I’m not really sure why I felt like I would want to tackle analyzing Brandon Belt’s season but at the time that I agreed to do this, it seemed like a decent idea. I failed to recognize that by taking on this assignment, I would essentially be putting myself in a position that would probably solicit unhappy comments from both staunch supporters of Belt, as well as people who enjoy trading him to any team or garbage can that will take him. In true Brandon Belt fashion and in plain english, that pretty much means it’s a lose-lose situation.

One of the top contenders with “briefest stint with the 2018 Giants” was Ryder Jones. Raise your hand if you remember seeing Jones this season?

I’ll wait.

Let me help jog your memory.

Dear Hunter Pence,

There’s a lot of uncertainty in the world and unfortunately, your future with the Giants is one of those uncertainties. It seems likely you may leave us soon, so I wanted to say a few things before you go, just in case I don’t get to before you turn the page on this chapter.

With Giants’ September baseball approaching its final destination (aka not the playoffs) and the actual baseball games being closer to “meh” than ever before, I want to look ahead to the Willie Mac Award, which is handed out on the last Friday home game of the season.

After honoring the crap out of Barry Bonds (A+++ speech from Willie Mays, by the way), the game finally got started with Ty Blach toeing the rubber and hoping to help the Giants win and get back up to the coveted .500 win percentage.

Ah, avoiding the sweep. It’s a tale as old as time and one that the Giants were faced with this fine Sunday. Allow me to set the stage for you: Milwaukee has outscored the Giants 17-7 in the first three games and a sweep by the Brewers today would be only the second time in team history since September of 2006. Meanwhile, the trade deadline looms large.

Chatting with Mac Williamson about his second chance with the Giants, adjustments to his swing, and his first experience with being DFA’d. We also talked about why it’s so important for the Giants to move the bullpen mounds and the important women in his life for Mother’s Day

Catching up with Dereck Rodriguez in his sophomore season on his offseason, his current approach in the big leagues, and his thoughts on Game of Thrones and the Avengers.

Giants’ broadcaster Mike Krukow discusses staying positive during a disappointing season, which Giants broadcast partner makes him laugh the most, and where he got his passion for baseball.

Goodbye, 2018 season! In our twentieth podcast, Marty Lurie, Carmen Kiew, and Ally Williams go over storylines of the season, who the San Francisco Giants should re-sign, and how ownership can incentivize season ticket holders for the future. Looking forward, the crew also goes over this year's postseason, Games 163, Yasiel Puig's World Series promise, and our playoff predictions.

t's the penultimate episode of the season! In Ep. 19, Marty Lurie, Carmen Kiew, and Ally Williams welcome Bonnie-Jill Laflin (@BJLaflin on Twitter) to the podcast! Bonnie-Jill is the first and only female NBA scout, a former Warriors, Niners, and Cowboys Cheerleader, and the newest co-host of Murph and Mac in the morning on KNBR.

We're at the part of the season where we argue about advanced stats. In the 18th episode of Mid-Inning Relief, Marty Lurie, Carmen Kiew, and Ally Williams get into the statistical revolution and how much we should factor in advanced metrics.

The Giants haven't won a game since we last recorded, but Mid-Inning Relief is back with episode No. 17! This week, Marty Lurie, Carmen Kiew, and Ally Williams discuss Madison Bumgarner's recent incident with the Milwaukee Brewers, over-the-top umpires, and social media policies in baseball. They also go over crypto-giveaways (whatever that entails), Sean Doolittle's fake home run challenge, and whether the Indians, Redskins, and other teams with offensive names need to change their teams and logos soon.

Sweet 16! In this week's Mid-Inning Relief, Ally Williams, Carmen Kiew, and Marty Lurie discuss the Andrew McCutchen trade, who the San Francisco Giants got in return, and looking to the future of this franchise. They also discuss whether a pitcher's chance at the Cy Young Award should be impacted by his team's record, and as this regular season winds down, how normal it is for tempers to be flaring in this final stretch.

Andy Baggarly joins the podcast this week! In Episode 15 of Mid-Inning Relief, Marty Lurie, Carmen Kiew, and Ally Williams welcome the The Athletic's Giants beat writer and author to the pod. They go over whether the San Francisco Giants need to rebuild, if they should re-sign Madison Bumgarner, and the 2019 schedule. 

It's time to talk Buster Posey. In the fourteenth episode of Mid-Inning Relief, Carmen Kiew, Marty Lurie, and Ally Williams go over his impending surgery: when to get it done, if the news means the season is over for him and the San Francisco Giants, as well as whether he should stay at catcher or move to first base once he returns. 

It got HEATED this week! In episode 13 of Mid-Inning Relief, Marty Lurie, Carmen Kiew, and Ally Williams recap the benches clearing after Yasiel Puig and Nick Hundley got into each others' faces during the Giants vs. Dodgers game on Tuesday night. 

In the twelfth episode of Mid-Inning Relief, San Francisco Giants broadcaster Dave Flemming joins the pod! Carmen Kiew, Marty Lurie, and Ally Williams talk to the much-loved radio broadcaster about a number of things, including how Dave grew to love baseball and some of his favorite calls (and later, a special moment from Buster Posey during Matt Cain's perfect game).

In the eleventh installment of Mid-Inning Relief, Marty Lurie, Carmen Kiew, and Ally Williams go over the aftermath of the trade deadline: whether the San Francisco Giants should have made a trade, whether they still might, and how the National League West is shaping up after the Dodgers and Diamondbacks made their moves.