Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
The San Francisco Giants finally made a batting order change that has been long overdue. Marco Scutaro will now be leading off for the Giants, followed by Brandon Crawford and Hunter Pence. This move may or may not work, but the reasoning for it is glaringly obvious.
When Angel Pagan went down for the year with a left hamstring injury, the Giants lost an important part of their lineup in their leadoff man. It was no coincidence that before Pagan was injured, the Giants were in first place. Since then, they have tried to use a combination of Gregor Blanco and Andres Torres to fill that void.
Unfortunately, that has not worked out well for the Giants.
Since the All-Star break, Blanco and Torres are a combined 9-for-62 (.145). I don’t care what team this is, having that kind of lacking production from the leadoff spot is going to lead to losses. The proof is that the Giants were 27-22 before Pagan was hurt. Since then, they are 22-39, 11 games back in the NL West at dead last.
With Scutaro leading off, the Giants now have a hitter whose average is over .300. He’s also the type of hitter who will take pitches as he is not afraid to hit in a two-strike count. This is the Giants’ last gasp at trying to make a run. Hoping this change will give them a push and get them on a winning streak. If it doesn’t work, then we will see the Giants bringing up younger players and seeing what they have for the future.
If the move does work, depending on where the Giants end up at seasons end, one will wonder what could have been had they made the change sooner. Only time will tell.
Chris Berry is a Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @berrysgrowlers or add him to your network on Google Plus.
