Dusty’s Underdogs Ready to Pull Bandwagon

The surprise team of the first half seems to have outdistanced the surprise.

As Dusty Baker, the San Francisco Giant manager, noted when reached by phone:

“Let a horse run out front long enough, it starts to feel comfortable out front, even though no one picked it to win.”

No one picked the Giants to win the National League West title, but they reach the All-Star break having led almost all the way, tending to “get more confident every day,” General Manager Brian Sabean said.

Past the point of surprise?

“I think we are,” Baker said. “But it doesn’t matter what other people say, it’s what you think of yourself, and I think my guys are beginning to realize we have a very good team.”

A bunch of underdogs, he added, who have the capability to win the West title--with a little help, perhaps.

The Giants are in the market for a starting pitcher.

With a few exceptions, who isn’t?

“We want somebody with experience, somebody who’s been through this, because as the season goes on, the games get bigger and bigger,” Sabean said, adding that ownership is willing to take on payroll in support of the Giants’ surprising--whoops--first half.

The problem, of course, is that the pitching market is almost nonexistent, and the Giants, unwilling to give up top prospects, such as outfielder Dante Powell or pitcher Joe Fontenot, aren’t dealing from surplus strength.

“Most clubs that make a play for pitching down the stretch try not to disrupt their 25-man rosters,” Sabean said. “I would hate to give up our depth and versatility.”

How is the market? What market?

One high-salaried possibility, Kenny Rogers of the New York Yankees, went back on the market Saturday when the trade that would have sent him to the San Diego Padres collapsed, apparently because Padre outfielder Greg Vaughn failed to pass a physical.

Rogers and teammate Mariano Duncan already had packed and bid farewell to New York teammates. The Yankees, with the debut Thursday of Hideki Irabu, had been hoping to open a spot in their rotation, but the return of Rogers creates a confusing and embarrassing situation.

The inconsistent left-hander has about $12.5 million left on a four-year, $20-million contract, and it’s uncertain whether the Giants would be interested.

The Cincinnati Reds may be willing to deal Pete Schourek and Mike Morgan before the July 31 non-waiver deadline, but Dave Montgomery, new president of the hapless Philadelphia Phillies, says he won’t yield ace Curt Schilling--even though Schilling asked for a trade last week.

The Giants have been coping with a series of ailing and weary arms as they approach the break.

Starter Osvaldo Fernandez, 10-17 in the first two years of his three-year, $3.2-million contract and one of Sabean’s only busts, has had season-ending surgery, opening a rotation vacancy. Mark Gardner and Kirk Rueter have missed starts recently because of physical problems, and the Giants are 6-10 when the inconsistent William VanLandingham starts, including a 15-4 pounding by the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday.

Baker says he’s not discouraged.

“I might be discouraged if we were last, but we’re still first,” he said. “Imagine how the other teams in the division feel.”

The Giants have produced one of the most curious statistics of the first half. They’re 14 games over .500 while having given up 25 more runs than they’ve scored.

The reading: They’ve been routed on occasion but won the close games with fundamentals and good relief, going 31-15 in games decided by one or two runs.

They also have gone 7-3 in interleague play.

After the break? They play 31 at home and 44 on the road. They open with a 15-game trip--the first four in Los Angeles.

If the Dodgers don’t take care of the Giants in that series, they have to hope someone else does. They don’t meet again until September--and then for only two games.

“I think we’re still improving, still can be more consistent,” Baker said. “I still would rather be sitting where we are than where the others [in the division] are.”

No surprise there.

THE ENVELOPE, PLEASE

Just because there are no midseason awards is no reason for not distributing some.

Baker, of course, is almost automatic as manager of the half-season in the NL, and Terry Collins gets the nod in the AL, having provided the Angels with a personality transplant.

Boston shortstop Nomar Garciaparra and Philadelphia third baseman Scott Rolen are the rookies of the half-season, Roger Clemens is a narrow choice over Randy Johnson for the AL Cy Young and Pedro Martinez is an emphatic pick in the NL, a kick in the teeth for followers of the blue.

Ken Griffey Jr. gets a slight nod over Tino Martinez as the AL’s most valuable player, and San Francisco second baseman Jeff Kent is a less obvious choice in the NL.

There are several NL players--including Larry Walker, Jeff Bagwell and Tony Gwynn--with better statistics and a justifiable MVP claim, but with Barry Bonds struggling into mid-June, it was Kent who consistently provided key hits for those surprising Giants.

His All-Star omission, in fact, may have been the most glaring of the annual array of All-Star omissions.

Kent paid a price for Atlanta Brave Manager Bobby Cox’s choosing six of his own players, which privately peeved the Giants, and the rule requiring one player from every team. Thus, Tony Womack of Pittsburgh became the backup for Craig Biggio, the fans’ choice at second.

“I don’t think anybody’s played better at second base than Biggio, other than myself, but for Womack to go . . . well, I congratulate him,” Kent said.

“There’s nothing I can do about it, so there’s no use getting my underwear in a bunch.”