Have The San Fransisco Giants Really Turned Their Season Around?
In the last week of June, the San Francisco Giants were struggling, way under .500. Since that time, the Giants have gone 18-5, and 32-18 since June 1st ,to climb back in the NL wild-card race. The Giants now sit just two and a half games back from the Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs. San Francisco went from being possibly sellers at the trade deadline to now maybe even looking to add key players to the roster.
Pitchers Madison Bumgarner and Will Smith were trade targets for other teams, now they both seem to be off the table. Although the roster still has many holes, the Giants mid-season turn around is outstanding for a team that was pretty much written off. Many rightly wonder how it all came to be.
Young Players Injecting Life
The Giants were struggling to score runs. Players like Brandon Crawford and Buster Posey were scuffling, so San Francisco decided to call up some of their young players. Despite no huge stars among that group, it’s worked.
Young guys like Mike Yastrzemski and Alex Dickerson have provided a spark. Yastrzemski is batting .253 with nine home runs, and despite a near demotion, a hot streak kept him in the big leagues. Dickerson meanwhile is batting .395 with six home runs and 22 RBIs in just 27 games
Along with the young guys, some other veterans have stepped up as well. Brandon Crawford had eight total RBIs in doubleheader games against the Colorado Rockies earlier this month; surprisingly, Pablo Sandoval has put together a solid season – his 11th inning go-ahead homer gave the Giants the lead against the San Diego Padres in a big momentum game last week.
Bumgarner and Bullpen Stepping Up
Madison Bumgarner was struggling to start the season but has since turned it around. In his last six starts, he has posted a 2.00 ERA. We all know what Bumgarner can do when he is locked in, so Giants players and fans should be very happy the team elected not to trade the workhorse.
The Giants bullpen is one of the best in the league. Led by Sam Dyson (4-1, 2.52 ERA) and closer Will Smith (25 saves, 65 Ks in 45.1 IP), and bolstered by starter-turned-long-man Drew Pomeranz, San Francisco’s pen is very deep. This plays out in their stellar record in close games: 25-10 in one-run games, and 11-2 in extra innings game this season.
Can They Pull It Off?
For the Giants to stay in the playoff hunt, they will need to continue to hit and get better starting pitching (which has struggled at times). But, if San Francisco can manage to stay in the race, they might get a late season boost in the form of Johnny Cueto, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Cueto pitched quite decently (3.28 ERA in nine starts) last season before getting shut down.
It’s hard to say if this run is sustainable. Just when it looks like they might be the real deal, the team struggles to score runs against a mediocre opponent – and yet, they seem always to find a way to win the game. This season brings back memories of the t-o-r-t-u-r-e Giants from 2010, when every night seemed to be a nail-biter, but somehow they came out on top more often than not. Despite a tough 1-2 showing against the Phillies – and this being an odd year – I feel the Giants can sustain this run of exciting, frequently-winning baseball, and make a serious run at a Wild Card spot.
-Lamar Fields
