Exquisite torture

I greatly enjoyed my victory Monte Cristo in the warm Indian Summer evening last night. (I was able to partake in such an indulgence because my wife was away.) The Giants dispatched the Braves, as expected.

But the margin of San Francisco victory was far less comfortable than the three-games-to-one total implies, as every game was a one-run nailbiter, and the Giants’ bullpen blew late-inning leads twice in four games. The Atlanta roster was riddled with injury-induced holes, and they still played the Giants very tough. It was precisely as dubbed by broadcaster Duane Kuiper earlier this season: “torture.”

The San Francisco starting pitching was its unshakable anchor, as expected, but they really can’t expect to continue to win unless the offense shows more life than this. They will be a huge underdog against the Phillies.

But underdog status has its virtue, namely that there is truly no pressure on the Giants. Anything further they achieve has to be considered gravy at this point. Indeed, all the pressure will be on Philadelphia.

So, we Giants fans can relax at last and just enjoy the baseball. For the first time all year, maybe it won’t be torture.