Yesterday we graded the Giants hitters based on their first half performances, so today we’re going after the pitchers.  Like I said before, I’m going to be as objective and as straight-forward as I can (without the use of profanity), so without further ado, here are your Giants’ pitchers’ report cards.

Starters

Tim Lincecum — Probably the easiest pitcher to judge out of everyone.  With expectations after a Cy Young award running super high, Lincecum got off to a little bit of a rocky start.  But then it all seemed to click and today he’s sitting with a 10-2 record with a 2.33 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP.  And to add on that deliciousness, the kid’s got 141 Ks in 127 2/3 innings.  His assault on batters throughout the month of June was phenomenal and he could be looking at a second consecutive award.  Grade: A

Matt Cain — After a couple of up and down seasons and withstanding the lack of run support, things have turned around for Cain and the Giants.  Not only is he pitching better than ever, but the Giants are responding with tremendous run support.  He also is 10-2 and is currently sitting with a 2.38 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP.  His walk total (46) is a little high, but other than that, I have no complaints.  Grade:  A

Barry Zito — Talk about bi-polar players….yeesh!  Zito has flashed some brilliance this season, but unfortuantely follows it up with atrocity.  Two starts ago he was pitching shutout ball into the 9th and the start after that he can’t get out of the 5th without giving up 9 earned runs.  It’s tough to rely on a guy with no consistency, but even the most fanatical of Giants fans will say that this has been his best season for them to date.  Grade:  C-

Randy Johnson — There were two simple requests made of Johnson when he came to the Giants:  give us whatever you have left on the mound and teach our kids how to be major league stars.  Well, he’s given us both.  Johnson’s presence in the clubhouse and his mentoring of Lincecum and Cain have paid major dividends while his 8-6 record and 4.81 ERA has given us a decent, not outstanding, middle of the rotation guy.  I’ll expect a little more out of him on the hill when he comes back after the break (so long as his shoulder is ok), but for now, he’s been solid.  Grade:  B

Jonathan Sanchez — Seriously…as great as it was, we can’t put this kid on a pedestal for throwing a no-hitter against the woeful Padres.  It was a tremendous feat, but let’s be realistic.  That outing (plus a couple of scoreless relief appearances) actually lowered his ERA to a 4.69, and even that number seems low considering what he’s given us.  He’s a 26 year old lefty who could be a huge commodity in the trade market after his acccomplishment, but for us this year, he’s been nothing short of disastrous.  Grade:  D

Ryan Sadowski — The rookie from nowhere got the call up instead of bigger names like Tim Alderson and Madison Bumgarner and performed admirably.  His first 2 starts were rock solid and even his last one where he got touched up a bit, wasn’t awful.  He doesn’t have great stuff and a guy like him concerns me down the stretch.  I don’t think he’ll be up with the Giants for much longer.  Still, he did ok for us whil ehe was here.  Grade:  B

Relievers

Brian Wilson — While the twittering has stopped, the mohawk still has to go.  As does the anxiety he brings to each and every trip to the mound.  I don’t know if he’s too amped up when he gets out there, but it looks like he’s overthrowing 80% of the time.  His 23 saves rank among the tops in the league, but that 3.66 ERA ranks among the worst for closers.  15 walks in just over 39 innings is way too high.  The kid’s got talent, but there’s not enough Pepto Bismol in my medicine cabinet to watch another half a season like this.  Grade:  C+

Justin Miller — Quietly becoming one of our better guys out of the pen, although he’s mostly been used in non-pressure situations.  He’s appeared in 29 games, pitched 41 innings and has a 1.98 ERA with 24 Ks.  The numbers aren’t phenomenal, but they’re certainly helpful to the team.  A guy like him definitely has value when you need to call on him in the 5th and 6th innings when a guy like Zito falls apart.  Grade:  B-

Brandon Medders — Another decent bullpen guy that hasn’t done too poorly this season.  Sure, he’s had a hiccup or two (who hasn’t?), but his 2.72 ERA and 32 Ks in just over 36 innings is pretty solid.  The one major thing that isn’t solid is the 17 walks issued.  That number is gonna kill us if he doesn’t fix it.  Grade:  C+

Jeremy Affeldt — I lauded this signing in the offseason and have not been disappointed one bit.  OK, maybe a few times (also 17 walks in 34 innings….yeesh!) but overall, Affeldt has solidified the 7th and 8th innings with his performance.  Batters are only hitting .209 against him and he’s leading the league in holds with 19.  The walks are the only reason he’s not getting an A.  Grade:  B+

Bobby Howry — Another signing I was pretty happy about as I thought, with him and Affeldt, the bridge between starter and closer would be solid.  Howry’s been ok, but not great.  His 3.38 ERA doesn’t enthrall me and he’s given up 27 hits and a dozen walks in just 32 innings.  Lately it seems like he’s losing his hold on his set-up spot, but he’ll still be a solid asset the rest of the way.  Grade:  B-/C+

Merkin Valdez — Tremendous potential, but he just doesn’t have it right now.  He’s still pretty erratic and gives up far too many walks and hits to be an effective set up man.  His 4.97 ERA and 1.45 WHIP are not the numbers ytou want from a guy whom you brought in to help protect a lead or even just to keep things from getting any worse.  He’s like my mom’s chicken….needs more seasoning.  Grade:  D

Sergio Romo — This kid’s just getting started.  He’s only got 13 innings to date, but his 2.77 ERA and 16 K’s are a pretty good indication of better days ahead.  He seems to be getting some of Howry’s workload lately, so keep an eye on him.  I think there’s fantastic potential here.  Grade:  B+

     I’ve quietly left out guys like Osiris Matos, Alex Hinshaw and Joe (ouch, right in the noggin!!) Martinez due to a lack of quality sample size.  Consider all them them “incompletes”.  Maybe we’ll see a little more of Joe later on, but I don’t see any of the three having any kind of a major impact.

     So that’s what it looks like, Giants fans, and it doesn’t look to bad.  I think we’ll probably see some of our youngsters in late August/early September, depending on what we do with Sanchez, and eventually Zito, but for now, our pitching is still our biggest asset.

     The season starts back up on Friday in Pittsburgh, so enjoy the second half.  We’ve got plenty of work to do, but I think we can do it.  Go Giants!