Giants in dire straights; more blackout garbage

The San Francisco Giants (73-67) lost 4-1 today to the Arizona Diamondbacks (80-60) to fall seven games out of first place with only 22 games to go in the season. It's looking like an impossibly tall order for the defending champs to get back into the postseason again. The Diamondbacks just took 2 of 3 in San Francisco, including roughing up ace Tim Lincecum last night.

The Giants still aren't mathematically eliminated, but it's looking pretty dire. The Diamondbacks have now won 11 of 12 and just don't seem like they ever lose. The Giants are lucky if they're playing .500 ball over any consistent stretch lately. Things have to turn around in a hurry and there will probably have to be some luck involved for the Orange and Black to return to October.

I was unable to watch the game due to MLB's ridiculous local blackout policy -- apparently living in Salt Lake City qualifies me as being in Arizona's "local" territory. With my cable system, however, there is no channel (even on premium packages) that carries D-Backs games.

The only way someone in Utah can watch the D-Backs play is to have the high-end Sports Pack on DirecTV. Sounds a bit like a monopoly to me and like some shady dealing between MLB and DirecTV. I was formerly a DirecTV customer, but they were unable to install it at my current apartment due to a line-of-sight problem with their satellite dish. This leaves me with no options to watch most Arizona games live, even though I am an mlb.tv subscriber. Hardly seems fair. But hey, maybe I should be thankful I didn't have the opportunity to watch today's game.

Charlie Manuel's sour grapes

Philadelphia Phillies (65-39) manager Charlie Manuel insists the World Champion San Francisco Giants (61-44) aren't in his team's heads after the Giants took two out of three from the Phillies in Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia this week. To me, his comments sounded like he was insecure. Additionally, he said that Giants pitchers Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain were good, but not great pitchers. Perhaps he thought both men throwing six and seven innings without giving up an earned run to his vaunted lineup was an abberation. Or maybe he's forgotten Cain's seven shutout innings against the Phils in Game 3 of the NLCS last year or Lincecum's Game 1 victory in the same series.

Manuel's statement that greatness comes with consistency (and his assertion that Lincecum and Cain have not yet achieved this) is almost laughable. Lincecum won back-to-back Cy Young Awards and the following year was the MVP of the Postseason while pitching his team to a World Series victory. If that's not consistent, I don't know what is. Cain, on the other hand, didn't surrender even one earned run the entire postseason and has a 3.39 career ERA in five full seasons, including 2.89 in 2009 and 3.14 last year. Cain's ERA is 2.91 this year, Lincecum's is 2.78. Both seem pretty consistent to me. All I'm hearing from Manuel's comments is sour grapes.

The blogging and tweeting will be limited at best until August 7th, when I return from vacation with a flourish.

Lincecum pitches a gem

The World Champion San Francisco Giants (26-19) defeated the Oakland Athletics (22-24) by a score of 3-0 on Saturday afternoon at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Tim Lincecum pitched his fifth career complete-game shutout. Lincecum showed again why he is among the best in the game and why he has won two Cy Young awards. The Giants lead the Colorado Rockies (23-21) by 2.5 games in the National League West.

The Giants are looking good and are playing like the first-place team I expected them to be before the season started. The Rockies have a good team and particularly a couple of really good hitters, but I think the Giants are the better team overall based on their pitching staff from top to bottom. I expect it to be a relatively close race all summer, but I think the Giants will take the division. The Giants wrap up the bay-bridge series at 2:05 p.m. MT on MLB Extra Innings and mlb.tv.

Thoughts on Ryan Braun's new deal

I am pleased to hear that Buster Posey and Tim Lincecum agree with me in that baseball shouldn't expand the playoffs. Good stuff there, worth a read. Expansion just serves to water down the regular season and a play-in round makes the early scheduling of the playoffs weird and if you ask me isn't exactly the true nature of the game because the division winners would be sitting for a long time in between games.

Anyway, I wanted to comment on leftfielder Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers (11-10) signing a five-year contract extension to keep him in Milwaukee through the 2020 season. Braun really is a superstar right now and it is very good for baseball that he will be staying in a smaller market like Milwaukee long-term. I was happy that Joe Mauer signed a long deal with the Twins last year, and I'm glad to see that team loyalty isn't dead. It's just not good when teams like the Yankees and Red Sox soak up all the best players as soon as they're eligible for free agency (or close to it via trade). Braun has always seemed to me like he has a good head on his shoulders and this is just further evidence of that.

Of course, on the other end of the spectrum is Braun's teammate, first baseman Prince Fielder who is in the last year of his contract and unlikely to re-sign with Milwaukee. Fielder is a great player, but he seems to be the type to try and exploit the free agent market and attempt to get a huge contract. Fielder's agent is Scott Boras, who is notorious for getting every last penny he can from the highest bidder for his clients. Boras is not good for baseball, just more of a money guy. Not that I think guys shouldn't get paid, but I think loyalty should play at least some role. Braun is still making more money than he can probably ever spend, but he is also showing loyalty and that he is content and happy in Milwaukee. I like that.

World Champion Giants take 2 of 3 in Denver

The World Champion San Francisco Giants (10-8) took 2 of 3 from the Colorado Rockies (13-5) at Coors Field in Denver this week. I was impressed with the way the Giants won the first two games. I still feel good about the series overall, even though they got hammered today -- can't win them all. Matt Cain had an off day today it seemed, but Tim Lincecum and Jonathan Sanchez were lights out in their starts. Pablo Sandoval seems to be reverting to his 2009 form, which is a good omen of things to come. I'm excited about this team and still think the Giants should be considered favorites to win the National League West this year.

Giants one win away from glory

Pictured: Giants rookie pitcher Madison Bumgarner delivers a pitch during Game 4 of the World Series Sunday night in Texas. Bumgarner threw eight scoreless innings.

The San Francisco Giants defeated the Texas Rangers 4-0 last night in Game 4 of the 2010 World Series in Arlington, TX. The Giants now lead the Series 3 games to 1. Rookie pitcher Madison Bumgarner was the story and pitched eight shutout innings in his World Series debut. Bumgarner was in complete control throughout and seemed completely unfazed that he was pitching in the World Series. I, like just about everyone else, was impressed that he shut down such a potent offense in what is considered a hitter-friendly ballpark. It's nice to think that the Giants don't have to worry about him or any of their other starters becoming free agents anytime soon.

Aubrey Huff supplied the first of the offense with a towering two-run home run in the third inning off Rangers starter Tommy Hunter. Andres Torres had an RBI double in the seventh and Buster Posey added a solo home run in the eighth. Brian Wilson worked a scoreless ninth in relief of Bumgarner. Edgar Renteria had another solid night, playing good defense at short stop and going 3 for 4 at the plate. He's having quite a World Series and is further solidifying his reputation as a clutch player.

Game 5 of the World Series is tonight in Arlington at 5:57 p.m. MT on FOX. The Giants will start their ace, Tim Lincecum, and the Rangers will go with theirs in Cliff Lee. We'll see if we get that dynamic pitching matchup everyone thought we would get in Game 1. Both guys are very, very good.

I'm pretty excited because the Giants are only one win away from winning their first World Series since 1954 when they were the New York Giants. They moved to San Francisco in 1958. It would be cool to win it at home but the way I see it is you have to go for it starting tonight on the road. You don't want to give the Rangers anymore chances than you have to. I'll be watching tonight. You should be too.

Giants win Game 1 of World Series; Game 2 tomorrow

Pictured: Juan Uribe (5) rounds the bases after his 3 run home run in the 5th inning of Game 1 of the World Series.

The San Francisco Giants defeated the Texas Rangers 11-7 tonight in Game 1 of the World Series at AT&T Park in San Francisco. The Giants were led by 3 doubles and 3 RBIs from Freddy Sanchez, who like many Giants was making his World Series debut. The really big blow came in a six run 5th inning when Juan Uribe hit a three-run home run to put the Giants up 8-2 at that point. Aubrey Huff had a solid night with an RBI and Buster Posey, Cody Ross, Nate Schierholtz and Travis Ishikawa came up with RBIs as well.

The Giants got to Cliff Lee tonight, proving that he is not invincible. I think it is ridiculous that some people were saying that Games 1 and 5 were automatic Rangers wins simply because Lee was pitching. Maybe now the Giants will get a little more respect. You would have thought getting to the World Series would command some amount of respect in itself. It's even more silly to say that when Lee was scheduled to face Tim Lincecum (who has won the last two National League Cy Young awards as many people seem to have forgotten) in both of those games. Lincecum wasn't exactly lights out tonight, but he was better than Lee. Now I didn't think that the Giants would get 7 runs off of Lee, but I didn't think he was unbeatable either. You never know what's going to happen in baseball and it's hard to think that this particular Giants team won't put up some kind of fight.

Bengie Molina, who was traded from San Francisco to the Rangers in July, got a loud ovation during pre-game introductions. I thought that was a really awesome thing to see. Molina meant a lot to the Giants for the 3 1/2 seasons he was here and seems to be a really good guy. I hope he doesn't do too well in this series because I want the Giants to win, but I still like the guy and would have applauded too if I was there.

Vladimir Guerrero had a pair of defensive miscues in the 8th inning in right field for the Rangers. He is normally the Texas DH but was in the field in a National League park so that the Rangers could have his bat in the lineup. He still has a strong arm, but his knees just aren't what they used to be and that's why he's been primarily a DH. I feel bad for the guy as he used to be one of the top right fielders in the game, particularly from his days with the Montreal Expos. I don't think his mistakes had an influence in the outcome of the game, but did help the margin to be a bit more comfortable at the end for the Giants. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy the Giants won and will take it.

The Giants bullpen was a little shaky, particularly in the 9th inning in which Ramon Ramirez, Jeremy Affedlt and Brian Wilson all allowed baserunners to get on as the Rangers scored 3 runs in the frame. Bruce Bochy downplayed it after the game saying he was glad he could get those guys some work in so that they wouldn't be too rusty. I think there is something to that as nobody had pitched since the Giants clinched the NLCS last Saturday. Affedlt was a huge part in that Game 6 win and Wilson has had a good postseason and particularly a very strong NLCS. I think the Giants' bullpen will pitch well in the remainder of the series.

Here's the particulars for Game 2 of the World Series tomorrow night:

Game 2 -- Texas Rangers (Wilson) at San Francisco Giants (Cain), 5:57 p.m. MT (FOX, Giants lead series 1-0)

World Series gets under way tomorrow night

At left: Cody Ross holds up the NLCS MVP trophy. He and the Giants begin the World Series tomorrow night.

The World Series begins tomorrow night. Game 1 is set for 5:57 p.m. MT with the Texas Rangers at the San Francisco Giants and will be broadcast on FOX. For those of you who aren't near a TV, it can also be heard on ESPN Radio, which in Salt Lake City can be found on AM 700. Back to back Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum will pitch for the Giants and the Rangers will go with their ace, Cliff Lee. It should be a fantastic pitching matchup and I can hardly wait for the game to get started.

Let's hope that Cody Ross can continue his hot streak in which he seems to get an RBI and/or extra base hit every game. I hope the Giants can get to the Rangers' pitching staff, which has some good arms. I think once you get past Lee you have a chance to do some damage. Not to say the guys on their staff don't have talent, it's that the Giants have been able to hit some against similar pitching this year.

I'm going to go ahead and pick the Giants to win this series in six games (knock on wood). The Rangers have a potent lineup and some decent pitching and are a dangerous team to be sure. The Giants, though, clearly have the deeper pitching staff in my opinion, especially in the bullpen. The Rangers' bullpen imploded in Game 1 of the ALCS against the Yankees and has shown some vulnerability and inconsistency throughout the postseason. The Giants' bullpen has been pretty solid for most of the postseason, with Game 2 of the NLDS against the Braves as the exception. The old saying is that good pitching beats good hitting and I think that's what will happen in this series.

This Giants team has shown a lot of heart all year long and is really a tight-knit group which isn't always true with professional sports teams. I think this will also have an impact on how this series goes. So, tomorrow night can't get here soon enough. Let's go Giants!

Giants drop Game 5, series goes back to Philly

The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the San Francisco Giants 4-2 tonight in Game 5 of the NLCS. The Giants still lead the series 3 games to 2. Game 6 is Saturday in Philadelphia with the start time yet to be determined (it depends on the outcome of Game 6 of the ALCS tomorrow night). Roy Halladay had a strained groin and seemed to be in trouble every inning for the Phillies but he gutted out six innings and had just enough to earn the win. The Phillies did most of their offensive damage in the 3rd inning, scoring three runs off Giants ace Tim Lincecum who suffered his first postseason defeat.

The Giants' defense let them down in the 3rd inning as Pablo Sandoval missed third base on a bunt attempt by Halladay that would have resulted in a double play and Aubrey Huff misplayed a groundball that ricocheted into center field and allowed two runs to score. The offense had some chances in the first inning as well but Phillies first baseman was able to snare a ball that Huff hit right on the screws for an out. If not for that play, the inning could have been a lot bigger than it was with the one early run the Giants did get. It's bad luck on that play, but part of baseball at the same time.

I thought Halladay showed a lot of heart tonight. It was clear he didn't have his best stuff, but he still only gave up two runs in six innings which to me shows a lot of character. And to find out after the game that he strained his groin in the second inning only makes his performance more impressive.

Cody Ross continues to be the frontrunner for NLCS MVP as he doubled in another run to push his RBI total to 5 for the series. He just seems to keep coming up with big hits in big situations. Let's hope he continues to swing a hot bat in Philadelphia.

I'm still optimistic about the Giants. They have already won in Philadelphia in the series and have Jonathan Sanchez and Matt Cain to pitch Games 6 and 7 against Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. Hopefully Game 7 isn't necessary, but it's nice to know that Saturday isn't an elimination game. I can hardly wait to see what happens. Game time should be just before 6 p.m. MT if the Rangers close out the Yankees tomorrow and just before 2 p.m. MT if the hated Yanks force a Game 7 in Texas for Saturday night. Speaking of the ALCS, it resumes tomorrow night. Here's the details:

Game 6 -- New York Yankees (Hughes) at Texas Rangers (Lewis), 6:07 p.m. MT (TBS, Rangers lead series 3-2)

And in another sports note, did anyone else notice what kind of beat down #1 Oregon (7-0, 4-0 Pac-10) put on UCLA (3-4, 1-3 Pac-10) tonight? The final score in Autzen was 60-13. The Ducks look really good and really fast. They are going to be tough to beat. I'm not a big Oregon fan per se, but their team sure is fun to watch play.

Giants take Game 1 of NLCS

At left: Cody Ross celebrates after one of his two home runs Saturday night in Philadelphia.

The San Francisco Giants defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 Saturday night in Game 1 of the NLCS from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Cody Ross was the big star, clubbing two home runs off Phillies ace Roy Halladay, who had thrown a no-hitter in his previous start. Tim Lincecum went 7 solid innings, yielding 3 earned runs. Javier Lopez retired two hitters in the 8th and Brian Wilson earned a four out save. Halladay allowed 4 earned runs in his outing. Pat Burrell had an RBI double and Juan Uribe an RBI single in the top of the 6th to push the Giants' lead to 4-1. The Phillies countered with a two run homer from Jayson Werth to trim the lead to 4-3 but would get no closer.

The big thing about the first Ross home run was that Halladay had not allowed a hit to that point and the game was in the third inning. I think that hit and that run that gave the Giants the 1-0 lead really helped loosen everyone up. Ross has been huge lately and it's pretty to cool to see from a guy whose acquisition seemed to be almost an afterthought in the minds of Giants fans. Even when Carlos Ruiz tied the game up on a homer, the Giants did not lose their cool and recaptured the lead behind Ross' second long ball. It was interesting to see on the replays on Baseball Tonight that Ross' stroke looked pretty much exactly the same on both of his homers on pitches that were in almost the exact location. That's some good consistency.

The Giants showed resiliency tonight and did not fold in front of a rabid, sell-out crowd and the two-time defending National League Champions. I thought the bullpen did a tremendous job. Brian Wilson has been great, but so has Javier Lopez ever since the Giants acquired him from the Pirates. Lopez has been extremely tough on left-handed hitters and that trend continued tonight when he retired Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in succession in the top of the 8th.

It's nice to take the opener in Philadelphia and have the lead now not to mention having the assurance of going back to the bay area with no worse than a split. A win tomorrow night, however, would be pretty sweet.

In the ALCS today, the Texas Rangers bounced back in a big way from last night in defeating the New York Yankees 7-2 to even that series at 1-1. The Rangers' bats were once again hot and they were able to jump out to a big lead. The difference today was that the bullpen was able to hold the lead, throwing 3 1/3 innings of scoreless, one-hit baseball. The win was the first home win in Texas Rangers playoff history so it's good to get that out of the way. One cool play in the game came in the first inning when Elvis Andrus stole home on a double steal play to put the Rangers up 1-0 and help give them some momentum. Cliff Lee pitches for the Rangers in Game 3 on Monday night in the Bronx in a very pivotal game in the series.

Here's the stuff for the game tomorrow night:

Game 2 -- San Francisco Giants (Sanchez) at Philadelphia Phillies (Oswalt), 6:19 p.m. MT (FOX, Giants lead series 1-0)

League Championsip Series preview

The American League Championship Series gets under way tonight at 6:07 p.m. MT with the New York Yankees at the Texas Rangers. The Yankees start CC Sabathia and the Rangers counter with C.J. Wilson who was very solid in his Game 2 start against the Rays in the Division Series. The Yankees looked like a buzzsaw in sweeping the Twins in the first round and appear to have a lot of momentum plus a bona fide ace starting in Game 1. I hate the Yankees more than any other team in sports but I think they just have too much for the Rangers to handle and will win the series in five games.

It hurts the Rangers' cause that Cliff Lee likely won't be able to start until Game 3 of the series because he pitched on Tuesday night in the deciding Game 5 of the Division Series against Tampa Bay. Lee's performance in the Rangers' win has further solidified him as a big game pitcher who knows how to win in October. Curt Schilling, now an analyst for Baseball Tonight, said he feels a big key in this series for the Rangers will be to get Lee two starts. I agree as I feel the Rangers will have the edge when Lee takes the ball. They need to find a way to win a couple of other games, though. Tonight is a big game because whoever wins will be in the driver's seat for the series. If the Yankees win they will have stolen away home field advantage after the first game and if the Rangers win they will go back to New York with no worse than a split and their ace Lee lined up to pitch in Game 3. The stakes are high tonight and I'm excited to watch.

The National League Championship Series gets under way tomorrow night at 5:57 p.m. MT on FOX with the San Francisco Giants at the Philadelphia Phillies. Game 1's pitching matchup could be one for the ages as the Giants go with Tim Lincecum and the Phillies with Roy Halladay. I'm really excited to watch that one. Halladay of course threw a no-hitter in his most recent (and first career) postseason start while Lincecum threw a complete game shutout in his NLDS start against the Braves and yielded only two hits while striking out 14 batters. Both teams have solid pitching, especially when you look at their first three starters. The Phillies go with Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. The Giants go with Lincecum, Jonathan Sanchez and Matt Cain. The Phillies' offense is more potent than San Francisco's and while the front line starting pitchers are similar (I may give the Phillies a very slight edge in this department) but I believe the Giants' bullpen is more formidable. This should make for a very exciting series and I for one can't wait for it to get under way. As much as I would love for the Giants to win and am craving a world title for them, I think the Phillies take this series in six games.

Lincecum dominates Braves in Game 1

At left: Giants ace Tim Lincecum delivers a pitch during his complete game shutout against the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS.

Tim Lincecum threw a complete game shutout in leading the San Francisco Giants to a 1-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves tonight in San Francisco. Lincecum was dealing all night, allowing only two hits and one walk in going the distance. Lincecum also set a franchise playoff record with 14 strikeouts in his first ever postseason start. "The Franchise" was outstanding and seemed in control all night. I was happy to see that manager Bruce Bochy let him go all nine innings. The Giants lead the best-of-five series 1 game to none.

Man it was fun to watch tonight. It had been a long time since my favorite team was in the playoffs and to see the festive atmosphere at AT&T Park was just awesome. The fans love it and as a fan, so do I. The Giants got their only run in the 4th inning and benefited from a couple of breaks that went their way. Buster Posey appeared to be out in stealing second base in the inning but was ruled safe on a close play (Posey commented after the game that it's a good thing they don't use instant replay yet). After an intentional walk to Pablo Sandoval, Cody Ross hit a two out single to drive in Posey from second. The ball got under the glove of Braves third baseman Omar Infante and went into left field which allowed for the run to score. The Giants took advantage of the breaks and were able to win the game.

In games earlier in the day, the Texas Rangers hammered the Tampa Bay Rays 6-0 at Tropicana Field and the New York Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins 5-2. I only caught part of each of those games, but I caught the turning point of the Rangers-Rays game. In the fifth inning and the Rangers holding a 2-0 lead, Texas 3B Michael Young was at the plate against Rays pitcher Chad Qualls with two runners on and one out. On a 2-2 pitch, Young attempted to check his swing, but even in live action appeared to clearly go around on the swing. However, on the appeal to the first base umpire it was ruled that Young did not swing which made the count 3-2. The Rays bench was incensed immediately and became even more so when on the next pitch, Young crushed a 3 run home run to make the score 5-0. Rays manager Joe Maddon went out to argue and was ejected in short order. I don't blame Maddon as that missed call changed the entire complexion of the game. Yes I know the Rangers were already ahead, but there is a huge difference between a 2-0 and a 5-0 game. Who knows, there is a good chance the Rangers would have won anyway as the Rays have had a lot of trouble scoring, but there definitely was a lot more pressure on Tampa Bay after that.

There was a similar situation in the Twins-Yankees game as Lance Berkman was not rung up on a pitch that could have been called strike three and subsequently hit an RBI double. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire was ejected for arguing that one. The Yankees just disgust me on so many levels, but they do play some good baseball. I don't want to dwell too much more on them right now.

So looking back, all 3 games had tough calls. I would say the team with the biggest gripe was the Rays, with the Twins and Braves having lesser gripes. The calls against the Twins and Braves were at least reasonably close and could be construed as questionable (the umpire appeared to have a tough angle on Posey's steal of second, although replays clearly showed he was out) even if it appears that the calls were missed. The call against the Rays, though, in my book was blatantly missed and when you add to the fact that a 3 run home run was hit on the next pitch, well that's a tough one to swallow. But I'm sure the Rangers, Yankees and Giants are all taking them. I know I'm not putting an asterisk by the Giants win tonight. The fact is umpires are human and miss calls for better or worse and teams sometimes have to overcome them. However, some calls are so bad that there isn't an excuse for missing them and I feel the non-call on Young's checked swing was one of them. But the Rays can't dwell too much on that as they have to focus on their next game on Saturday. It's in the past now and the Rays certainly didn't take advantage of opportunities they had to win. Part of the game is playing the cards you are dealt even if it doesn't seem fair.

Here's the schedule for the playoffs tomorrow:

Game 2 -- Cincinnati Reds (Arroyo) at Philadelphia Phillies (Oswalt), 4 p.m. MT (TBS, Phillies lead series 1-0)
Game 2 -- Atlanta Braves (Hanson) at San Francisco Giants (Cain), 7:30 p.m. MT (TBS, Giants lead series 1-0)

One more thought on the action today: Don't get me wrong as I still believe the Rangers, Yankees and Giants all played well enough to win and their victories should not be viewed as tainted. I'm excited for Game 2 from AT&T Park tomorrow night. It should be another electric atmosphere and be a lot of fun to watch. Go Giants!

Mullets (ew), Giants (mullet-free) in first

I just saw a picture of Rays (94-64) third baseman Evan Longoria sporting what looks like a mullet. Say it ain't so Evan. It's bad enough that Rockies (83-75) short stop Troy Tulowitzki has one, we just don't need this trend to spread. It's just bad news. Let's hope noone else in baseball stoops to this level.

Also, the Giants (90-68) beat the Diamondbacks (64-94) 3-1 tonight to stay two up on the San Diego Padres (88-70) in the NL West. Tim Lincecum was masterful in allowing just one run through 7 innings and Pat "The Bat" Burrell hit a big 3 run homer in the 4th. The Giants are playing well right now and have to be considered the favorite to win the division at this point. Their pitching has been good on a historical level this month and lately they have been getting the timely hits they need. There are just four games to play and the last three are against the Padres. The Giants could have the chance to close things out as early as Friday night.

13th-ranked Utes host San Jose State tonight

The 13th-ranked Utah Utes (3-0, 2-0 MWC) host the San Jose State Spartans (1-2, 0-0 WAC) tonight at 6 p.m. MT at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Unfortunately the game will not be televised. However, it is available on AM ESPN 700 in Salt Lake City and online on the radio via kall700sports.com. I am fortunate enough to have a ticket to the game so I will be there and providing updates via my Twitter account at twitter.com/dpaysports.

The Spartans are coming off a 16-11 win over I-AA Southern Utah last Saturday in San Jose. They don't look like a very good team and shouldn't be much of a threat to the Utes tonight. I'm looking for another comfortable win and I'll be disappointed if the game is even close. Jordan Wynn may get back in the line-up tonight after missing the last two games with an injured thumb, but I don't think the Utes should put him out there until he is ready. Terrance Cain will go if Wynn is still banged up.

If you can't get to the game and need something to watch tonight, check out the Giants (87-67) at the Rockies (82-71) at 6:10 p.m. MT here locally on FSN Rocky Mountain and nationally on MLB Network, MLB Extra Innings and mlb.tv. The Giants got a big win in the series opener last night, winning 2-1 behind 8 dominant innings from Tim Lincecum. The Giants lead the Padres (86-67) by a half-game in the NL West. The Padres host the Reds (86-68) at 2:10 p.m. on FOX this afternoon.

NL West is tight going down the stretch

The San Francisco Giants (78-61) won their fourth straight game last night, dropping the Arizona Diamondbacks (56-83) 6-3 in Phoenix. Tim Lincecum was dominant for six innings before giving up a few runs in the 7th. I think he's going to be dynamite down the stretch. I was also glad to see Aubrey Huff hit his 23rd home run in the first inning last night as he's been scuffling of late. The offense is looking pretty good. Now we just have to hope Barry Zito can regain the form he had earlier in the season. He starts tonight at Arizona at 7:40 p.m. MT on Fox Sports Arizona.

The Giants trail the San Diego Padres (78-59) by one game in the NL West and the Atlanta Braves (79-60) by one game in the Wild Card. The Braves fell out of first place for the first time since the end of May last night after losing to the Pirates (47-91) and the Phillies (80-60) taking advantage with a win over the Marlins (70-68). The Padres have won the past two nights against the Dodgers (69-70) following a ten game losing streak. Last night, though, San Diego had to call on closer Heath Bell for a five out save, so hopefully at least that tires him out a little bit in advance of the big four game series at Petco Park with the Giants this weekend. It looks like the Padres are starting to feel the pressure of the pennant race. Just one more game and then it's time for the big series which I'm pretty excited for.