Jake Peavy, Matt Cain and the Giant Problem

Jake Peavy and Matt Cain are struggling. They have been bad enough in the first month of the season, that fans want them removed from the starting rotation. Trying to find two worthy replacements in May is hard enough, but trying to figure out what is wrong is even more difficult.

According to Jacob Fagan of Baseball Essential, Peavy and Cain have combined for an 8.10 ERA and a 5.15 FIP, which are brutal numbers for two veteran pitchers.

Bum, Cueto, Shark have a 3.34 ERA, 3.10 FIP

Cain, Peavy have an 8.10 ERA, 5.15 FIP

Overall, SFG SP have a 5.10 ERA, 3.79 FIP #misleading

— Jacob Fagan (@jacobfagan) May 6, 2016

With numbers like that, it is no wonder fans have been calling into the the local sports call in shows and demanding something be done. Peavy and Cain both struggled with injuries last season and came into 2016 healthy. Peavy, when healthy, was good last year and there was optimism that his numbers could be strong this season. Cain, who has been injured for parts of the last three seasons, had a setback during Spring Training and didn't return to the mound until right before the start of the season.

The Giants added free agent starting pitchers Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija in the off-season, so there was less concern about Peavy and Cain. Because they wouldn't be asked to be at the front end of the rotation, there would be pitchers to back them up if they struggled. Unfortunately for Peavy, Cain and the Giants, the struggles have been bad enough that the Giants are 1-9 in the last 10 starts between the two.

Surprisingly, the Giants are still in 1st place because of how well Madison Bumgarner, Cueto and Samardzija and because the rest of the National League West is also struggling. This is also another reason for concern because most of the games so far this season has been against the NL West and the road the rest of the way will be tougher.

To make matters more intriguing, Tim Lincecum is scheduled to pitch in front of scouts today. Lincecum, the former two time Cy Young award winner for the Giants, would be a savoir if he can be productive once again for the orange and black.

So who is already in the system that might help? According to Connor Penfold of Giant Potential, there are a few possible options in the minor league system. Former 1st round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays, Ricky Romero, is currently pitching in Triple-A along with Chris Heston and Clayton Blackburn. All three have struggled so far in Sacramento this season, so there is no clear cut answer.

In the case that Jake Peavy needs a "DL" stint, who can #SFGiants call on? Here are five viable options. https://t.co/Yl7wyCghY9

— GIANT Potential (@giant_potential) May 4, 2016

Brian Murphy, co-host of the Murph & Mac show on KNBR, brought up a good comparison to the Peavy and Cain problem from a decade earlier. In 2004, Kirk Rueter was 9-12 with a 4.73 ERA and 4.95 FIP. Rueter was not only a fan favorite since his arrival from the Montreal Expos in 1996, but he also was productive. Rueter ended his Giants career with the most wins by a left handed pitcher in team history. He never had ace "stuff" but he always seemed to keep the Giants in games, field his position and find ways to win. However, in 2004, the winning slowed. By 2005, Rueter stopped being effective. He went 2-7 with a 5.95 ERA and a 5.35 FIP. After 8 straight seasons of at least 27 starts and 7 of the those 8 with at least 32, he ended 2005 with only 18.

Rueter had been such an important part of those previous 8 seasons, that seeing his production fall so dramatically was tough. The team wanted to give him the chance to turn things around. Mike Krukow, a former Giants ace himself and current team broadcaster always points out that there are only so many innings in a pitcher's arm. 2005 was the final season for Rueter as a Giant in part because his arm ran out of innings. 

2005 wasn't a great year for the San Francisco Giants either, and one of the reasons that Rueter still started 18 times despite poor numbers might have been because of the entire team's lack of success. In Peavy and Cain's case, the team is still in first place and can't afford to fall out of the race. With so much talent on the roster, the Giants will either need Peavy and Cain to turn things around themselves or find replacements before it's too late. The question for Bruce Bochy, Bobby Evans, Brian Sabean and the rest of the Giants decision makers will be how many more starts for Peavy and Cain in 2016.

Of course, looking at things another way, Murphy did point out that winning 3 out of 5 is a great way to make the post season.

Here's my new radical #SFGiants theory.
Bum, Cueto, Samardzija = Win Day.
4/5 spots = Lose Day.
3-2 every 5 = .600 win pct. 97 wins.
Boom.

— Brian Murphy (@knbrmurph) May 6, 2016

Which Non Roster Invitee Makes the Giants in 2016?

The San Francisco Giants have several non roster invitees who have made the team in recent years. Juan Uribe, Andres Torres, Guillermo Mota, Ryan Vogelsong, Joaquin Arias, Gregor Blanco, Juan Gutierrez and Brandon Hicks all have World Series rings despite not being guaranteed a roster spot heading into camp.

The Giants have had at least one non roster invitee make the team in each of the last 7 seasons. So which non roster invitee will force the issue and make the 25 man roster in 2016?

Giants camp has several players fighting for what appears to be very few opening day spots. At the moment, it looks like the only jobs even available are a utility infielder, a fifth outfielder, one relief pitcher and maybe a battle at backup catcher.

As we look at the Giants recent history, however, it is clear that the Giants front office will use Spring Training to let players earn those spots. That is why so many players like Uribe, Torres and Vogelsong have found their way onto the Giants roster.

So let's look at who might have a shot this season:

Kyle Blanks: The former San Diego Padre has enormous power, and has already homered twice in Spring Training. He has played both outfield and first base at the big league level. In an interview with Andrew Baggarly, Blanks said his main focus right now is his health.

“I’m confident that if I’m out there, I’ll be able to contribute." Blanks explained. "My past medical history is like a book. So I literally try to feel as good as I can every day and put my best foot forward.”

Conor Gillaspie: A former Giants 1st round pick in 2008, Gillaspie is back with the club looking to make the team as a utility infielder. His spring got off to an interesting start, making an error at third base and hitting a mammoth home run in the same inning.

Conor Gillaspie makes error on routine grounder to 3B. 📉 Conor Gillaspie hits the Giants' first homer of the spring.📈

— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) March 2, 2016

The Giants liked Gillaspie enough in 2008 to make him a top pick and might look to him once again to fill the backup third base role they need behind Matt Duffy. Giants fans, including baseball writer Wendy Thurm, describes what it would be like for Gillaspie to come full circle back to the Giants.

Conor Gillaspie is the new Adam Duvall is the new Nick Noonan is the new Conor Gillaspie — Wendy Thurm (@hangingsliders) March 2, 2016

Grant Green: Green was the 13th pick of the 2009 draft by the Oakland Athletics. He made his Major League debut on July 8th, 2013 and was traded to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim three weeks later. Green played several positions for the Angels, and his versatility may be his best shot at making the club.

Ricky Romero: Another former 1st round pick, Romero was the 6th overall pick in the 2005 draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. The 2011 All-Star owns a career 51-45 record in the big leagues with a 4.16 ERA and 622 strikeouts between 2009-2013. Injuries ended his time with the Blue Jays, and Romero was signed last season by the Giants. He pitched in Sacramento, the Giants Triple-A affiliate, with an eye on coming to camp with the club in 2016.

Romero spoke to Giants beat writer Alex Pavlovic about getting a second chance with the Giants.

“I’m happy to be here,” he said. “To be able to get another shot with a team like this is humbling.”

Romero will most likely start the season for the Sacramento River Cats, but his Major League experience should help him if the team needs a starting pitcher at some point during the season. Manager Bruce Bochy also talked to Pavlovic about what having a guy with a track record like Romero means for the Giants.

“He knows how to pitch, he gives us depth,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “Anytime you have a guy with his success and experience, that’s intriguing. The fact that he’s left-handed made us bring him back to see what he has.”

Other long shots include catcher George Kottaras, infielder Ramiro Pena and outfielder Gorkys Hernandez.

The beauty of baseball is someone in this group will have a major impact on the Giants in 2016. We just won't know who until April.