Amid the inevitable rough patches in the schedule, the San Francisco Giants take encouragement in the even-year phenomenon, which bodes well for happy endings in the Bay Area. But recent history is no guarantee that some odd occurrences wont happen along the way.The 2010, 2012 and 2014 Giants parlayed togetherness, rally thongs and dominant pitching into three titles. The 2016 club, a work in progress, is in the midst of an identity crisis. Are the Giants the juggernaut that cruised into the All-Star break with a 57-33 record and a 6 ?-game lead in the National League West? Or the lost boys who have dropped 13 of 18 since the break, provided an opening for the Los Angeles Dodgers and tested the proposition that Bruce Bochy-managed teams are adept at navigating turbulence and sticking the landing?Theyll find out soon enough if their recent funk is nothing that a few well-timed reinforcements cant cure.The Giants have been on a self-improvement kick of late. In the days, hours and minutes leading up to Mondays non-waiver trade deadline, they fortified the rotation by acquiring left-hander Matt Moore from Tampa Bay, added depth to the bullpen with the acquisition of lefty Will Smith from Milwaukee and addressed a trouble spot at third base by trading for Minnesotas Eduardo Nunez. In addition, second baseman Joe Panik returned from a concussion last week, and outfielder Hunter Pence is back in the lineup after missing two months with a torn right hamstring.In a best-case scenario, the 20 percent roster overhaul will result in a crisper brand of baseball and bring order to the chaos. Things?cant get much worse.Without question, I think the message is that ownership is doing all they can, Bochy said. When were buyers and we go out and fill some needs and get players to help out, (the players here) are being rewarded for a good first half. I think thats a shot in the arm and a shot of adrenaline for the guys.The Giants need to be inoculated for something. Since the break, they rank 25th in the majors in runs (64) and 23nd in OPS (.683). The pitching staff is 23rd in baseball in ERA (4.45) and leads the majors with 30 home runs allowed. And theyve committed 16 errors in 18 games after making only 46 in their first 90. Pick a facet of the game, and theyve been deficient at it.A brutal schedule hasnt helped. The Giants began the second half with an eight-game trip to San Diego, Boston and New York, followed by a seven-game homestand, which fed into the current nine-game swing through Philadelphia, Washington and Miami. Thats a mother lode of jet lag, but its not going to win them any sympathy points.I cant put my finger on it and say, This is why we havent been able to win more games than weve lost, said center fielder Denard Span, whose 10th-inning home run gave San Francisco a 3-2 victory over the Phillies on Thursday. I dont think anybody was complacent or took anything for granted. We just havent been able to get things going.In the first half, we were in sync. Whenever we didnt pitch well, we hit well. Whenever we didnt hit well, we pitched well. In the second half, its been vice versa. We score eight runs and lose. (In the first half), if we scored three runs, we won. This isnt how we wanted to start. But were still in first place. Life could be better, but it could be worse.Wheeler dealersBrian Sabean, Bobby Evans and the Giants front office have never hesitated to think bold at the deadline. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.In 2011, the Giants traded highly-regarded pitching prospect Zach Wheeler to the New York Mets for Carlos Beltran. He hit .323 with seven homers down the stretch, but San Francisco went 25-32 and faded from contention. Last year, the Giants swung a deadline deal for Cincinnatis Mike Leake, who went 2-5 with a 4.07 ERA for a team that finished out of the money. Outfielder Adam Duvall, packed off to the Reds in the deal, emerged as an All-Star this season.Conversely, San Franciscos three title teams are replete with in-season feel-good acquisitions -- from Pat Burrell, Cody Ross and Javier Lopez in 2010 to Pence and Marco Scutaro in 2012 to Jake Peavy in 2014. They all made a difference after joining the Giants midstream.This time around, the Giants werent shy about tapping a farm system thats better than the industry rankings suggest. They gave up pitcher Phil Bickford, the 18th overall pick in the 2015 draft, in the Smith trade and parted with third baseman Matt Duffy, shortstop prospect Lucius Fox and pitcher Michael Santos for Moore, who is two years and three months removed from Tommy John surgery. Moores contract includes three club options for a total of $26 million from 2017-2019, and that club control was especially appealing to the Giants.Get past Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto (who blew a 4-0 lead in a loss to the Phillies on Wednesday), and San Franciscos rotation has a house-of-cards feel to it. Jeff Samardzija has two quality starts in his last 11 outings. Matt Cain sports a .298 batting average against and a 1.50 WHIP, and opponents are slugging .498 against Peavy, who was demoted to the bullpen in the aftermath of the Moore trade.?In his Giants debut Thursday, Moore threw six innings of two-run ball and emerged with a no-decision.Moore was in the weight room at Tropicana Field on Monday when his phone buzzed moments after the 4 p.m. ET trade deadline. It was a media outlet asking him to hop on and do an interview about the trade to San Francisco.I think youre a little bit ahead of where I am right now, a flustered Moore told the caller. We can catch up some other time.Moments later,?Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey came into the weight room and made it official, and Moore began the process of moving on with his professional life. Upon joining the Giants, he settled into a clubhouse where new arrivals blend seamlessly into the mix. Ninety minutes before Wednesdays game at Citizens Bank Park, he sat in front of a clubhouse TV and chatted with Samardzija as if they were longtime pals.Im a fan of the game, Moore said. Ive paid attention in the postseason. You look at all the guys here and understand its a special group. Theyre very much geared to one thing. From the day and a half Ive been in the clubhouse, theres a different aroma. Theres a lot of conversation about winning and how to get hitters out. There are a lot of open arms and guys who are happy Im here. That really helps with the transition.Mr. InspirationFor all the attention the Giants generated with their trades, the most meaningful upgrade might have come from within. Since his first full season with San Francisco in 2013, Pence ranks 12th among MLB outfielders in adjusted OPS+, which factors each players home park into the equation. Pence also inspires his teammates and keeps them amused with his Cosmo Kramer-like birds nest of hair, his unorthodox hitting and fielding mechanics and his penchant for hurtling his body in all directions with no regard for personal safety. His baseball preacher shtick might elicit eye rolls if he werent so gosh-darned sincere about it.You can look at all the numbers you want to on Hunter Pence, Peavy said. Whats lost is that intangible, that X factor that cant be quantified. Hunter Pence and Dustin Pedroia bring as much of that as anybody Ive played with. Its all about Hunters personality, his energy, his attitude and his mindset. Were a completely different team with him in the building -- never mind what he brings on the field.When Hunter walks in the room and starts talking about the game, hes influencing us from our minds on down. I call him our Spiritual Gangster.Contrary to public perception, Pence didnt completely lose his mind during eight weeks of idleness on the disabled list. He?meticulously tended to his rehab and?kept encouraging his teammates through good days and bad. Now that hes back on the active roster, its time to get his stroke in order and do whatever it takes to push this vehicle off the breakdown lane.Pences 10 years in the majors have taught him that hitting, and baseball in general, are two of lifes great mysteries.Ive been swinging (a bat) my whole life, Pence said, and you never master it. You never figure it out. Its a beautiful thing. Every day, its about coming in here and trying to get better.With two months left in the regular season, the Giants?quest to perpetuate their even-year mystique is a cooperative venture. If Pence, Bumgarner and Buster Posey are ready to lead, their teammates will be more than happy to follow.Vapormax 2020 Sverige . According the Toronto Star, a knee injury will keep Sundin out of the lineup, which includes former teammates Gary Roberts, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Curtis Joseph. Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 35 Dam .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. http://www.airvapormaxsverige.com/vapormax-plus-rea.html . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 35 Sverige .com) - The red-hot Los Angeles Kings will try to extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games when they visit the Edmonton Oilers for Sundays clash at Rexall Place. Nike Zoom Rea . William Carrier opened the scoring for Cape Breton (6-4-2), but Andrew Ryan tied the game and Brent Andrews put the Mooseheads (8-6-0) in front for good with a short-handed goal at 13:49 of the second period.ELKHART LAKE, Wis. -- Michael McDowell pointed his No. 2 Chevy against a concrete barrier at the finish line, burning his tires in a smoky celebration.Finally, a late lead didnt disappear for McDowell at Road America.McDowell edged teammate Brendan Gaughan by 0.534 seconds in overtime on an overcast, sometimes misty Saturday afternoon at the sprawling road course for his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory.Brennan Poole was third, while pole-sitter Alex Tagliani finished seventh in the 194-mile race.After five career top-five starts at Road America, McDowell has the ending that he sorely wanted.Today was a great day to check it off the list, said McDowell, a regular on NASCARs top Sprint Cup circuit.McDowell finished second in 2012. He dominated most of the race the previous year before losing the lead on the second of three attempts at a green-white-checkered overtime finish.McDowell started watching video of that race on Friday night before deciding to turn it off.I shut it off with five to go, he said. Im glad I did.Gaughan nearly played spoiler.The Richard Childress Racing teammates went bumper-to-bumper midway through the last lap.When I came out of Turn 5, Brendan was right there with me, McDowell said. I said, `Uh oh.It was the start of four-turn stretch of the 14-turn track in which Gaughan said he thought he had the best shot to overtake McDowell.McDowell held on through the critical eighth turn, and cut off Gaughans passing lanes from there. Gaughan couldnt catch up, even with fresher tires.Michael and I have always raced with respect, so Im not going to do anything stupid, Gaughan said. Got right to his rear bumper, but just couldnt pull it through (Turns 9 and 10) to get to him.FRANTIC FINISH: Three cautions in a late eight-lap stretch led to several bumps and spin-outs in the field around the course.dddddddddddd. Cars went three-wide at times around tight turns.The extra time had crew chiefs fretting about fuel strategy and tire wear.Those restarts are wild, Poole said. It was a lot of fun, some of the most fun Ive had this year.McDowell held to finish with a top speed of 108.487 mph. An RCR driver won the Road America race for the third straight year.WHOS HOT: Gaughan picked up his third top-three finish in five career Xfinity starts at Road America, and 12th top-10 finish this season. On Saturday, Gaughan said he benefited on the last restart after passing Daniel Suarez and Justin Marks, who were racing hard but found bad lines out of the third turn.WHOS NOT: Marks, after falling no lower than fourth through 40 laps, finished in 32nd place after spinning around the turn following contact with another car. Suarez managed to finish in fourth.TAGLIANI TIME: The Canadian road race expert set the early pace and led for 17 laps. Tagliani briefly took the lead after a restart on Lap 28 before skidding around the left-hand sixth turn after getting nudged by McDowell from behind while trying to move inside.Tagliani drove into the grass and fell back into the middle of the field. He slowly wound his way back up the field, but his frantic charge came up short.McDowell said he didnt intentionally hit Tagliani.But at the time, I was clearly in there and wasnt sure what he was doing when he came across the nose, McDowell said.WEATHER: Gray conditions hovered over the 4.05-mile road course. At one point, light rain fell on parts of the track, forcing caution for four laps.UP NEXT: Darlington Raceway, Sept. 3. Denny Hamlin is the defending race winner. ' ' '