The Giants are now 30-40 on the season which has them in last place in the National League West, 11 games out of first place.  The Giants are also 10 games out of the wildcard spot in the playoffs.  The Giants will need to get hot to avoid having an epic firesale for the ages.  The Giants could part out Randy Winn, Omar Vizquel, Bengie Molina, Ray Durham, Rich Aurilia, Ryan Klesko, Dave Roberts, Mark Sweeney and Matt Morris.  Their have also been whispers that the Giants would consider trading Barry Bonds after he breaks Hank Aaron’s record if they don’t have any hope of making the playoffs.  All of this could change with an extended hot streak, but the Giants need to make that happen soon.

The Giants have placed Rich Aurilia on the 15-day disabled list with a strained neck.  He has played in 52 games so far this season for the Giants and he is 45 for 191 (.236 avg, .624 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 2 homers and 19 RBIs.  The Giants will miss Aurilia’s versatility as he can handle any position on the infield defensively.  The Giants have recalled 33 year old switch hitting 2B Luis Figueroa to replace Aurilia on the Giants’ roster.  Figueroa has played in 63 games in AAA ball this season and he’s 71 for 229 (.310 avg, .742 OPS) with 32 runs scored, 1 homer, 26 RBIs and 5 stolen bases.

Randy Winn has been on fire his last 26 games.  In those games, Winn is 35 for 109 (.321 avg, .850 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 4 homers, 11 RBIs and 3 stolen bases.  Winn’s surge at the plate has lifted his season average to .309 and his OPS to .804.  The Giants need him to continue swinging a good bat as they are having problems scoring runs this season.

The Giants are only 4-9 the last two weeks despite outscoring the competition 51-46.  The Giants are wasting good pitching and that’s going to leave a mark this season.  The Giants enter this week with a 28-34 record which has them in last place in the National League West, 8 games behind the D-Backs and Padres.

The Giants have placed Russ Ortiz on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right forearm.  Ortiz is off to a rough start to the season as he’s pitched in 9 games (5 starts) and he’s 2-2 with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP.  In 35 innings this season, he has allowed 44 hits, walked 11 batters and whiffed 22.  The Giants have recalled lefty reliever Jonathan Sanchez from AAA ball to replace Ortiz in the bullpen.  Sanchez has pitched in 16 games this season and he’s 1-1 with a 5.19 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP so far.  In 17.1 innings, Sanchez has allowed 16 hits, walked 13 batters and has whiffed 23.  Sanchez can turn into a dominant relief pitcher if he can just tighten up his control a little bit.