselves together.  Let’s see, how did Melissa, here at Around the Foghorn, put it the other day in her headline?  “Nats crush Giants; world doesn’t end.”  Not only did the world not end, the lessons provided by the Washington Nationals, will allow the Giants to make the necessary essential adjustments.

Matt Cain dug a hole for the Giants by walking the first three batters he faced.

Matt Cain dug a hole in the first inning, by walking the initial three batters he faced, and then a fourth one later in that same inning, as the Nationals took a three-run lead, which would turn out to be all they needed.  The only hit in the inning was a two-run single by Adam LaRoche; the Nats scored the third run on an infield out.

Tanner Roark pitched into the seventh inning, giving up two single runs, in leading his team to its ninth win in the last ten games.  The Washington Nationals are surging, just as the Giants have been doing since May.

What the Giants must do now is take what they have experienced and deal with it, just as they did in that stretch back between April 17 through April 22, when the Orange and Black lost five out of six, and there was weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth.  But San Francisco regrouped, and came out stronger than ever.

It would be just like the Giants to go back to Washington in August (22nd-24th) and sweep the Nats there, being the road warriors that they are.

Tim Hudson is the guy that the Giants are counting on today, to right the ship, and set the course on forward.  With the Colorado Rockies up next, and the Giants still playing four more games at AT&T Park before they leave for Chicago to play two against the White Sox, the Giants need to reestablish momentum, and leave this series behind.

Leave the series, but keep the lessons learned close to the vest. They’re going to need to use that knowledge again before the season is over, if they are to maintain the best win-loss record in baseball.