Showing the Strain

Signing autographs on Saturday

Baseball buffs love stories about rejected older players who make the most of second chances. It's therefore no surprise that 35-year-old Giants pitcher Ryan Vogelsong has been a fan favorite.

After six years with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Vogelsong played baseball in Japan for three years, then returned to the States to give his dream one more shot. In 2011 he entered the Giants' rotation when Barry Zito was injured and has since been once of its best performers.

Lately, however, Vogelsong has been struggling as he did in tonight's loss in Colorado ("Ryan Vogelsong is going through his worst stretch in his second tour as a Giant, with a 9.57 ERA in his past six starts").

Here's hoping that he has enough in the tank to help the Giants go deep into the playoffs. Not being part of the 2010 World Series championship team, he has earned a chance to try for a ring in 2012.