Editing Ray Durham (section)

===San Francisco Giants (2003–2008)===
[[Image:Ray Durham is about to fly out to Soriano.jpg|thumb|Durham in 2007]]

After the 2002 season, Durham signed a three-year contract worth $20.1 million with the [[San Francisco Giants]] with a $7 million player option for a fourth year that was later exercised.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=ESPN.com news service |title=Giants sign two former All-Stars, offer Kent arbitration |date=December 7, 2002 |url=http://static.espn.go.com/mlb/news/2002/1207/1473034.html |access-date=March 6, 2009}}</ref> The health Durham displayed during the earlier years of his career vanished. Between 1996 and 2002, Durham appeared in at least 150 games each season, but in 2003 he only appeared in 110 games and in 2004 he appeared in 120. Recurring [[hamstring]] injuries and other injuries caused Durham to spend time on the [[disabled list]]. The injuries also hampered Durham's success when he was on the field. Durham's running game and stolen bases dropped as Durham tried to protect his hamstrings from reinjury. Despite these injuries, Durham did post solid offensive numbers during his time in the line up.

Because of Durham's injuries that limited his speed and the recurring injuries to Giants [[outfielder]] [[Moisés Alou]], Durham was given the opportunity to bat fifth in the batting order more often. Durham was batted fifth regularly in 2006. In the 2005–2006 off-season, Durham adopted a new work out and strength conditioning routine. The result was a healthy Durham and perhaps his best offensive year in 2006 when in 137 games he batted .293 with career highs in slugging percentage (.538), [[home run]]s (26), RBIs (93).

Durham re-signed with the Giants for a two-year contract worth $14.5 million on December 2, 2006.<ref>{{cite web |agency=Associated Press |title=Durham agrees to two-year deal with Giants |date=December 1, 2006 |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=2682749 |access-date=August 26, 2007}}</ref> Giants general manager [[Brian Sabean]] lauded Durham for making an impressive transition from a lead off hitter to a middle of the order run producer.<ref>{{cite news |last=Schulman |first=Henry |title=Durham returning to the Giants: Feliz should be next; Bonds still up in air |date=December 2, 2006 |newspaper=The San Francisco Chronicle |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/02/SPG4OMO6U11.DTL&hw=Brian+Sabean+Ray+Durham+sign+year+deal&sn=005&sc=729 |accessdate=August 26, 2007}}</ref>

After re-signing with the Giants, Durham struggled in 2007. Durham called the season "embarrassing" and the "worst" of his career. Durham admitted that his defense had suffered because he was thinking about his hitting while on defense. Durham claimed he had trouble adjusting to the new strategy to pitch against him, which included throwing [[cutter (baseball)|cutters]] inside and throwing [[curveball]]s on the outside corner. Some Giants fans and radio personalities criticized Durham's performance in 2006 as being motivated by money because 2006 was Durham's contract year. Durham denied these claims and claimed that almost every year is a contract year.<ref>{{cite news |last=Schulman |first=Henry |title=Durham's struggles affecting entire game |date=August 26, 2007 |newspaper=The San Francisco Chronicle |url=http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/08/26/SPN0RPFPJ.DTL |accessdate=August 26, 2007}}</ref>

On August 21, 2007, against [[Sergio Mitre]] of the [[Florida Marlins]], Durham fouled a pitch at the plate that bounced up and hit his groin. He would go on to [[single (baseball)|single]] on the next pitch. "I was swinging at the first thing so I could sit down", Durham said. "Then, I end up with a knock and I had to run from first to third. It did not feel good".<ref>{{cite news |last=Schulman |first=Henry |title=Ortiz struggles to keep his pitching arm right |newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=August 21, 2007 |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2007/08/21/SP4VRLUV0.DTL |accessdate=August 21, 2007}}</ref>

On June 12, 2008, Durham got his 2000th hit off [[Colorado Rockies]] pitcher [[Greg Reynolds]].