Giants' Struggles Continue with Sloppy August

The nightmarish 2017 season took another step towards finally being over for the San Francisco Giants as the month of August came to a close. An even 40-games behind the division-leading Dodgers entering September has left the Giants officially mathematically eliminated from Postseason contention. And though the month of August was once again filled with more bad than good, the first two weeks looked rather promising. 

After taking 2 of 3 against their Bay Area rivals in Oakland, the Giants would pull off a winning homestand by notching back-to-back series wins for the first time since May, doing so against two teams vying for a playoff spot no less in the Diamondbacks and Cubs. Unfortunately, they would follow up that homestand with a losing road trip by dropping two of three in both Washington and Miami, including a crushing defeat in the rubber-match of a double-header against the Nationals as Nats left fielder Howie Kendrick delivered a walk-off Grand Slam in the 11th inning to hand the Giants the series loss. In that Washington series, San Francisco's lone win would be recorded by right-handed starter and former first round pick Chris Stratton. In what would be a fine month of August for the Giants farmhand, the 27-year old would have his most impressive outing yet against the Nats as he struck out 10 Washington hitters over 6 2/3 shutout innings. Going 2-1 in the month with an earned run average of 1.52 in four August starts, Stratton would watch his season ERA dip from 6.63 to 3.82. And his only loss suffered would be a tough one as he allowed only two runs against Arizona but wasn't given a single run of support. With a solid September to finish off 2017, Stratton could make a strong case for a spot in the Giants' starting rotation next season.

Seeking their first winning month since June of last season when the Giants went 17-10, Bruce Bochy's ball club appeared to be headed in the right direction after a seven game homestand in which they split four games against the lowly Phillies and took two of three from the Brewers. But losses in 6 of their last 7 games including a sweep at the hands of the D-Backs in Arizona would put a dent in those hopes. Another pair of losses to the Padres and a series-opening loss at home on the final day of August would spell yet another losing month as the Giants fell to 13-16 in August and 53-83 overall. By losing two of three in San Diego, the Giants dropped their fifth consecutive series against the Padres who have owned their Bay Area counterparts to the tune of an 11-5 record this season. What stood out most in their lackluster series at Petco Park was the Giants' inability to deliver with runners in scoring position as they went a dismal 4-for-33 and were shutout in the series finale. As for the one game the Giants did prevail in, it would take one of the better pitching performances of the year from a Giants starters as Jeff Samardzija went the distance and tossed a complete-game shutout while allowing only three hits, no walks and striking out five. It would be the fourth shutout of Samardzija's career and only the second by a Giants hurler all year.

From one pitcher to another, staff ace Madison Bumgarner who was slated to start in the series-opener against St. Louis was scratched just hours before game time with flu-like symptoms. Making the spot start in MadBum's place was Matt Cain who suffered a career-high 10th consecutive loss. But it wasn't for a lack of trying as the Giants offense simply failed to back him as he gave up a pair of runs over five innings pitched. What started off as a rebound season for Cain who notched an impressive April, has now taken a nosedive as he suffered his worst calendar month of the season (7.90 ERA) and his streak of 10 consecutive losses is the longest active streak of its kind in the Majors. 

For the final calendar month of the regular season, the Giants will try to fend off becoming the first team in franchise history since 1985 to record 100-losses. But with seven of the team's nine remaining series against teams jockeying for position in the pennant race, it's unlikely they'll be able to avoid that dubious feat. With 26 games remaining, the Giants must win at least 10 of those to avoid the dreadful 100-loss mark. Needing every bit of help they can get, San Francisco will open September with three more games against the Cardinals and for whatever reason the NL Central is the lone division the Giants have had success against this season having gone 17-14 against NL Central opponents. And next on the mound to face them will be Johnny Cueto who last pitched in a Giants uniform on July 14 after missing all of August with a strained right flexor tendon suffered while making a rehab start on July 31. The Giants will surely welcome him back with open arms as he looks to finish strong in what's been a disappointing 2017 campaign for Cueto who led the team in wins a season ago with 18.


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