San Francisco Giants have been one of the hottest teams in all of Major League baseball since the start of September. After a rough August that saw them play unimpressive baseball to the tune of a .464 winning percentage for the month, they have bounced back to be one of the best teams in baseball.
Players like Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Buster Posey, Aubrey Huff, and Juan Uribe have all been key parts of this resurgence.
September was a great month for the Giants, as they went 18-8 while taking control of the NL West. There are a number of factors that contributed to their September success, and these factors will carry them all the way to a World Series title this fall.
First and foremost is their starting pitching. Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Jonathan Sanchez all sport sub-four ERAs and all have the ability to shut down any team on any given night.
In a short series, these three pitchers would scare a team of any quality, even the teams in the AL with prodigious offenses like the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays.
Lincecum went 5-1 with a 1.94 ERA in September after a dismal August in which he won zero games. He has figured out mechanically what was wrong and is now back to being the dominant ace that won two Cy Young Awards before the age of 26.
He is the perfect top-of-the-line starting pitcher that any World Series winner needs anchoring their staff.And when Lincecum comes out after eight innings, they have one of the most powerful closers in all of baseball to hand the ball to. His electrifying fastball has made Brian Wilson one of the best closers in baseball this year. He has converted 47 saves while posting a 1.83 ERA.
Being able to turn playoff games into eight-inning contests can make or break a postseason; the Yankees and Mariano Rivera can attest to that.
Aside from great pitching, the San Francisco Giants have the veteran leadership needed to win a title. Players like Pat Burrell, Juan Uribe, Aaron Rowand, and Edgar Renteria have all played in World Series games and can let the younger players know what to expect in the Fall Classic.
The veterans are not just there because of their experience either. These guys can really hit. Aubrey Huff, another veteran player, has experienced a rebirth in San Francisco, putting up numbers that are carrying the offense.
Though he wasn't the first option for the Giants when looking to sign free agents this offseason, he has been a revelation at the plate. Huff leads the Giants in every major offensive category while playing great defense at first base, committing only three errors there all season.
Finally, it would be impossible to say that the Giants are going to win the World Series without mentioning Buster Posey.
Perhaps the most talented young player in the game today, all Posey has done since being called up in late May is put up a line of .313/17/66 with an OBP of .365. He has accomplished all of this while playing catcher, one of the most demanding positions in the field.
With Posey behind the plate and in the middle of this Giants lineup, they will be a force to be reckoned with come playoff time.
Expect the San Francisco Giants to put all of these components together to capture the 2010 World Series title.
Mike Osterberg is a student at Penn State University and a writing intern at BleacherReport.com. Follow him on twitter @Mike_Osterberg.
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