5 reasons to celebrate the .500 San Francisco Giants on Cinco de Mayo

May 1, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Chris Heston (53) throws to the Los Angeles Angels in the first inning of their MLB baseball game at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports

Starting pitching surprises 

Even with no Matt Cain and Jake Peavy, pitching remains the Giants’ greatest asset. While the bullpen has been its typical, reliable self—every reliever besides Yusmeiro Petit currently boasts a sub-3.00 ERA—the starting rotation has yielded a couple pleasant surprises.

The first is rookie right-hander Chris Heston, who has been nothing but quality outside of one ugly start in Colorado. Called up on a trial run of sorts with Cain and Peavy ailing, Heston has transformed into San Francisco’s most consistent starter, all but solidifying his spot on the roster for the remainder of the year.

The other is Tim Lincecum, who despite experiencing some ups and downs in April, appears to finally have a grasp on how to optimize all of his pitches. He still runs into control issues from time to time, but he leads the staff in ERA (2.40) and flat-out dealt in his last start versus the Angels (eight shutout innings).

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