LaberFred » Winnipeg Goldeyes at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.

Amid the inevitable rough patches in the schedule, the San Francisco Giants take encouragement in the even-year phenomenon, which bodes well for happy endings in the Bay Area. But recent history is no guarantee that some odd occurrences wont happen along the way.The 2010, 2012 and 2014 Giants parlayed togetherness, rally thongs and dominant pitching into three titles. The 2016 club, a work in progress, is in the midst of an identity crisis. Are the Giants the juggernaut that cruised into the All-Star break with a 57-33 record and a 6 ?-game lead in the National League West? Or the lost boys who have dropped 13 of 18 since the break, provided an opening for the Los Angeles Dodgers and tested the proposition that Bruce Bochy-managed teams are adept at navigating turbulence and sticking the landing?Theyll find out soon enough if their recent funk is nothing that a few well-timed reinforcements cant cure.The Giants have been on a self-improvement kick of late. In the days, hours and minutes leading up to Mondays non-waiver trade deadline, they fortified the rotation by acquiring left-hander Matt Moore from Tampa Bay, added depth to the bullpen with the acquisition of lefty Will Smith from Milwaukee and addressed a trouble spot at third base by trading for Minnesotas Eduardo Nunez. In addition, second baseman Joe Panik returned from a concussion last week, and outfielder Hunter Pence is back in the lineup after missing two months with a torn right hamstring.In a best-case scenario, the 20 percent roster overhaul will result in a crisper brand of baseball and bring order to the chaos. Things?cant get much worse.Without question, I think the message is that ownership is doing all they can, Bochy said. When were buyers and we go out and fill some needs and get players to help out, (the players here) are being rewarded for a good first half. I think thats a shot in the arm and a shot of adrenaline for the guys.The Giants need to be inoculated for something. Since the break, they rank 25th in the majors in runs (64) and 23nd in OPS (.683). The pitching staff is 23rd in baseball in ERA (4.45) and leads the majors with 30 home runs allowed. And theyve committed 16 errors in 18 games after making only 46 in their first 90. Pick a facet of the game, and theyve been deficient at it.A brutal schedule hasnt helped. The Giants began the second half with an eight-game trip to San Diego, Boston and New York, followed by a seven-game homestand, which fed into the current nine-game swing through Philadelphia, Washington and Miami. Thats a mother lode of jet lag, but its not going to win them any sympathy points.I cant put my finger on it and say, This is why we havent been able to win more games than weve lost, said center fielder Denard Span, whose 10th-inning home run gave San Francisco a 3-2 victory over the Phillies on Thursday. I dont think anybody was complacent or took anything for granted. We just havent been able to get things going.In the first half, we were in sync. Whenever we didnt pitch well, we hit well. Whenever we didnt hit well, we pitched well. In the second half, its been vice versa. We score eight runs and lose. (In the first half), if we scored three runs, we won. This isnt how we wanted to start. But were still in first place. Life could be better, but it could be worse.Wheeler dealersBrian Sabean, Bobby Evans and the Giants front office have never hesitated to think bold at the deadline. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.In 2011, the Giants traded highly-regarded pitching prospect Zach Wheeler to the New York Mets for Carlos Beltran. He hit .323 with seven homers down the stretch, but San Francisco went 25-32 and faded from contention. Last year, the Giants swung a deadline deal for Cincinnatis Mike Leake, who went 2-5 with a 4.07 ERA for a team that finished out of the money. Outfielder Adam Duvall, packed off to the Reds in the deal, emerged as an All-Star this season.Conversely, San Franciscos three title teams are replete with in-season feel-good acquisitions -- from Pat Burrell, Cody Ross and Javier Lopez in 2010 to Pence and Marco Scutaro in 2012 to Jake Peavy in 2014. They all made a difference after joining the Giants midstream.This time around, the Giants werent shy about tapping a farm system thats better than the industry rankings suggest. They gave up pitcher Phil Bickford, the 18th overall pick in the 2015 draft, in the Smith trade and parted with third baseman Matt Duffy, shortstop prospect Lucius Fox and pitcher Michael Santos for Moore, who is two years and three months removed from Tommy John surgery. Moores contract includes three club options for a total of $26 million from 2017-2019, and that club control was especially appealing to the Giants.Get past Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto (who blew a 4-0 lead in a loss to the Phillies on Wednesday), and San Franciscos rotation has a house-of-cards feel to it. Jeff Samardzija has two quality starts in his last 11 outings. Matt Cain sports a .298 batting average against and a 1.50 WHIP, and opponents are slugging .498 against Peavy, who was demoted to the bullpen in the aftermath of the Moore trade.?In his Giants debut Thursday, Moore threw six innings of two-run ball and emerged with a no-decision.Moore was in the weight room at Tropicana Field on Monday when his phone buzzed moments after the 4 p.m. ET trade deadline. It was a media outlet asking him to hop on and do an interview about the trade to San Francisco.I think youre a little bit ahead of where I am right now, a flustered Moore told the caller. We can catch up some other time.Moments later,?Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey came into the weight room and made it official, and Moore began the process of moving on with his professional life. Upon joining the Giants, he settled into a clubhouse where new arrivals blend seamlessly into the mix. Ninety minutes before Wednesdays game at Citizens Bank Park, he sat in front of a clubhouse TV and chatted with Samardzija as if they were longtime pals.Im a fan of the game, Moore said. Ive paid attention in the postseason. You look at all the guys here and understand its a special group. Theyre very much geared to one thing. From the day and a half Ive been in the clubhouse, theres a different aroma. Theres a lot of conversation about winning and how to get hitters out. There are a lot of open arms and guys who are happy Im here. That really helps with the transition.Mr. InspirationFor all the attention the Giants generated with their trades, the most meaningful upgrade might have come from within. Since his first full season with San Francisco in 2013, Pence ranks 12th among MLB outfielders in adjusted OPS+, which factors each players home park into the equation. Pence also inspires his teammates and keeps them amused with his Cosmo Kramer-like birds nest of hair, his unorthodox hitting and fielding mechanics and his penchant for hurtling his body in all directions with no regard for personal safety. His baseball preacher shtick might elicit eye rolls if he werent so gosh-darned sincere about it.You can look at all the numbers you want to on Hunter Pence, Peavy said. Whats lost is that intangible, that X factor that cant be quantified. Hunter Pence and Dustin Pedroia bring as much of that as anybody Ive played with. Its all about Hunters personality, his energy, his attitude and his mindset. Were a completely different team with him in the building -- never mind what he brings on the field.When Hunter walks in the room and starts talking about the game, hes influencing us from our minds on down. I call him our Spiritual Gangster.Contrary to public perception, Pence didnt completely lose his mind during eight weeks of idleness on the disabled list. He?meticulously tended to his rehab and?kept encouraging his teammates through good days and bad. Now that hes back on the active roster, its time to get his stroke in order and do whatever it takes to push this vehicle off the breakdown lane.Pences 10 years in the majors have taught him that hitting, and baseball in general, are two of lifes great mysteries.Ive been swinging (a bat) my whole life, Pence said, and you never master it. You never figure it out. Its a beautiful thing. Every day, its about coming in here and trying to get better.With two months left in the regular season, the Giants?quest to perpetuate their even-year mystique is a cooperative venture. If Pence, Bumgarner and Buster Posey are ready to lead, their teammates will be more than happy to follow. Eric Sogard Blue Jays Jersey . Arsenal failed to take full advantage of its main rivals stumbles on Saturday as substitute Gerard Deulofeu levelled with a hard shot from a tight angle in the 84th minute to give Everton a deserved point. Ahead of a crucial fortnight that will see them play against Napoli in the Champions League, Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal leads by five points ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea. Roger Clemens Blue Jays Jersey . Its an influence in football and a big part of the game. http://www.bluejaysonline.com/blue-jays-roger-clemens-jersey/ . As he recorded his 23rd and 24th points of the evening, a segment of the sellout Air Canada Centre crowd expressed their appreciation for the Raptors point guard with a smattering of MVP chants. Jesse Barfield Blue Jays Jersey . By having more great seasons. Manning was the only unanimous choice for the 2013 Associated Press NFL All-Pro team Friday. Ken Giles Jersey . Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early.KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The Kansas City T-Bones wrapped up exhibition play Tuesday night with a 10-5 loss to the Winnipeg Goldeyes at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. A quick start from Winnipeg made it 2-0 after the first inning, and 4-0 after the third. Aaron Tullo, starting for Kansas City, gave up four runs – three earned – in four innings. After the T-Bones scored a run in the fourth, Winnipeg put a halt to any comeback by tallying six runs in the top of the seventh. Kansas City, which finished the game with 10 hits, added runs in the eighth and ninth innings on a Justin Bass two-run home run and an RBI double bby Brandon Pearl.dddddddddddd Despite giving up a run, Patrick Keating closed out the game for Winnipeg in the ninth. “I thought the bats looked better tonight,” said T-Bones manager Kenny Hook. “Guys were doing a good job of hitting the ball where it was pitched, which shows theyre seeing it better. We just didnt get the big two-out hits that we needed. “Were definitely excited, though, to get the regular season going.” The T-Bones begin regular season play in the American Association on Thursday night at Wichita. The home opener is on Saturday, May 18, against Wichita. ' ' '