The Week That Was: Well, at least it was less devastating than the week before. After a brutal week with series losses to the Phillies and Diamondbacks, the Giants faced seemingly friendlier competition in the form of a home series against the flailing Pirates and a trip to Florida to see the Marlins. Unfortunately for the Giants, the magnificent start from Madison Bumgarner was bookended by two rough efforts on both sides as the team got outscored 14-2 in the other two games, fueled by rough starts by both Ryan Vogelsong and Jonathan Sanchez. After one series loss, the extended road trip to Miami, Atlanta, and Houston took on additional significance as Arizona continues to surge. In the first game, Matt Cain got treated to a vintage offensive performance and got Cained in a 2-1 loss where Ricky Nolaso dealt and Dewayne Wise made a fascinating catch in the 9th. The second game featured a Tim Lincecum beauty of a start and some decent offense from a surprising variety of people- exactly what the team needed. Another thing the team needed was a scoring explosion like they got Sunday. Hopefully the performance from Brandon Belt gets him a more prolonged stay with the big club. Mini-Soapbox #1: Appreciating Timmy Thankfully, the Giants do not often need Tim Lincecum to stop two different losing streaks in the same week. On Sunday, San Francisco was reeling after losing the first three games of a home series against the Phillies which came on the heels of series losses to Cincinnati and Arizona. While he did get the benefit of an offensive juggernaut that scored three runs (only the second time in nine games the team scored 3+ runs), Timmy did not even need three as he held a Phillies team that had scored fourteen runs in the previous three games to seven hits. More importantly, Lincecum showed better control than he has in some of his trouble starts, only walking one batter. I was reminded of him discussing his issues with walks in the locker room last reason, and it is clear that he is an even tougher pitcher when he prevents hitters from getting on base needlessly. On Saturday, all Lincecum did was turn around two losses with another seven-inning gem, this time allowing only five Marlins to reach base (and only two on hits). In a year where each Giants starting pitcher has had struggles finding an equilibrium like each of them had in 2011, Lincecum has shown a value beyond the stat sheet the last few weeks with the team only losing two of his starts since the All-Star break- games where the Giants scored a combined one run and Lincecum allowed a combined three earned runs. Considering the team is 8-13 in the other twenty-one games in that span, a 4-2 record is awfully impressive. Mini-Soapbox #2: Leverage and the Bullpen One compelling thing watching the Giants in so many close games this season has been the way Bruce Bochy uses his bullpen in tied games, particularly on the road. It seems like the general policy has been to save Brian Wilson for situations when the team is ahead going into the bottom of the inning, thus having Wilson pitch in save situations. This proves irritating because situations where the home team just needs one run to end it require more out of the pitchers than save situations. Now, I can buy an argument that Wilson does not stand as the best pitcher for situations with zero margin for error (due to the seemingly inevitable bouts of men on base). However, reality appears to follow a different logic: Bochy wants to save Wilson for those situations when he could garner a save. The recent choices that have been made indicate the decision-making rationale is based on statistics instead of results, which carries clear problems. Taking things like workload into account off the bat, the largest other consideration should be winning the game and nothing less. The team needs to utilize their bullpen resources in the optimal way when the margins are as close as they are and will continue to be this season. The Week Ahead: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times The Giants face what could be two very different road series this coming week. They start off with a four game stint in Atlanta to face the seemingly inevitable NL Wild Card Braves team. Unfortunately, it looks like the team will not duck the best from Atlanta from a pitching perspective, as Tim Hudson, Tommy Hanson, Jair Jurrjens and youngster Mike Minor look to be taking the hill for the Bravos. The Giants will have thunder of their own though Ryan Vogelsong does not project to make a start. After that, the team heads to a more desolate situation in the Houston Astros. Without a whole lot to play for (and many of their better players), the Giants need to take advantage of both this three-game series and the upcoming four in San Francisco considering how tough a slog the team will have in September. Marquee Game of the Week: Wednesday evening, Jair Jurrjens and the Braves face Matthew Thomas Cain and the Giants. The rest of the games in that series should be compelling as well, but that is the one I have as the headliner.