When the Giants made their World Series run in 2010, Barry Zito was nowhere to be found. Well, he was somewhere: off the playoff roster.
And this year, that could very well not end up being the case, with Zito pitching pretty well as October nears and the Giants rolling off victories every time he steps on the mound.
The loser in this scenario would be Ryan Vogelsong, but Bruce Bochy isn't interested in discussing what moves he might make with respect to the rotation.
"Right now our focus is on winning games and getting there,” Bochy said. “I’ll be glad to answer those questions then.”
As our NBC cousins at Hardball Talk note, Vogelsong still has a lower ERA on the season, but Zito's been much more effective lately. The Giants are 8-0 in Zito's last eight starts (four of which he personally won) and since the All-Star Break, he's sporting a 4.50 ERA versus a 5.95 ERA for Vogey.
It's the stats since August began that are particularly disturbing though: Vogelsong has a 7.95 ERA while Zito has a 4.99 ERA in that span. Perhaps it's a little luck based, though, as Vogey's dealing with a ridiculous .402 batting average on balls in play.
Still, he's been shelled lately and that has to be a big concern for the Giants as they prepare to set up their rotation for the postseason. If Zito continues pitching well and Vogelsong continues to struggle into the end of the season, don't be surprised if the high-priced left-hander ends up getting a spot in the palyoff rotation.
