Such a sweep feeling

If you had told me before this Dodgers series that the Giants would win one of three, I'd honestly have been OK with that. Not because I think the Dodgers are such a great team, but because of the whole "Melky/big series jitters/getting swept by the Dodgers last time" combination. I didn't expect the Giants to lose this series, per se, but my expectations were not all that bright.

Well, luckily the two Giants' horses and their donkey compadre pitched out of their minds (19 Ks, one BB combined by all three) and they got enough contributions from their lineup-by-commitee to slap the faces of nay-sayers (not to be confused with neigh-sayers) like me.

While the injuries to Sandoval and Posey (although they don't seem too serious) are leaving Giants fans a bit sober, big series from Pagan, Scutaro, and Arias certainly make the uphill battle to the playoffs after all the Melky hoopla feel more attainable. I mean, they're leading the division by 2.5 games for Pete's sake. How the hell did that happen?

By the way, Arias did a great Matt Kemp impression in this final game. What a boost this lineup will receive these next 38 games if he continues to be more than just a defensive replacement. I don't expect him to be anything more than average but as long as he isn't Justin Christian up there (sorry Justin, you're just not a very good hitter; great catch, though), a platoon split with him and Crawford at short and the occasional start at third might actually help the lineup much more than anyone ever expected.

Of course, one of my first thoughts after seeing Arias pound the ball all over the field tonight was that he'd be taking at-bats away from Belt. Please, Brandon, just hit a few home runs with RISP. That's all you need to do to harsh the critics, aka Bochy.

Now, while this series was a big one to sweep, it is only August and there are plenty of chances for the Giants to gag and/or the Dodgers and D-Backs to make a run. If Pence keeps struggling and the Giants encounter any sort of injury bug (I've been knocking on wood this whole post, don't worry), they could be fishing in October. I don't see them pulling away from the two teams chasing them, nor do I expect them to completely fall out of it. It should come down to the last couple weeks of the season.

Now excuse me while I go take my meds.