By Matt David (Featured Columnist) on December 26, 2011
The San Francisco Giants have a below average offense. Nevertheless, they will enter 2012 as one of a handful of teams with a legitimate shot at winning the World Series. If this was algebra, you would be asked to solve for x.
Answer: The San Francisco Giants have the best pitching staff in the National League. And it’s really not that close.
This article could easily be entitled: 5 reasons the Giants’ pitching staff is better than the Phillies’. Those two teams are head and shoulders above the rest. The Padres’ staff has been gritty in their spacious ballpark and the Braves bullpen was fun to watch last season. Neither can compare with the firepower coming out of San Francisco and Philly however.
In 2010, the Giants shocked the Phillies in the NLCS by not only shutting down the Phillies offense, but scratching out a few runs against what Sports Illustrated continues to insist on calling the “Legion of Arms.”
Last season the Giants offense sank to befuddling lows, leading to some of my favorite stat lines of the year. Compare these starting rotations:
Team W-L ERA
New York Yankees 71-45 4.03
Milwaukee Brewers 73-4 33.78
San Francisco Giants 60-58 3.28
It’s dark humor I know. Nevertheless, 2012 holds promise, because once again the Giants have the best pitching staff in the National League. Here are five reasons why.
Good to know there are some people who don’t always believe in sucking the Phillies’ pitching staffs’ dicks 24 / 7.
Give it a read.
