It is time to come to an assessment of where the San Francisco Giants currently stand. In a year when a wide range of teams are in the running for a narrow range of playoff spots, it could all come down to just about anything. They are currently a National League Wild Card, but there are plenty of reasons why they stand out from the rest of the pack. It’s easy to imagine the Giants finding a way to make a push to win the division.
Where the Giants Currently Stand
The Last Two Series Were Disappointing
It’s truly embarrassing to get swept by the Oakland Athletics. Even when it is just a two-game sweep, it’s not fun. And in fact, I thought that the Giants would take both of the games. But you just can’t predict anything with total accuracy for the Giants. When they’re at their best, they can beat the best teams. But when they’re at their worst, they will literally find ways to lose.
It appeared that they were likely to win the series against the Los Angeles Angels after they took the first game on Monday. But they dropped the next two. The defining moment was when Mike Moustakas homered against Tristan Beck in the sixth inning of Game three. Evidently, the Giants had decided to take the unconventional approach and use a long reliever to pitch the late innings of a tied game. And Beck had been great up to that point, posting a 2.72 ERA in 23 relief appearances. But he just didn’t have it on Wednesday.
FINAL: Angels 4, #SFGiants 1
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) August 10, 2023
Bullpen days have been a thing for the Giants all year. It’s just too bad that it all collapsed at just the wrong moment in the Giants-Angels series finale.
The Giants’ record is still far better than that of the Angels. But that could change if they don’t fix their issues. There aren’t too many options for filling the rotational holes right now. Other than finding the right guy to call up from the minors, of course. So for both pitching and offense, they just need to get consistency from their top players.
The Giants’ Distance From the Dodgers
The race against the Los Angeles Dodgers is not looking good. It was just a short while ago that the Giants were only two games behind. But they currently stand six games behind. Not insurmountable, but definitely tough.
The possibility that a Wild Card spot is all that is realistic must be faced. And yet if that is the case, just remember 2014. The Giants won a Wild Card game on Madison Bumgarner’s shutout. Then they went on to win the World Series. The extra game just created more postseason moments.
It would be wonderful if the Giants could repeat their championship victory, but a lot of things would have to go right. The Giants would have to finish on their strong side. And that means everybody would have to stay healthy. And no inexplicably bad performances from pitchers who are considered by the public to be the most effective.
The Upcoming Schedule
It will be more interleague play for the Giants over the next week. They have three-game sets against Bruce Bochy’s Texas Rangers and the Tampa Bay Rays, respectively. Both teams have a better record than the Giants. It will definitely be a challenge, and they need to be at their best.
You almost couldn’t overemphasize the fact that the playoff race is abnormally competitive this year. That was the very reason for the relative scarcity of talent at the trade deadline, though I’m not excusing the Giants for not getting what was available. But many good teams are looking to squeeze into the playoffs.
So it is a pivotal moment for the Giants. They could go one way, or they could go the other. That’s how things currently stand. And it will soon be revealed whether the Giants actually have the potential that we hoped.
Main photo credits:
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Players mentioned:
Mike Moustakas, Tristan Beck, Madison Bumgarner
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