Bob Souza - Baseball Analysis

Getting overlooked is understandable when you share the mound with a Rocket. For Andy Pettitte though, it means having to try a little harder. With his timely and budding 6-game win streak, the veteran lefty is proudly wearing the badge of consequence. Read more »

Generally, players will do a short stint in the minors before displaying an up-thumb. Not for Barry, and not for the Giants. No time for such barefaced silliness. Shake off that year?s worth of rust dude, and let?s get busy. Oh, and don?t get hurt either. Read more »

He appeared headed to oblivion. An early season slump left him mired with a dreadful .195 average, and the Yankees tried to nudge him to the minors for some sorely needed adjustments. But Jason Giambi said no ? he had a different song in mind. Read more »

The closest thing the Giants have produced to a top of a rotation pitcher over the last several years has been Russ Ortiz. Jesse Foppert was supposed the be their homegrown Cy Young candidate, but he was dealt to the Mariners last month for Randy Winn. Matt Cain might be their last hope. Read more »

The trio of A.J Burnett, Josh Beckett, and Dontrelle Willis evokes comparisons to other dynamic threesomes from recent years. Coming quickly to mind: Maddux, Smoltz, and Glavine of the Braves; Hudson, Mulder, and Zito of the A?s. Read more »

He turns 47 in about a week. Think about that one. Forty-seven! The man will be getting his AARP enrollment forms in the mail before long. He?s beginning to smell his well-deserved Taco Bell senior discounts. His golden years will apparently have little resemblance to any of ours. Read more »

On the cooler side of the Bay, there is a team with a guy by the name of Barry who has decided his presence is unimportant ? he can?t swing the bat, so why bother showing up. Take a short drive across the bridge and you?ll find another team who is overjoyed to have a guy named Barry. Only this one is actually making a contribution. Read more »

Everyone enjoys occasional good laughs, but this gag has exceeded its allotment. Only so much giggling is allowed, and it?s high time for teams in the NL West to adopt some sober faces. This is serious. How?s it gonna look if the division champs win less than eighty? Read more »

Watching John Smoltz throttle the San Francisco Giants was like dancing back through time, experiencing a memory revival of yet another brilliant performance by the Braves? right-hander. The only peculiarity of notice was the irregular fit of his uniform. Age tends to rearrange things a little. Read more »

Blasting career home run number 521 against Colorado tied Ken Griffey Jr. with legends Ted Williams and Willie McCovey for 14th on the all-time list. It also helped the putrid Reds capture a 9-4 win and series sweep of the even more pathetic Rockies. Is the real Junior back for awhile, or will that fragile shoe drop again? Read more »

Four MVP's in a row was getting a little monotonous. Time for you to give somebody else a chance -- and besides, there?s always next year. That mantel must be awfully crowded with 7 trophies. Think of all the extra dusting. Read more »

Sometimes all it takes is an unsullied setting to initiate flourish to a career. For Liv?n Hern?ndez, moving to Washington must have been the answer to a prayer. After winning his eleventh straight, the hard-nosed right-hander finds himself on an unexpected roll. And the Nationals couldn?t be happier. Read more »

While it appears the A?s have turned their season around of sorts, the Giants have sunk into an even greater depth. The disparity in the number of runs scored was overshadowed by the disparity in the number of hits: 24-1. Read more »

So it took him a little longer to adjust to pitching in the Big Apple. So what. Maybe he had other things on his mind. Randy Johnson dusted off his smoking fastball and sharp slider in a return to the form that once made him one of the most feared pitchers in baseball. Read more »

Watching Barry toss the ball around was a revelation, at least according to the few desperate souls who witnessed it. But what does it really mean? Passing the Babe may be all that?s left for him. Read more »

Things were getting a little hairy. After starting the season 7-0, the man they call D-Train had suddenly coughed up two of three. Uh, oh. Derail. This couldn?t be happening. No way. Read more »

At the head of the Padres' charge is Jacob Edward Peavey, a young dynamo celebrating just his 24th birthday on the 31st of May. He appears to be coming of age in lots of ways. Read more »