A Blockbuster Trade for Buster, Giants

 

Twas a Happy Father's Day for all fans of the San Francisco Giants, whether you're actually a father or not after the news broke of a blockbuster trade that sent All-Star slugger Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox to the Bay Area. With more than a month before the MLB trade deadline and the Giants at 41-31 in a neck and neck battle for first place out west with the rival Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco took the field on Sunday for their rubber-match against their longtime foe trailing by only 1 game. But just 20-minutes before first pitch of a game that was nationally televised on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, Giants skipper Bob Melvin would be forced to call an audible as left-handed pitcher Kyle Harrison who was slated to be his starting pitcher was pulled from the bullpen during his warmup session after learning that he would be one of the centerpieces of the trade for Devers. In addition to Harrison, the Giants also sent right-handed pitcher Jordan Hicks and prospects Jose Bello (reliever) and James Tibbs III (outfielder) to Boston, the 13th overall pick in last July's Draft. 

For a team that has touted the best bullpen in the Bigs and a starting pitching staff that has been plenty solid, the Giants offense on the other hand hasn't necessarily delivered their end of the bargain, sitting at 24th in batting average and 20th in both doubles and home runs. Much to the displeasure of Giants fans who have expressed their frustration on social media (myself included). Buster Posey has heard those cries loud and clear and in his first year as President of Baseball Operations in San Francisco, has now answered them by making the type of trade that could change the landscape of the entire organization. The addition of Devers gives the Giants the superstar slugger they've tried so desperately to land over the last several off-seasons but have struck out. Despite signing shortstop Willy Adames this past December to the most lucrative contract in franchise history (7-years, $182 Million), they had whiffed on all the big fish they had attempted to catch prior, including Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper and Shohei Ohtani just to name a few. Landing Devers now will help alleviate some of that pain and will leapfrog Adames as the highest-paid Giant ever. After signing a 10-year extension with the Red Sox in 2023 worth $313.5 Million dollars, San Francisco will take on the remaining $250 Million-plus of Devers' contract. 

Hitting .272 on the year with 15 home runs belted and 58 RBI, Devers automatically becomes the most feared hitter in the lineup and will depart from his time in Boston with his last hit as a member of the Red Sox being a home run against the archrival Yankees just hours before the team decided to send him packing. With experience at both third base and DH, Dever figures to start at third base in the absence of Platinum Glove-winner Matt Chapman who is expected to miss several weeks with a hand injury, before Devers likely makes the switch to DH or first base. While the deal hasn't been received well by Red Sox Nation on social media, Devers' last few weeks in Boston didn't leave the best taste in the mouth of the Red Sox front-office after both sides failed to see eye to eye following the addition of All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman back in February which led to Devers' initial refusal to move from the hot corner to accommodate Bregman. While Devers would eventually bite the bullet to allow Bregman to play third, the damage was already done. Things only soured further after Devers was asked to move again from DH to first base following a season-ending injury suffered by Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas, which Devers again refused. In the hours after dealing Devers, Boston's front-office admitted they weren't shopping him around but were listening to offers when San Francisco came knocking. 

Turning the attention to Boston, both Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks have had their ups and downs in San Francisco and will welcome a clean slate in bean town. Following a dazzling Minor League career and being called up to the Majors in 2023 and becoming the second youngest Giants starter since Madison Bumgarner at the young age 22, Harrison had shown flashes in a Giants uniform but hadn't panned out to be one of the top young arms in their starting rotation like they had hoped. Failing to make the team's Opening Day roster in 2025, Harrison began the year in the Minors before being called up in May to mainly serve out of the bullpen. Meanwhile, Hicks who signed a 4-year, $44 Million dollar contract with the Giants in 2024, began his tenure with the Giants absolutely on fire having been converted from a reliever to a starting pitcher. However, his blazing hot start began to fizzle out once the season wore. Once the temperatures began to rise, so to did his ERA. Opening 2025 as a starter again, Hicks again got off to a hot start as a member of the starting rotation before being demoted back to the bullpen. Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey will try to work his magic to help turn both pitchers around and steer them in the right direction after having served on the Giants' coaching staff under the same title from 2020-23. 

As for the prospects, Tibbs may be the only part of the deal that will be tough to see go from a Giants standpoint given his potential and the Giants' luck or lack thereof in developing young sluggers from within their farm system, but even then this was a deal Buster had to make to help turn the tide. Tibbs, 22, is a power-hitting outfielder that was selected 13th overall by the Giants in last year's MLB Draft and could be MLB ready as early as next year. Elsewhere, Jose Bello is a 20-year old right-handed pitcher that was signed by the Giants out of the Dominican in 2023 as an international free-agent at the age of 17. Expected to be a reliever, Bello is still many years away from being Major League-ready according to his scouting report. 

As the summer months begin to heat up, the same could be said for Devers who is swinging a hot bat and will have a chance to stick it to his former team as San Francisco hosts Boston this coming weekend for a 3-game series at Oracle Park.  

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The Giants are Baseball's Best 1.5 Months in

A month and a half into the 2021 MLB season and it's the San Francisco Giants who own the best record in all of baseball at 22-14 entering May 12, much to the surprise of, well, everyone. Sitting atop the National League West and playing alongside the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers who continue to add and develop star talent, as well as the juggernaut San Diego Padres who won the offseason with several big name acquisitions, it's the Giants who have took the league by storm with their red-hot start. Closing in on their 29-31 record from 2020 when the Giants fell one win shy of clinching a playoff berth just a year ago in the pandemic-shortened season which would've been their first trip to the postseason since 2016, manager Gabe Kapler's team of outcasts appears to be a little more well-rounded this time around despite a veteran-heavy lineup. 

While the orange and black continue to take advantage of a slumping Dodgers team and a banged up Padres squad that has been riddled up and down the lineup with Covid issues, the argument can only go so far when crying fluke as SF stands above the rest with an MLB-best 14-4 record at home. Having flourished in large part thanks to an impressive pitching staff which has pitched brilliantly to the tune of a 3.34 team ERA which ranks 6th in all of baseball, starters Kevin Gausman (3-0, 1.97 ERA) and Anthony DeSclafani (2-1, 2.40 ERA) have helped lead the way for the Giants, as both are in the top-20 in lowest-ERA's among starting pitchers. Another surprise -- the club has also slugged their way into the top-5 in team home runs with 47 long balls. Among those suppling the power inside the lineup is none other than former MVP Buster Posey. The 6-time All-Star catcher has enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence this season and is swinging a hot stick to this point in his return after missing all of the 2020 season due to the pandemic. Hitting .385 on the year, the now 34-year old Posey shares a team-lead with 8 home runs on the year, tied with teammate Brandon Belt (8), three behind the league-leader. Shortstop and fellow-Giant Brandon Crawford is not far behind with 7 HR's. 

Only the St. Louis Cardinals who share a 22-14 record atop the NL Central can boast about owning the best winning percentage (.611) in all of baseball. However, the Giants currently stand above the Redbirds as they own a +31 run differential compared to St. Louis' +28 entering Wednesday. After a short two-game sweep of the Texas Rangers which concluded on Tuesday at San Francisco's Oracle Park, the Giants will turn their attention to a pair of NL Central division foes when they embark on an 8-game road trip to face the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds, before getting their first crack at the archrival Dodgers. Having already surpassed the expectations of many around the game of baseball, the question now turns to whether or not the Giants can sustain their surprisingly hot start as they begin to receive contributions from a number of other players including starting pitcher Logan Webb and the recently acquired Mike Tauchman in the outfield. 

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San Francisco Giants Month in Review: April 2019

Beginning their 2019 campaign and final season under skipper Bruce Bochy with an aging roster and a new general manager in Farhan Zaidi, the San Francisco Giants would open the year with a 7-game road trip against division rivals San Diego and Los Angeles. Expected to take a leap forward and improve upon their 2018 season, the Padres welcomed the Giants into town by taking 3 of 4 from San Francisco to kick start their best start to a season since 2012 as Bruce Bochy's ball club was asleep at the wheel on offense and was held to a whopping 5-runs in the four-game set. San Diego managed to quiet the Giants' bats and set a new franchise record for the most consecutive scoreless innings to begin a season with 17, before a solo home run in the ninth inning by third baseman Evan Longoria stopped the bleeding and finally put San Francisco on the board nearly two full games in.

To put their woes and inexperience into perspective, Bochy's Opening Day outfield which consisted of rookie Connor Joe in left field, Steven Duggar in center and Michael Reed playing in right, the starting pitcher for that day -- Madison Bumgarner, began the season with 15 more career home runs than the trio of outfielders combined. The Giants ace would add another long ball to his career total (18) in the series against the Dodgers with his 18th career dinger which moved him into 20th on the all-time home runs list among pitchers. However, the Giants would suffer a similar fate during their first trip to Chavez Ravine, claiming the series-opener against the hated Dodgers, before dropping the next two. In the series-opener, the lone game of the series that the Giants would reign victorious, both Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt notched career double No. 200. The team would also make one of their first moves of the season by acquiring outfielder and defensive wiz Kevin Pillar from Toronto via trade in exchange for right-handed pitchers Juan De Paula, Derek Law and infielder Alen Hanson. Pillar, who grew up just a stones throw away from Dodger Stadium in nearby West Hills, California, and was the longest tenured Blue Jay at the time of his trade at 6+ years, would make his presence felt in the Giants' first home stand.

After dropping 2 of 3 in the Giants' home-opening series against the Tampa Bay Rays, Pillar smashed his first career grand slam in the team's next series against the Padres. It would also mark the first grand slam for the Giants since April 7, 2017 as they went all of last season without one. Unfortunately, the grand salami which gave the Giants a 5-0 lead, wouldn't be enough to fend off a Padres comeback, even with Bumgarner on the mound as the Friars stormed back to steal the victory, 6-5. In the same game, Bumgarner moved up the ranks and surpassed Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry for the 7th spot on the franchise's all-time strikeout leader board with 1,607. The Giants would redeem themselves the following day with a 7-2 win aided by another 4 RBI day for the recently acquired Pillar. With back to back games with 4 RBI's, Pillar would continue to make an immediate impact and joined some elite company by becoming the first Giant since Barry Bonds to drive in 4+ runs in consecutive games. But after losing the rubber-match to the Padres the following day, the Giants' dismal start would mark the first time in 36 years that they dropped each of their first four series to begin a season.

Better results would come in their next series as San Francisco played host to a four-game set against the Colorado Rockies. Taking each of the first three games, including an 18-inning marathon that finished with a walk-off celebration, the Giants failed to complete the sweep, but were satisfied with their first series victory. In the 18-inning win, the first for the Giants since 1933 when they still called New York home, both teams saw a combined 501 pitches thrown as the Giants set a franchise record with the most combined strikeouts in a game with 24, surpassing the previous mark of 22 K's during a 23 inning affair on the road against the Mets in 1964. Backup catcher Erik Kratz who caught all 18 innings, served up the deciding blow by driving in Brandon Belt with a bases loaded fielders-choice and becoming the first catcher to catch at least 18 innings and deliver the game-winning RBI in the same game since Bob Boone of the Angels on April 13, 1982 against Seattle. The game also tied the longest game in Oracle Park history, an 18-inning match against the Arizona Diamondbacks back on May 29, 2001. The team's first road trip out east, would see stops in the nation's capital and the Steel City before heading up north to Canada for a visit with the Blue Jays. The Giants were able to bookend their meetings against the Nats and Bucs with wins. And in the first of which, a 7-3 victory in Washington D.C., the Giants clubbed three homers off of Nats All-Star Stephen Strasburg, a rare feat as the former number one overall pick had only allowed three homers in a game on two other occasions in his 209 previous starts.

Dropping the next two against the Nationals, the Giants began play in rainy Pittsburgh where the Pirates handed the Giants another pair of losses, including a rain-shortened game that was called after only five innings played and a 3 hour rain delay. San Francisco would avoid being swept in Pittsburgh for the first time since 2008 with a win on Easter Sunday behind pitcher Dereck Rodriguez who improved to 3-0 on the road thanks to a 3-run homer to center field by Buster Posey which ended a homer-less drought that would span 236 at-bats and marked his first HR since June 19, 2018 vs Miami. The homer that came in the fifth inning would also be the first of Posey's career hit against the Pirates. A short two-game stop in Toronto saw the return of fan favorite Kevin Pillar in front of a Blue Jays fan base that serenaded him with a standing ovation. The Giants bats would awake for four homers in the first game, before Drew Pomeranz pitched a shutout as the G-Men pulled off the two-game sweep. A return home to host the New York Yankees for only the second time in Oracle Park history, the Giants were rudely greeted by a banged up Bronx Bombers team that still managed to pull off the three-game sweep. However, one positive would be that the Giants would finally put an end to their dubious National League record of 25 games without a first inning run to start a season, second in baseball history to only the American League's 1948 Chicago White Sox who went 28 consecutive games to start a season without. With a sacrifice-fly in the first inning to drive in Tyler Austin, Buster Posey would put a dagger in the unwanted distinction.

The Giants would get a chance to redeem themselves as the Dodgers came into town for a three-game set. And in a hard-fought Game 1, the Giants rallied against their archrivals as Evan Longoria connected with his biggest hit in a Giants uniform, a bases-clearing double in the 7th inning that led to the 3-2 come-from-behind victory. After the Dodgers slugged their way to a 10-3 victory in Game 2, the Giants took two of three from their bitter rivals as Buster Posey supplied the game-winning hit with an RBI single that scored Steven Duggar from second base and lifted San Francisco over the Dodgers in walk-off fashion. For the Giants, the walk-off victory was the second of the season for Posey and company and was the eighth of Buster's career, third against Los Angeles which tied him with Matt Williams for the most walk-off hits as a Giant against the Dodgers since both teams relocated from New York to California. And though ace Madison Bumgarner received a no-decision in the win, the outing which saw him toss 6 innings of 1 run ball and strikeout 8, was a welcoming sight considering he was coming off a bad start against the Yankees in which he surrendered a career-high 11-hits.

Following their series-victory over L.A., the Giants improved to 13-18 on the year, but remain in last place in the NL West. The first week of May is likely to be a tough one for the Giants who begin a 7-game road trip with four games in Cincinnati before heading to the Mile High City to face the Rockies. And while the Reds are also cellar dwellers in their respective division at 12-17 entering the month of May, we all know how unfriendly the Reds' home of Great American Ballpark can be to opposing pitchers and the same could be said for the high altitude at Colorado's Coors Field. The Giants will look to turn things around in both places as they try to right the ship.


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Giants Month in Review: August 2018

Before the San Francisco Giants would even take the field in the series-opener against the division-leading Arizona Diamondbacks on August 2, the month would get off to an unfortunate start as the team learned they would be without both Johnny Cueto and Pablo Sandoval for the remainder of the season as both players were ruled out with injuries just a day apart. With Johnny Cueto needing Tommy John surgery and Pablo Sandoval suffering a significant tear in his right hamstring, the two injuries would only make things harder for a team looking to gain ground in the standings. An 8-1 win over the D-Backs would help brighten the mood, but back to back losses would force the Giants to hope for a series split which they would succeed at, sandwiching the four-game set with a win in the finale.

Hoping to carry some momentum into their next series as the Giants returned home for a short two-game series to host the defending champion Houston Astros who were without several key cogs in their offense. Instead, the Giants were humbled on consecutive days as the bullpen failed to close out a pair of stellar starts from starters Dereck Rodriguez and Madison Bumgarner. The loss in the opener would prove to be one of the more heart-wrenching losses of the season as the Giants took a 1-0 lead into the ninth inning before calling on closer Will Smith to shut the door. With 2-outs in the first inning and two runners on, Smith had the Astros down to their final out before second baseman Marwin Gonzalez launched a 3-run shot to left, shocking the AT&T Park faithful. Prior to the blown save, the Giants had a record of 46-2 when leading after 8 innings until Smith's hiccup as he surrendered his first home run in a Giants uniform. Going seven strong innings in which he allowed only 3 hits, walked none and struck out 7, Rodriguez's impressive outing would result in a no-decision after having a win stripped away. Bumgarner would pitch just as well in Game 2 the following day, tossing seven shutout frames before reliever Ray Black spoiled things in the 8th inning by allowing a 2-run home run to Houston first baseman Tyler White as the 'Stros left San Francisco with the 2-game sweep.

With a day off before beginning a four-game series against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates, the Giants would need to regroup and solve a team who they've lost 12 of their last 17 games against in AT&T Park. After a 10-5 loss in the series-opener, the Giants answered with a 13-run outburst in Game 2, winning in a 13-10 slugfest in which San Francisco would bat around twice in a game for only the second time this season as they sent nine batters to the plate in the first inning and ten in the third. Buster Posey led the charge with his 18th career 4-hit game and second on the season as every starter managed to hit safely and score at least once including pitcher Derek Holland. Giants hitters would force a season-high 11 walks in the ballgame, the most since August 8, 2016 at Miami, four of them by Andrew McCutchen who drew a career-high four walks for the third time in his career and first since 2015. But in Game 3, a day in which the Giants would honor the all-time home run leader Barry Bonds by retiring his jersey number 25, the Giants offense appeared to have used all of their runs the night before as they were shutout by a final of 4-0. Thankfully, another dazzling start by Dereck Rodriguez (7 innings, 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 earned run and 4 strikeouts) would aid the Giants in salvaging the final game to split the four-game set.

Next on tap would be a trip to Dodger Stadium to renew rivalries with the archrival Dodgers. What started off as a classic pitchers duel between Madison Bumgarner and Clayton Kershaw in the series-opener, soon turned into a meltdown of bullpens as L.A. appeared to be on track for a 2-1 win before the Giants scratched four runs across the board in the 9th inning. Down to their final out, San Francisco rallied against Scott Alexander who filling in for Kenley Jansen, allowed a go-ahead 2-run single to the pinch-hitting Nick Hundley. The Giants would strike for another pair of runs via a Gorkys Hernandez RBI single and a fielding error by first baseman Max Muncy, helping San Francisco steal the 5-2 victory. Game 2 of the series would feature just as much drama as both teams' starting pitchers pitched well before the Giants scored in the 9th inning to pull out the 2-1 win. But it was what took place in the 7th inning that would steal the headlines as the Giants and Dodgers partook in another benches-clearing fracas. No surprise, right?

Things got testy when Giants catcher Nick Hundley had some choice words for Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig who appeared to throw a fit after fouling off a pitch he thought he should've taken deep. With Bumgarner on the mound the night before who's had his fair share of history with Puig in the past, the bombastic outfielder made a similar gesture which left MadBum shaking his head. But after doing it for a second consecutive night, Hundley finally did the baseball world a favor by telling Puig to quit his complaining and return to the batters box which Puig took exception to before engaging in a shoving match. And while Hundley showed restraint, Puig went berserk, taking a swipe at the Giants catcher despite being held back by several of his Dodgers teammates as well as Dodger skipper Dave Roberts. Both players would be separated before both were issued an ejection. For their actions in the dust up, Puig would receive a two-game suspension and Hundley would be fined, but the real damage would be done to that of Dereck Rodriguez who sustained a hamstring injury during the fray, landing him on the 10-day disabled-list. It would serve as quite the blow with the Giants playing catch-up and already without starters Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto. The Dodgers would avoid the sweep with a 4-3 extra-inning win in Game 3.

Just when the Giants appeared to be in line for a favorable match-up against the lowly Cincinnati Reds, whatever sliver of hope that remained in the Giants playoff chances took a big hit as Cincy pulled off the three-game sweep. Making the trip to Cincinnati's Great American Ballpark, appropriately nicknamed "Great American Smallpark" for its offensive-friendly dimensions, that didn't appear to be the case for the G-Men as they managed to only score one run in each of the first two games and were outscored 20-6 overall en route to a three-game sweep despite the Reds being without their best hitter in Joey Votto for the entire three-game series. The Giants would give a much better showing in their next series in New York as they squared off with the Mets in four. After a struggle-filled win in the series-opener which the Giants would win 2-1 in 13-innings with the help of some poor defense and an error that scored the winning run, the Mets would claim Games 2 and 3. But in the series-finale, San Francisco would turn to ace Madison Bumgarner who's had ownage on the Mets in Citi Field thoughout his career. MadBum improved his scoreless-inning streak to 33 in Queens before allowing a solo home run to Todd Frazier. The solo dinger would be the only blemish on the day for Bumgarner who tossed 8 innings of 5-hit ball, walking none and striking out eight as he out-dueled NL Cy Young candidate Jacob deGrom and also drove in the winning-run with an RBI double in the Giants' series-splitting, 3-1 win.

Returning home for the start of an 11-game homestand beginning with a rematch of the 2010 World Series against the Texas Rangers, the Giants would get another strong outing from rookie pitcher Dereck Rodriguez, allowing 2 earned runs over 6 innings pitched. But while D-Rod appeared to be in line to get his seventh win of the season, the Giants bullpen failed to hold the lead and San Francisco's 6-0 advantage quickly evaporated, giving up five runs in the last four innings before dropping the game in the 10th inning, 7-6. The loss would be just the latest heart-breaking defeat suffered by the bullpen in the last month, but a bounce back performance in Games 2 and 3 would allow the Giants to take the series. Game 2 would witness the Giants tally a pair of homers for the first time at home since June 19, a span of 30 games, putting into perspective just how serious San Francisco's recent power outage has been. And on a day the ball club celebrated their 8-year anniversary of the 2010 World Series triumph, the Giants would get their revenge after spoiling the series-opener. Sadly, it would be the last series of the season for catcher Buster Posey who was shutdown before Sunday's finale to undergo surgery to repair the ailing hip that caused him to sit out of July's All-Star Game. With a recovery timetable of six months, Posey is expected to be ready in time for camp next season. Prior to being shutdown, Posey had hit .284 on the season with five home runs and 41 RBI's.

Hosting Arizona for a three-game meeting, the Giants would look to pull off a bit of a late-season miracle as well as hopefully play the role of spoiler. They would do just that in at least two of the three games, as Giants pitching put together back to back shutouts to take the series, the second of which on a walk-off as the pinch-hitting Gorkys Hernandez supplied all the offense needed with the first walk-off hit of his career, sending the first and only pitch he saw to left field with a single to score Steven Duggar from second base, snapping the scoreless tie. The shutout win would mark the ninth straight start by the Giants starting pitching staff with an ERA below 2.00. With Arizona scuffling at the plate, the D-Backs would see their struggles hit 25 consecutive scoreless-innings before finally scoring a run in the third inning of Game 3, a game in which they would salvage and fend off the three-game sweep with a 3-1 victory. Pitcher Dereck Rodriguez would suffer the loss and though he would only allow three runs over 5 innings pitched, it was clear he didn't have his best stuff as he gave up five hits and walked four, snapping a streak of nine consecutive starts of allowing two runs or less. Despite the loss, the Giants managed to win the season series against Arizona, 11-8.

Set to finish the month of August with the first of three games against the Mets, the Giants received some unfortunate news regarding outfielder Steven Duggar who appeared to hurt his shoulder in the series against Arizona while diving back to second base on a close play. An MRI would reveal a torn labrum in Duggar's left shoulder which would put an end to his 2018 rookie campaign. The team would also say goodbye to one of their most productive hitter this year as they dealt Andrew McCutchen to the New York Yankees in exchange for two prospects -- infielder Abiatal Avelino and right-handed pitcher Juan De Paula. A free-agent at the end of the season, San Francisco shipped 'Cutch to a playoff contender that had been in talks with Giants brass as far back as before the July 31st trade deadline. With the two teams unable to make a deal at that time, the Yanks made sure to capitalize on their second and final opportunity, acquiring the former MVP and 5-time All-Star just in time to make him eligible for the team's October roster, if  the Yankees do in fact make the postseason. As of September 1, New York currently sits 7.5 games behind the first place Red Sox in the AL East, while holding a 5.5 game cushion for the American League's top Wild Card spot. At the time of his departure, McCutchen led the team in games (130), doubles (28), runs (65), walks (73), home runs (15) and RBI's (55).

The McCutchen trade coupled with the injury to Duggar would open the door for the Giants to kick the tires on their No. 4 prospect Chris Shaw who Bruce Bochy and company will get an extended look at in the final month of the season, as well as catcher Aramis Garcia, both of whom would be called up in time for the series-opener against the Mets. With Bochy wasting no time to plug them into the lineup, the duo would make their debuts together in a 7-0 win over the Mets. Both players would contribute in the victory, and with much of the hype surrounding the power of Shaw who finished 0-for-2 with a sac-fly, it was Garcia who stole the show. Carrying a 1-0 lead into the eighth inning, Garcia kicked things off with a lead-off home run to make it 2-0, San Francisco, becoming only the second Giants catcher since 1919 to homer for his first career hit (Eliezer Alfonzo 6/2/2006 also vs the Mets). With the Giants tacking on four more runs and batting around in the inning, Garcia would connect on an RBI single to become the first player in Giants franchise history to record the first two hits of his career in the same inning. With Garcia's help, the offense would back arguably the best outing of rookie pitcher Andrew Suarez's career -- 7 innings, 2 hits, 0 walks, 0 runs, 4 strikeouts. Having Garcia behind the dish might've had something to do with that considering the two were teammates in the Minors and even before that back in High School as the pair grew up in south Florida together.

Collectively, the Giants finished the month of August with a record of 13 wins and 14 losses and currently sit at an even 68-68 on the year. Entering the final calendar month of the season, the Giants have 26 games remaining and sit in fourth place in the NL West behind the Diamondbacks, Dodgers and Rockies, yet only trail by 6.5 games in the division. And while the first two games of September will be against the lowly Mets, the Giants still have trips to Colorado, Milwaukee and St. Louis on the calendar, all of whom are fighting for playoff spots in the NL. Not to mention the Braves, Rockies and Dodgers are all slated to pay AT&T Park a visit one more time this season. The only sub-par team that the Giants will see in the final month are the Padres who the Giants will see both at home and on the road before the end of the regular season. So if the Giants have yet to play their best baseball of the season and hope to stand a chance in pulling off a comeback in time for the postseason, they'll need to show it down the stretch against some formidable opponents and without one of their offensive leaders in Buster Posey.


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Giants Month in Review: July 2018

Closing out the month of July strong, the Giants kick started August with a win over the rival Diamondbacks to complete their three-game sweep in the desert. Slated to visit the Mile High City to conclude their six-game road trip with a trio of games against the Colorado Rockies, the Giants were hoping to keep that momentum rolling into Denver where the baseball gods have been none too kind lately to the team from San Francisco. Instead, Bruce Bochy's ball club would suffer much of the same fate that has recently hurt them in the past as the Giants were swept after scoring a measly three runs all series, a franchise-worst for a three-game series at the usually hitter-friendly Coors Field where the Giants have now lost 14 of 16 games. It would also mark the lowest output in a three-game series for the Giants since June 12-14, 2015, at Arizona. The series-finale, an 8-1 loss, was only the seventh game in franchise history in which the Giants failed to log a single extra-base hit at Coors Field and the first since May 19, 2013.

Looking forward to returning home to AT&T Park where the Giants had done most of their winning this year, Buster Posey and company would begin a 10-game home stand by hosting the visiting St. Louis Cardinals for a four-game series. Even more exciting would be the return of hurler Johnny Cueto who would return to a big league mound for the first time since April 28. But unlike his first five outings of the season as he dazzled to an MLB-best 0.84 ERA, Cueto who had allowed only three runs all year up to that point, would be forced to shake off the cobwebs since his elbow injury and would be welcomed back rather rudely as St. Louis scratched five runs across the board thru the first two innings. It would only get uglier from there as the Giants were trounced by a final of 11-2. After splitting each of the next two games, San Francisco would get a big game from backup third baseman Pablo Sandoval who logged his third career 5 RBI game and first since September 4, 2013, as the Giants pulled away with the 13-8 victory to split the four-game set. Boston fans have got to be scratching their heads as Sandoval who was acquired by the Giants after being released by the Red Sox a year ago, did not have more than 3 RBI in a single game during his 161-game stint in a Boston uniform. Not to mention the team is still paying him.

Following their series with St. Louis, the Giants would take part in a trade by shipping outfielder Austin Jackson who had been struggling since signing a two-year deal with the Giants in the offseason, as well as relief pitcher Cory Gearrin and Minor League pitcher Jason Bahr to the Texas Rangers in exchange for a player to be named or cash. Continuing their streak of 16 consecutive games without a day off, the Giants would welcome the Cubs for a three-game series as Pandamania continued with a 2-1 walk-off victory in the 11th inning. Pablo Sandoval aka the "Kung-Fu Panda" capped off a pitchers duel between Chicago's Kyle Hendricks and Giants rookie Andrew Suarez, with a bases-loaded, RBI single that plated McCutchen and dismissed Cubs manager Joe Maddon's decision to employee a five-man infield. The Cubbies would get revenge the very next day with a 2-0 shutout victory, but the Giants would get the last laugh with yet another walk-off victory in the rubber-match. Buster Posey would prove to be the hero in the 13th inning as he welcomed rookie pitcher James Norwood who making his MLB debut, would serve the deciding blow as Posey's game-winning knock kicked off the wall in right to seal the 5-4 win. The walk-off would be the fifth of Buster's career and would give the Giants a league-high eight on the year.

As soon as the Giants appeared to be righting the ship in time for the All-Star break, they would square off with their bay area rivals -- the Oakland A's. And with a new Battle of the Bay trophy debuting and on the line for the winner of the season series between the two clubs, Game 1 would go to the Giants without any issue by way of a 7-1 final. But with the Athletics entering the series with a 53-41 record on the year, the series would prove to be no easy task as Oakland took each of the next two games to hand San Francisco their first series loss at home since April. Making matters worse, pitcher Jeff Samardzija would be placed on the disabled-list for the second time of the season just before the All-Star break. As for the All-Star Game itself, the Giants would see two of their own named to the Mid-Summer Classic roster as shortstop Brandon Crawford made his second career All-Star appearance after being named a starter for the first time in his career. Crawford would be joined by Buster Posey who although he would elect to sit out from participating in any All-Star festivities while nursing an injured hip, would be named to the All-Star team for the sixth time in his career.

With the All-Star break coming to an end, the Giants would see the Battle of the Bay series shift to Oakland where the Giants would once again open the series on top thanks to another strong line from rookie pitcher Dereck Rodriguez who twirled 6.1 innings of 3-hit ball, allowing only one run in the Giants' 5-1 triumph. Game 2, however, which featured a record crowd of 56,310 fans in attendance, the largest crowd to ever witness a baseball game at the Oakland Coliseum and the largest crowd in MLB this season, would tilt in the Athletics favor. After getting the win in Game 1 of the series in San Francisco, Madison Bumgarner would see better days on the mound than the performance he put together in the rematch as he walked a career-high six batters, including two with the bases loaded. He would see his MLB-best streak of 89 consecutive outings of at least 5 innings pitched come to an end as MadBum was pulled after failing to get thru the fifth inning. And though the Giants would rally in the ninth inning to send the game into extras, they would eventually lose in 11 innings. Oakland would ultimately take the series, claiming 2 of 3 games with a 10-inning thriller in the finale.

A short two-game trip to Seattle's Safeco Field would see the Giants and Mariners split before the Giants returned home for a four-game series against the playoff hopeful Milwaukee Brewers. After dropping the first two to Milwaukee, the Giants would fall below the .500 mark for the first time in over a month. One guy doing most of the damage for the Brewers was outfielder Christian Yelich who went berserk against Giants pitching by going 9-for-17 in the series with a pair of homers, five RBI and six runs scored. And though he would collect two hits in the series finale, the Giants managed to bypass Yelich's hot hitting and avoid the four-game sweep by salvaging game 4. With the victory, Giants skipper Bruce Bochy logged his 1,906th career victory, helping him surpass Casey Stengel and move into 11th place on baseball's all-time wins list among managers. Oddly enough, Bochy wouldn't even be present as he moved up the list of all-time winningest managers as he was in Cooperstown, New York, attending the Hall of Fame enshrinement for his former player while managing the San Diego Padres -- Trevor Hoffman. Instead, bench coach Hensley Meulens would fill-in for the absent Bochy.

Speaking of the Padres, the Giants would pay a visit to sunny San Diego for a short two-game meeting with the Friars to closeout the month of July. Having been a thorn in the side of the Giants for the past several seasons, Bochy's club was able to solve the Padres at least this time around as they completed the two-game sweep with consecutive extra-inning wins. And though they would finish July by going 11-14, they did end the month strong and managed to stay within striking distance in the division by bringing their winning-streak to three games and currently stand 55-54, 5 games behind the first place Diamondbacks. With the July 31 trade deadline approaching, the Giants were on both sides of the fence as potential buyers and sellers as team brass claimed they were buyers, but rumors began to swirl of a possible trade involving outfielder Andrew McCutchen. Instead, the Giants decided not to make any deadline moves.

But before the Giants would even touch the field in August, their month would get off to a rocky start as it was confirmed on August 1, that Johnny Cueto would need season-ending Tommy John surgery which he'll undergo on Aug. 2, sidelining him for approximately one year. It would be an unfortunate end to what began as a stellar season for Cueto who looked like the best pitcher in all of baseball before the injury, pitching to the tune of a 3-0 record and 0.84 ERA in five starts. After the injury, Cueto looked like one of the worst, going 0-2 and posting an ERA of 6.86 in the four starts following his return. A day and night difference for the 32-year old Dominican pitcher who team officials were fearing may need to undergo the season-ending procedure before a follow up confirmed it.

Madison Bumgarner will kick things off in August when the Giants pay a visit to Arizona for a three-game series versus the Diamondbacks as the Giants ace enters the game needing only one win to notch the 109th victory of his career which would tie him with 2-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum for fourth most in the franchises SF era as he already holds the Giants record for most career wins among lefties after moving past Kirk Rueter with his win over the Cardinals on July 8. He would pass Woody with ease, needing 39 fewer starts to leap the fan favorite who spent a decade in the Giants rotation. The series versus Arizona will kick start a streak of four consecutive series against teams either leading their respected divisions or with playoff aspirations, including the Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers.

San Francisco will have a chance to gain some ground on Arizona as they pay Chase Field a visit for the first time since their sweep at the end of July. However, the D-Backs who have begun playing winning baseball again, having won 7 of their last 10, will look to exact revenge from the recent sweep. Pittsburgh is suddenly right back in the thick of things after pulling off an 11-game winning-streak and are now back in the Wild Card hunt, trailing by 3.5 games. Houston seems to be slumping after showing some ill-effects by playing without their star middle infield as both Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve are on the shelf with injuries, but still have an impressive record of 69-41 despite dropping 6 of their last 10 games. And then there's the Dodgers who will look to showoff their new toy in All-Star third baseman Manny Machado who was acquired from the Baltimore Orioles. August will also feature the number retirement of Barry Bonds when the Giants host Pittsburgh, the team the 7-time MVP burst onto the scene with before becoming baseball's all-time home run leader.


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Giants Month in Review: June 2018

Finishing five games under .500 for the month of May and entering June with a record of 26-30 overall, the Giants were more than excited to turn the calendar to June for obvious reasons as it meant the return of the team's ace -- Madison Bumgarner. But before MadBum would make his season debut and return to the big leagues for the first time since suffering a broken pinky-finger in his final spring training outing, the Giants would exact revenge on a Philadelphia Phillies team that had embarrassed them less than a month earlier on the road. After being swept by the Phillies in four games, the Giants returned the favor by completing a three-game sweep of Philadelphia at AT&T Park, logging back to back shutout victories to kickoff the month of June and outscoring the opposition 12-1 in the series as rookie pitcher Dereck Rodriguez notched his first career win in the series finale.

Hosting the division-rival Arizona Diamondbacks for the next three games, the Giants would claim two of three as San Francisco finished the homestand with a record of 5-1. The lone defeat would be handed to Madison Bumgarner who in his season debut logged 6 innings in which he gave up two runs while walking none and striking out three. And while it would take him a few outings to shake off the cobwebs, it wouldn't be long before he began to resemble the Bumgarner of old by mowing down batters with strikeouts and putting up zeroes. Another highlight of the series would be that of Buster Posey who moved into 8th place on the Giants' all-time RBI list as he surpassed J.T. Snow with a 2-run double in Game 1 of the series vs Arizona for career RBI's 716 and 717, helping SF string together a season-best five-game winning-streak. Hitting the road for a 10-game road trip, the Giants' first stop along their journey would be in the nation's capital as the Giants took two of three from the Washington Nationals, including a 2-0 victory in the series-finale as Derek Holland out-dueled Max Scherzer. Shortstop Brandon Crawford who was hitting a league-best batting average of .439 since May 1 up to this point, provided all of the offense and fell a triple shy of the cycle, collecting four of San Francisco's five total hits to help the Giants claim the rubber-match as well as their first series victory at Nationals Park since 2010.

The loss by Scherzer would also end a streak of wins in nine straight decisions for the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner. We also finally saw the rematch between Giants reliever Hunter Strickland and Nats outfielder Bryce Harper, facing each other for the first time since their benches-clearing brawl a season ago. As expected, the rematch would be a lot less eventful as Strickland got Harper to hit a harmless ground out to second base, hopefully squashing their beef once and for all. But just as things were looking up for the G-Men, winners of 8 of their last 10, an ugly four-game series in Miami would be one Giants fans would prefer to forget. After dropping the first three games to the worst team in the National League, the Giants would avoid being swept by the last-place Marlins by salvaging the series-finale with a win in extra-innings as the two played on into a 16-inning marathon. Though the Giants would go on to win it by a final score of 6-3, they would lose their third baseman in the process as Evan Longoria took a pitch off his left hand that resulted in a fractured finger. The injury would require surgery and sideline the Giants third baseman for 6 to 8 weeks. It would also be in this series that Bumgarner would be ejected for the first time in his career after having some choice words for the home plate umpire as he exited his second outing of the season having allowed four earned runs in 5.1 innings.

Heading to Dodger Stadium for a three-game set against the arch-rival Dodgers, the Giants would drop the first two games before again avoiding the sweep and claiming a 4-1 victory in the series-finale on Father's Day, marking the first time in 12 games that the Giants would score more than two runs at Chavez Ravine. Returning home and hoping to build upon the win while also getting back at the visiting Marlins who nearly handed the Giants a four-game sweep, San Francisco would suffer their most disappointing loss of the season yet. After appearing to have solved Miami, the Giants took a 4-2 lead into the ninth inning before manager Bruce Bochy handed the ball off to closer Hunter Strickland who would suffer a meltdown both on and off the field as he failed to get the job done, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks in just 1/3 of an inning. The Giants would go on to lose the game, 5-4, and even worse, lost Strickland to injury as he punched a door in frustration, suffering a broken hand that would keep him shelved for 6 to 8 weeks. The heartbreaking loss would be a first for the Giants this season when leading after 8 innings as they were a perfect 31-0 entering the game. But they would manage to rebound and take the series over Miami by winning the next two.

A three-game series against the Padres would be kicked-off by a stellar outing from Madison Bumgarner who resembled the Bumgarner of old as he threw 8 shutout frames of three-hit baseball and struck out 8 in a 3-0 Giants victory, earning his first win of 2018. After splitting the next two games with San Diego, the Giants pulled off a come-from-behind victory in extras to take the series, three games to one. Falling behind 2-1 to the Padres in the 11th inning, it was the struggling Hunter Pence who proved to be the hero with a walk-off 2-run double to ascend the Giants over San Diego, 3-2. Next on the home stand for San Francisco would be the Colorado Rockies who entered the series hoping to be the first team to hand the Giants a series loss at AT&T Park since April, a streak of nine series victories and one tie. Instead, they would be just another statistic as the Giants won each of the first two games before failing to sweep and losing a wild one in the series-finale as the Rockies rallied in the ninth inning of a 9-8 final, snapping SF's five-game win-streak. In the second game of the series, MadBum logged another 7 shutout innings in which he gave up just two hits and walked a pair while totaling another 8 punch outs to bring his streak of consecutive scoreless innings to 16. Failing to receive any run support against Rockies starter Kyle Freeland who was also dealing (7 IP, 4 Hits, 1 Walk), Bumgarner received a no-decision but saw his team win as Brandon Crawford sent a solo homer deep into the night as the Giants walked-off with the 1-0 victory.

Finishing 7-3 on the home stand, the Giants would closeout the month of June on the road in the desert against the first-place Diamondbacks whom they would continue their winning ways against by sweeping Arizona in three-games. The series victory would be San Francisco's fourth straight, making them the hottest team in the National League, having won 8 of their last 10 games. Overall, the Giants finished the month of June with 18-wins and 10-losses, gaining 1 1/2 games in the standings as they enter July with a record of 45-40, tied with the Dodgers for second-place, 2.5 games behind the D-Backs. And though their team batting average took a dip from .260 in April-May to .242 in June, their runs per game saw a slight increase from 4.1 to 4.2. However, the team's biggest improvement was that of the pitching staff as their ERA dropped from 4.62 April-May to 2.70, the lowest ERA in the month of June for a Giants team since 1964. That number was aided in large part thanks to a pair of rookies as Andrew Suarez (2-0, 2.62) and Dereck Rodriguez (3-1, 3.21) have both stepped up and answered the call in place of the injured Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija. The young duo along with Chris Stratton (2-2, 3.55 ERA in June) figure to make for a tough decision for skipper Bruce Bochy on who to keep in the rotation and on the big league roster when Cueto and Samardzija return from the disabled-list.

The Giants will being July on the road in Denver as they look to continue their winning ways with Bumgarner on the mound. It'll be MadBum's first trip to Colorado with the team since a dirt-biking accident cost him two months on the disabled-list a season ago. Following the 3-game series in the Mile High City, the Giants will kickoff a 10-game home stand before the All-Star break. And with both Brandon Crawford and Buster Posey leading their respective positions in NL All-Star votes, the 2018 All-Star Game is one Giants fans won't want to miss.

Noteworthy: One other Giants highlight in the month of June was the MLB Draft as the Giants held the 2nd overall pick which they would use to select catcher Joey Bart out of Georgia Tech. Owning a top 5 pick for only the fifth time in franchise history, it would mark only the second time the Giants have ever had the 2nd overall selection and first since the 1985 MLB Draft when they selected as Will Clark out of Mississippi State University. Having been compared to their very own Buster Posey, San Francisco took the best player available and are hoping to have their catcher of the future after making Bart the highest draft pick ever selected out of Georgia Tech, eclipsing Kevin Brown who was selected 4th overall by the Texas Rangers in 1986.


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Giants Month in Review: May 2018

After closing out the month of April on a four-game winning streak and having won three consecutive series, the San Francisco Giants continued their winning ways into May. With a rubber-match victory over the Padres to take the series and finish the nine-game homestand with a 7-2 record, the Giants took to the road where they would complete their first road sweep of the season by stopping a red-hot Braves team in their tracks, which had won five straight before welcoming the G-Men to town. The Giants made themselves feel right at home by erupting for big innings in each of the first two games of the series, scoring early and often, outscoring Atlanta 20 to 6 with a 9-4 victory and a 11-2 victory before squeaking out a 4-3 win in the series finale and claiming their fifth consecutive series win. But their fun on the road trip would end there as the Giants headed to the City of Brotherly Love where they were embarrassed in four games and were shown no love by the Phillies.

The Fightin' Phils served up an 11-0 shellacking in the series-opener, putting a screeching halt to San Francisco's four-game win streak. And though the margin of victory would decrease in the next three games, the Giants would see the same outcome as they were outscored by Philly 32-8 in the series. The nightmarish series would mark Philadelphia's first four-game sweep of the Giants in Philly in 36 years, dating back to 1982. Thankfully the series-finale, a 6-3 loss, was only seen by fans who logged onto Facebook as the game was not shown on television and limited to only those who use the social media app. Phillies first baseman Carlos Santana who was signed as a free-agent during the offseason, provided a good portion of the offense in the series against the Giants, homering in three of the four games and collecting a whopping 13 RBIs. And as quiet as the Giants were on offense considering the bandbox stadium the Phillies call home, Philadelphia's pitching was exceptionally well, stymieing San Francisco's offense to the tune of a 1.46 ERA in 24 2/3 innings and striking out 40.

Just when the Giants couldn't get out of Philly fast enough, they would have to go from one side of Pennsylvania to the other as their road trip concluded in Pittsburgh against the Pirates. And San Francisco's luck wouldn't be much better there either after being handed an 11-2 beat down in the series-opener. The Giants would drop the first two games of the series before salvaging game 3 with a 5-0 victory on Mother's Day to snap the six-game skid, avoid the sweep and at least closeout the losing road trip (4-6) on a positive note. But the series versus the Pirates will be most remembered for Andrew McCutchen returning to Pittsburgh for the first time since being traded in the offseason after nine memorable seasons in a Bucs uniform. Receiving a standing ovation in each game, it's safe to say McCutchen is still very much loved in the Steel City. Despite the losing road trip, the Giants received a nice jolt on offense from backup second baseman Alen Hanson who filled in quite nicely for the injured Joe Panik, before landing on the disabled-list himself with a hamstring injury. Playing in nine of the ten games on the road before being shelved, Hanson clubbed three homers, drove in nine RBIs and hit .316 for the month of May.

Returning home for seven games, the Giants would play host to the Reds for a three game set, opening with a 10-7 victory. It would be this game that would feature hit No. 1,500 in the career of Andrew McCutchen, this coming a little over a week after Evan Longoria collected his 1,500th career hit, making them the 41st and 42nd players to record their 1,500th career hit while wearing a Giants uniform, the most of any franchise in all of baseball. It would be in this game that the Giants would also tie the mark for the most doubles hit in a game this season, collecting seven two-baggers, a feat that only the Cubs, Blue Jays and Tigers have matched so far in 2018. Another impressive feat would be that of Giants first baseman Brandon Belt who continued to feast off of Cincinnati pitching as he homered in all three games of the series, making it five consecutive games in which Belt has homered against the Reds dating back to May 13, 2007, giving him 12 career long balls versus Cincy, tied for the most he's hit against a single opponent (Arizona the other). His solid series against the Reds would help the Giants take the series two games to one, as well as earn him NL Player of the Week honors as he went 12-for-27 (.444 avg) with 5 HR, 11 RBI and 8 runs scored. For Belt who is on pace for a career year which will hopefully see him eclipse the 18 HR mark which he's reached twice in his career, it would be his second time receiving POTW honors and first since August 11, 2013.

With the Rockies in town for the first time in 2018, the Giants would host Colorado in a four-game series which they would eventually split after dropping each of the first two games. In the series-finale, Giants catcher Buster Posey would log his first triple since September 10, 2016, as the Giants won 9-5. Speaking of rare feats, a two-game trip to Houston to face the reigning World Series Champion Astros would witness a pair of relatives and former College teammates facing off against one another between Giants second baseman Brandon Crawford and Astros pitcher Gerrit Cole. With family in attendance, Cole who is married to Crawford's sister, would serve up a 2-run home run to his brother-in-law as Crawford provided the only offense the Giants would muster up in the series-opener. But Cole would get the last laugh, pitching a gem to get the win and becoming the fastest Astros pitcher to 100 strikeouts by innings pitched (67 IP). That would be all the excitement we would see from the Giants in this series as Houston pulled off the two-game sweep, outscoring SF 15-3.

A trip to the friendly confines to face the Cubs would prove to be not so friendly as San Francisco's woes at Wrigley Field continued. Having lost 9 of their last 11 games on the north side of Chicago entering the series, the Giants would drop two of three to the Cubbies before heading to the Mile High city and losing two of three to the Rockies. Finishing 2-6 on the road trip, the Giants were again able to end their woeful time away from home with a win, avoiding the sweep with a 7-4 victory, just their second win in the last 14 games at Coors Field. In the Colorado series, pitcher Jeff Samardzija who's had a forgetful 2018 season thus far after starting the year on the disabled-list and missing Spring Training, would be pulled from his start against the Rockies after pitching just one inning, allowing a pair of runs. Experiencing tightness in his throwing shoulder, Samardzija who has an ERA of over 6.50 this year and has been placed on the disabled-list, was none too pleased after being shutdown and was seen breaking a bat over his knee in frustration in the Giants dugout. The early exit for Samardzija would call for an appearance by pitcher Dereck Rodriguez, son of Hall of Fame catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez. Making his Major League debut, Rodriguez would toss 3.1 innings while also logging his first career hit, an RBI double in the 5th. He would allow 5 hits and a walk, surrendering a run, but also showed potential by collecting 4 K's. Giants third baseman Evan Logoria would log the 18th multi-homer game of his career, going yard twice in a losing effort in Game 2 for the first time since July 17, 2016 when he was a member of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Despite the sub-part month of May which saw San Francisco finish 11-16, the Giants managed to gain ground in the standings, which puts into perspective just how poor teams like the Diamondbacks and Dodgers have been over the last month. Entering June, the Giants currently trail the division-leading Rockies by four games, a number they hope to shed with the return of ace Madison Bumgarner on the horizon. Expected to make his long awaited season debut in the first week of June, MadBum who has pitched 8 1/3 innings worth of rehab outings, allowing only 3 hits, 1 run and striking out 15 batters. The Giants are hoping the addition of Bumgarner as well as Joe Panik, Hunter Pence and Mark Melancon who've all been on the disabled-list and are also expected to return in early June, will help right the ship in the city by the bay. These familiar faces as well as the hot hitting by guys like Brandon Crawford who hit .412 in the month of May (9 doubles, 4 home runs and 21 RBIs) to help raise his batting average from under .190 to .307 and outfielder Gorkys Hernandez are sure to make manager Bruce Bochy excited moving forward. Hernandez who's been swinging a hot stick and is hitting .300 on the year, has suddenly found some thump in his bat, having launched six home runs this season (five in May) after totaling eight homers combined in his previous four years in the Bigs.

The Giants will begin the month of June with a six-game homestand in which they'll open by hosting the Philadelphia Phillies who San Francisco will look to exact revenge against after being swept in Philly. After welcoming the D-Backs to town, the G-Men will see trips to the nation's capital, Miami and Dodger Stadium before returning home to face the Marlins, Padres and Rockies before finishing the month on the road in the desert.


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Giants Finish Nightmarish 2017 Hopeful for 2018

At last, the torture that has been the San Francisco Giants' 2017 season has finally come to an end. Finishing the month of September as well as the final game of the season on October 1 with a record of 11-15, skipper Bruce Bochy saw his underachieving ball club fall to 64-98 on the year, some 40 games behind the first place Dodgers as they failed to log a single winning month all year. And though they were able to avoid the dubious 100-loss mark, the Giants still finished last in the National League West and finished tied with the Detroit Tigers for the worst overall record in all of baseball. But as forgettable as the season might have been while the negatives far outweighed the positives, there were plenty of heartfelt moments down the stretch including the retirements of two fan favorites and Giants postseason heroes -- Matt Cain and Ryan Vogelsong.

Despite not appearing for the Giants since 2015 and most recently playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates a season ago, 40-year old right-handed pitcher Ryan Vogelsong was signed to a one-day contract to officially retire as a Giant as he suited up one final time in a Giants uniform and was honored by throwing out the ceremonial first pitch prior to a 7-2 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Having played seven of his twelve Major League seasons with the same organization that drafted him in 1998, Vogelsong is best remembered for his breakthrough season in 2011 which saw him make the National League All-Star team as well as his postseason contributions most notably in 2012 when his 1.09 ERA in four starts helped the Giants win the World Series that year before helping them win it again in 2014.

As for Cain, the Giants saw their longest tenured player call it quits after 13 seasons in San Francisco, the longest for any player to remain exclusively with the franchise since moving from New York in 1958. Appropriately nicknamed "the horse", Cain, the owner of the only perfect game thrown in Giants franchise history, was integral in both championship runs in 2010 and 2012 before a mid-season injury in 2014 kept him out of action for the 2014 World Series. Ironically, the 34-year old righty would be, "Cained" one final time after tossing five shutout innings in his final start, a term appropriately used by Giants fans when a pitcher receives little to no run support during a well pitched game. With Cain departing with a 1-0 lead thru 5 innings, the Giants bullpen gave up the tying run in the following frame and then two more runs in the 9th inning to blow a 2-1 lead and eventually fall to the Padres, 3-2, giving Cain yet another no-decision. Finishing his career with an ERA of 3.68 and an overall record of 104 wins and 118 losses, few pitchers have suffered luck as bad as Cainer who should easily have 30 or so more career wins than losses as 109 of his 331 career starts have led to no-decisions. And like Vogelsong, Cain would exit to a thunderous ovation and hugs from his manager and teammates upon exiting the game.

Another starting pitcher who the Giants are hoping can mold into the next Matt Cain is former first-round pick Chris Stratton who emerged as one of the more surprising players for the Giants in 2017 and made his first career start in 2016 while filling in for an injured Matt Cain. The 27-year old righty is expected to at least be considered for San Francisco's fifth spot in the rotation next season barring any changes to the roster heading into the offseason after boasting a 4-4 record and an ERA of 3.68 in 10 starts. One question mark that rotation will face heading into 2018 will be whether or not it'll still feature starter Johnny Cueto who can opt out of the six-year, $130 Million contract he signed before last season. But after finishing 2017 with an 8-8 record and an ERA north of 4.50, a down year statistically to Cueto's standards, it's unlikely he'll find a better deal on the market than what he has on the table with the Giants. Giants brass hopes Cueto will join a 2018 rotation that will also feature ace Madison Bumgarner, Matt Moore who's 2018 team-option was picked up a week ago and strikeout specialist Jeff Samardizja.

Though Samardzija wouldn't necessarily finish his 2017 campaign the way he would've liked (9-15, 4.42 ERA), Shark did manage to register 207.2 innings pitched as well as 205 strikeouts and only 32 walks, the best strikeout to walk ratio in Giants franchise history at 6.41, besting than the previous mark of 6.17 shared by two Hall of Fame pitchers -- Christy Mathewson (1908) and Juan Marichal (1966). It would mark the second most strikeouts in a single season for Samardzija and third time he's finished above the 200 K plateau. Another impressive feat would be one accomplished by second baseman Joe Panik who dazzled in the month of September with a .375 batting average. During a three-game road trip in Denver, Panik would put on a show against the Rockies, collecting 12-hits in the series to set a franchise-record. Panik's historic series of going 12-for-15 (.800 avg) with 3 doubles, a home run, 5 RBI and an OPS of 2.000 helped increase his batting average to .288 on the year and also helped the Giants secure an 11-3 victory in the series-finale that snapped a 10-game losing streak at Coors Field. The Giants would face the Rockies just two weeks later in San Francisco where they would win both games to complete the short 2-game sweep while also stringing together their first 3-game winning streak since June 30-July 2.

Madison Bumgarner who put a damper on San Francisco's season early on after a dirt-biking accident led to the Giants ace spending nearly three months on the disabled-list, had his worst month of the season statistically due to a pair of sub-par starts in which he gave up 11 earned runs in 11 innings. However, after losing four straight decisions for the first time in his career, Bumgarner bounced back with consecutive solid starts including a gem in his final outing of the year to beat the Dodgers, 2-1 and finishing 4-9 on the year with an ERA of 3.32. But it would be MadBum's battery mate who had the best overall season for the Giants as Buster Posey led the club in batting average and finished tied for fourth in the National League and sixth overall with a .320 batting average. It would be the fifth season batting over .300 for Posey who shook off an early concussion after taking a pitch to the head in the Giants home-opener as the former NL MVP once again managed to put up solid numbers that helped him secure the starting nod in July's All-Star Game. A few other team leaders on offense included Brandon Crawford who led the team in RBI's for a second straight year with 77, Brandon Belt who had a team-high 18 home runs despite missing the final month and a half with a concussion and Eduardo Nunez who stole 18 bases with the Giants before being traded to Boston at July's trade deadline.

The power-less Giants once again finished at the bottom of the pack in home runs, slugging a league-low 128 long balls, 23 behind the next closest team (Pittsburgh Pirates). Oddly enough, the final at-bat of the season for the Giants would be a walk-off home run by Pablo Sandoval who's solo shot in the 9th inning of the season-finale gave the Giants a 5-4 victory over the Padres. But as joyful as the moment was, it was received with mixed reviews in the baseball world as the win surrendered the first overall pick in next year's MLB Draft to the Detroit Tigers, meaning the Giants will select second. Take it as you want it, it was a nice reminder of what its like to win a game, something the Giants did very little of in 2017 and something they hope to improve on heading into 2018. In need of bullpen help which is expecting a bounce back year from a healthy Mark Melancon and contributions from Wil Smith who was plagued by injury and lost for the season during Spring Training as well as an outfield power presence in the lineup, the Giants may be one of the more active teams come December's winter meetings.


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Giants get back their Ace but can't shake Struggles in July

At the start of the 2017 MLB season, San Francisco Giants fans and team officials entered the year hopeful that they had a team that would compete with the best in the National League. Those fans would be sadly mistaken as a handful of injuries and a number of under-performers would spell the exact opposite as we would witness the franchise's worst record through the season's first 100 games since 1956 when the ball club still called New York its home. After entering the month on a 4-game win streak and starting July off by completing a sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates to give them six straight victories in the Steel City for the first time since 1953, the Giants would limp into the All-Star break after dropping two of three on the road in Detroit and being swept at home by Miami.

After being voted to his fifth career All-Star game, catcher Buster Posey would be the Giants' only representative as he became the first catcher to start in three consecutive Mid-Summer Classic's since the 1990's when Mike Piazza got the nod in six straight. Slotted to bat fourth in the lineup, it would also mark the first time a Giants hitter would bat cleanup in an All-Star Game since Barry Bonds did so in 2003. Posey would finish 0-for-1 in the game while also drawing a walk in what would eventually be a 2-1 victory in extra-innings for the American League. Following the All-Star break, the Giants would get back a key cog in their rotation that they've desperately missed since the opening month of the season, as ace Madison Bumgarner returned to the playing field after missing nearly three months due to a dirt-bike accident on April 20. Though he wouldn't factor in the decision in his first start since April 19, surrendering 3 earned runs over 7 innings, his return alone would mark the ultimate highlight of the month. And in his last two starts he would resemble the Bumgarner of old by notching his first win of the season and allowing only 1 earned run over 12 innings pitched, including 7 shutout innings in L.A. against the archrival Dodgers.

Unfortunately, the return of MadBum alone wouldn't sprout any signs of a comeback from the Giants this season as their struggles against division foes would only get worse. Losses in two of three in San Diego and in three of four at home to the Padres would give the Friars victories in 16 of the 22 meetings between the two clubs as San Diego has turned the tide against the Giants who've had the Padres number in the past. As for the division-leading Dodgers, a three-game sweep of the Giants would give them an MLB-leading 34.5 game advantage over San Francisco in the NL West, dropping the Giants to 17-30 against the division this season. Surprisingly, the Giants would claim series victories over the visiting Cleveland Indians and Pittsburgh Pirates during the club's 10 game homestand, their longest of 2017. The Giants' ugly display of baseball this season also resulted in the team's home sellout streak coming to an end as the series-opener against the visiting Indians marked the first non-sellout for the Giants in seven years, a streak of 555 consecutive games (including Postseason). The streak is the longest in National League history and is second-most all-time, behind only Boston's streak of 820 consecutive sellouts from 2003-2013.

But San Francisco's sellout streak wouldn't be the only thing that came to an end in July as the tenure of third baseman Eduardo Nunez also ended. After being acquired from the Minnesota Twins near the trade deadline almost a year ago, the 30-year old found himself on the move once again in a deadline deal that lands him with a team looking to make a Postseason push. Primarily a third baseman with the Giants while also spending time in the outfield, Nunez, who reached base safely in 40 of his last 42 games in a Giants uniform, looks to help the Red Sox any way he can in a crowded but banged up infield. Upon receiving news that he had been dealt mid-game, cameras caught Nunez heading to the clubhouse where he exchanged handshakes and hugs with his Giants teammates who he described as his, "family." While Nunez had nothing but kind words to say regarding his time with the Giants, manager Bruce Bochy felt the same way about his now former player and both sides mentioned a possible return to the Giants in the future. The move would come just days after Boston released Pablo Sandoval who would eventually end up signing a Minor League contract to return to the Giants organization.

One chip the Giants were at least hoping to kick the tires on as a possible trade candidate was right-handed pitcher Johnny Cueto who has a player option after 2017 and is likely to opt out of his contract. Any possibility of dealing Cueto before the July 31 trade deadline would be halted by an injury he sustained during a July 14 outing in which he exited after only four innings against the Padres. What would be labeled as "hot spots" or blisters in the three middle fingers of his throwing hand would ultimately result in Cueto heading to the disabled-list and down to Class A San Jose where he would pitch a rehab start on the final day of the month. In a season where everything that could go wrong for the Giants pretty much has, Cueto's outing would be added to that list as the former All-Star and team-leader in wins for the Giants a season ago (18-5) pitched just three innings and threw 34 of the targeted 70 pitches before departing the game with tightness in his forearm. Though Cueto will be evaluated in the coming days, it's likely he'll need more time to recover than initially expected before returning to the big club.

With the month of July coming to a close, the Giants who finished the month with 9-wins and 16-losses, currently stand at 40-67 on the season, dead last in the National League West. Though San Francisco has one more win than the Philadelphia Phillies (39-64), they own the worst winning percentage in all of baseball at .374 and are on pace to lose 100 games for only the second time in franchise history (1985). Hoping to finish the season strong and steer clear of that dubious mark of 100-losses will be a tough task, especially considering three of the Giants' first four opponents in August will be the Diamondbacks (60-45), Cubs (56-48) and Nationals (63-41), all of whom are either atop their respected division or leading the Wild Card race (Arizona).


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