by Amaury Pi Gonzalez

AP file photo: San Francisco Giants starter Johnny Cueto in pain suffering from a groin pull against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodgers Stadium Mon Sep 19th has had a rough second half of the season since his All Star game appearance

SAN FRANCISCO–Regardless if the Giants make it as a wild card, their 2016 season has been a total collapse. and in some way a mystery for a team that was the same (as far as personal)in the first half as in the second half.  This franchise waited for 52 years, before winning their first ever World Series in San Francisco in 2010.

When the current 2016 season arrived to July 15, when the second half of the season began, the Giants had the best record in baseball (even better than the Cubs who are now closing in 100 wins)the Giants were  57-33.

After they played in San Diego and Johnny Cueto didn’t win the All Star game, the team has gone 23-37. the worst record in major league baseball and during this second half of the season, a week away from ending their longest winning streak was a three game winner.

 Now, Giants fans, most of them, blame Santiago Casilla, but this collapse has been far greater the result of one man. This team has a very hard time scoring runs, Buster Posey (playing with back problems) as we see today is hitting  .289 with 13 Home runs and 68 runs batted in, Brandon Belt is hitting .271 with 16 home runs and 77 runs batted in and Hunter Pence (true, he has been hurt for a portion of the season) brings a .291 with 12 Home runs and 53 runs batted in. There is “murderers row” for the 2016 San Francisco Giants with a week and 3 days left of this season.

The irony is the Giants rotation today, is better than their rotation in 2014 when they won their third World Series, but their bullpen today is all-over-the-place. While Santiago Casilla has been sent to the moon (like the Most Interesting Man in The World) in that famous beer commercial)now it seems they have resuscitated Sergio Romo, to close games again. Please do not bring back Crazy Crab again.

Now, Casilla is the easiest scapegoat, but he is not alone in that bullpen. During the past five years, the Giants have won with pitching and defense, this season power is up for most teams, except the Giants. Across the bay the Athletics have a guy with 40 Home runs Khris Davis and 100 RBIs, playing in one of me most difficult parks for home runs. Even if they advance to the postseason, as a wild card, forget the division, they still will have to do something to bring their power numbers up.

No, the Giants are not going to be the Orioles, Blue Jays or Red Sox (who by the way have  three guys in the same lineup everyday with over 100 runs batted in)but win or lose this season, they will definitely  have to do something to improve an offense that does not scares anybody.

The Giants know that, and a guy like Yoenis Cespedes or somebody with that power and excitement, would probably fit perfectly in the middle of that lineup, they have the money to sign him in the off season, these days of the Giants not been a wealthy team, playing at cold and windy Candlestick Park in front of 8,645 people, are gone, they can spend with the best of them, they have no choice but to improve their offense, if they want to win at least every two years, because with this lineup as of today, they can forget 2017 also.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio talent for the A’s, the Spanish radio talent for the Angels and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com