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		Patience or panic? The Giants must decide By Morris Phillips May 24, 2010

	“Base hits. Get your base hits here!” No, there wasn’t a concessions vendor peddling singles and doubles at the Coliseum over the weekend, but if there was one, he’d surely have a group of interested Giants lined up to sample his wares. Sounds desperate? Well, these are the desperate times. In sports, nothing is rougher on the digestive process than down time. If a team gets on a roll, they want to take the field again as quick as possible. Trying to get over a devastating loss? The faster you can take that next swing or shot, the quicker you can get rid of the bad taste of defeat. The Giants are not only struggling—anyone a spare a hit?—but they’ve got too much time on their hands. Fifty hours in between Sunday’s lifeless loss in Oakland and Tuesday’s first pitch at Pac Bell Park. Not only have the Giants gone scoreless over their last 20 innings, they’re not going to score any runs on Monday or Tuesday afternoon either. Consequently, everyone from the GM Brian Sabean to the hothead in the upper deck steps into the void with every possible combination of remedies. Henry Schulman of the Chronicle reports that Giants brass has discussed a lineup overhaul that would move Freddy Sanchez, who just made his 2010 debut this week, to third base, Pablo Sandoval to first and Aubrey Huff to left field. With Edgar Renteria healthy and back at short, Juan Uribe would replace Sanchez at second, and Andres Torres, the speedy presence moved into the lineup over the weekend would continue to play regularly in right and leadoff, taking the pressure off slumping centerfielder Aaron Rowand. Got it? Nate Schierholtz and John Bowker would be the odd men out in this scenario. Talk about an extreme overhaul. Defensively, the Giants would most likely digress, and what happens when Mark DeRosa returns, maybe as soon as Friday? Hey, we said these are desperate times. What about the situation at catcher? CSN Bay Area’s Mychael Urban says Buster Posey is long overdue, while Sabean and the minor league scouts say he’s not ready. The smart money says the organization’s opinion changes dramatically in a week on June 1 when all minor league hotshots are in play with their early arbitration issues resolved. But Bengie Molina isn’t exactly chopped liver, hitting .294 and handling the pitchers as adroitly as he does. But Molina has cooled considerably with the bat and everybody knows, he’s about as fast as… And if we’re ready to sit Molina, what organization wants a $4.5 million investment sitting on the bench? Wow, that’s a lot to digest. But we’ve got time on our hands, right? What about that fifth starter situation? We need offense, but we need better pitching too. Todd Wellemeyer’s been a big disappointment. Schulman reports that the Giants are looking not at Madison Baumgarner, the next big thing, but Eric Hacker, a 27-year old journeyman, who has caught fire pitching in Fresno, where he’s fashioned a 7-1 record. Lots of options, all of them internal, as Sabean has indicated that he’s less likely to pull a big mid-season trade that Giants’ fans have become accustomed too, especially in an airtight divisional race that could involve Colorado, Los Angeles, San Diego and the Giants. But this year, you can see why he may be less inclined to look elsewhere to boost the team’s ranks. First of all, the steroid era, at least as pervasive as it was a few years back, has ended. There are no big boppers floating around the major leagues or in the local softball league. Manny Ramirez really is near 40 years old (37) and can’t hit ‘em like he used to. Because of the new reality, the Giants are constructed accordingly: consistent, professional hitters as opposed to home run guys, surrounding an exceptional pitching staff. Pat the Bat? Eric Byrnes? No on both of those guys; there’s no reason for the Giants to abandon their current philosophy to win the NL West. And the numbers through the first 43 games are in line with that thinking. While the Giants aren’t the Barry Bonds Giants, they do quite well in the slugging categories—when measured against their opponents. Thirty-three home runs and 120 extra-base hits don’t seem like much, but Giants’ opposition, has hit 31 jacks and has only 94 extra-base hits. That’s not the area the Giants are getting beat in. Instead, they need to cut down on the disparity in the stolen base column, turn more double plays and get better at winning close ballgames. Those issues won’t necessarily get addressed with a big bat. So be patient. That’s what the Giants are likely to do. The team has offensive depth and versatility—a nice change after the last three years--and the pitching has been pretty good so far and could easily get even better. Of course, none of that will erase the awful taste we’re all experiencing courtesy of the 1-6 road trip. When’s that next game? At 7:15pm on Tuesday against the Nationals. Can’t wait.