Giants cap off Wild Trade Deadline with Acquisition of All-Star Bryant

Major League Baseball had one of its crazier trade deadlines in recent memory on Friday, if not the craziest of all-time. By the 1pm cutoff time, 4pm if you're on the east coast, baseball fans who are less than three weeks removed from watching the MLB All-Star Game played in Denver, saw a record ten All-Stars who played in that Mid-Summer Classic, dealt by the time things were all said and done. With such names as sluggers Joey Gallo of the Texas Rangers and Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs being dealt to the Bronx from their respectively clubs as the Yankees try to chase down the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox in the American League East, as well as Kyle Schwarber heading to Bean Town from our nation's capital, the list of notable names that changed clubhouses goes on and on. But perhaps the biggest blockbuster that caught everyone by surprise, was that of the Los Angeles Dodgers who pulled a Houdini move by snaking a pair of All-Star studs from the nose of the division rival Padres. 

By mid-day Thursday, it appeared that the Padres had gained a tremendous boost in their efforts to overthrow the Dodgers and first-place San Francisco Giants in the National League Western Division when reports swirled that they were close to finalizing a deal that would land them a 4-time Cy Young Award-winner in Max Scherzer. Instead, the pitcher-needy Friars were upended by the rival Dodgers who pulled off a sneak-attack by stealing Scherzer from their grasp, while also adding All-Star shortstop Trea Turner in the process. While the deal did cost a pair of L.A.'s top prospects in return, they added another unbelievable duo to their already star-studded roster, as well as prevent a pair of rivals from adding a dominant arm to their starting rotation, as the Giants were also rumored to be in on Scherzer. After landing All-Star second baseman Adam Frazier from the Pittsburgh Pirates in the days leading up to Friday's deadline, the only additions the Padres had to show for on deadline day were a pair of underwhelming names in relief pitcher Daniel Hudson and outfielder Jake Marisnick who were acquired from the Nationals and Cubs, respectively. 

Just when it appeared that Farhan Zaidi -- general manger of the San Francisco Giants, was going to stay pat at the deadline, the team with the best record in all of baseball waited until the 11th hour before getting in on the action and acquiring Cubs All-Star third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant. Not long after news broke that the Cubbies were shipping two-time All-Star infielder Javy Baez to Queens to join the New York Mets, the north siders ended their fire sale by sending Bryant out west to the city by the bay to join the Giants. It was a nerve-racking hour or so for Giants fans as reports were unclear on who Zaidi had given up for what could very well be a rental player considering Bryant will be a free-agent at the end of the season, but when it was all said and done, San Francisco got the guy they wanted all along and didn't trade an arm and a leg to get him. In return for Bryant, a former NL MVP and four-time All-Star who says he grew up a fan of Barry Bonds and the Giants, San Francisco gave up a pair of Minor Leaguers in outfielder Alexander Canario and right-handed pitcher Caleb Kilian, their No. 9 and No. 30 prospects, respectively, which was much more calming and somewhat of a relief to hear than their top prospect in catcher Joey Bart and first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. which was initially rumored. The Giants ended their deadline pursuit by bringing back lefty reliever Tony Watson from the Los Angeles Angels to bolster the bullpen. Watson spent three seasons with the Giants from 2018-20. 

As teams jockey for position in the home stretch of the MLB regular season in preparation of the Postseason, the Giants at 65-39, currently own a 3-game lead over the Dodgers in the division and a 6.5 game advantage over San Diego. The Giants are hopeful that the acquisition of Bryant will help them maintain a stranglehold in the division over both the Dodgers and Padres, two teams that were supposed to be lightyears ahead of the Giants heading into the season. Hitting .267 on the year with 18 home runs and 51 RBI, the Giants will welcome Bryant's versatility with open arms as he's played seven different positions in 2021, while also looking forward to his bat as he's enjoyed success at San Francisco's Oracle Park, boasting a .324 batting average, 5 HR, 3 doubles, a triple and 15 RBI in 17 career games. Speaking to fellow All-Star and now teammate Brandon Crawford, Bryant knew at the All-Star break that there was a possibility he could be dealt, and all that he asked of Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer was that he would be traded to a team contending for a playoff berth like San Francisco. It's safe to say the 29-year old Vegas-native got his wish, as the core three of Bryant, Rizzo and Baez from the curse-breaking 2016 World Series champion Cubs team are all gone. 

Other notable names that changed ballclubs at the deadline include: All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel who the Cubs shipped to the southside of town to join the White Sox and Eduardo Escobar who landed in Milwaukee after being the lone representative in the 2021 All-Star Game for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Like the Cubbies, the Nationals also cleaned house by shipping out a number of big names in addition to Turner and Scherzer, such as Kyle Schwarber who was sent from D.C. to the Red Sox, Yan Gomes and Josh Harison who joined the playoff hopeful Oakland Athletics and 5-time All-Star Jon Lester who joined Wild Card contenders St. Louis. The Minnesota Twins also dealt a pair of All-Stars in pitcher Jose Berrios who landed in Toronto with the Blue Jays and Nelson Cruz who was dealt a few days earlier to the reigning American League Champion Tampa Bay Rays. It's unlikely we'll ever witness a trade deadline quite like this one after seeing 32 different trades which included more than 80 players dealt in total.  

Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest 

San Francisco Giants Month in Review: July 2019

Following their first winning month of 2019 and closing the book on June having played their best ball of the season, the San Francisco Giants would see their winning ways continue into the month of July. And if a 14-13 win-loss record in June was any indication of things to come, Giants fans would be hard pressed to believe the streak that would follow, given their ability or lack thereof to win games early on in the season. However, a streak of 17 wins in 20 games which hadn't been done by a Giants team since 2001, would be just as surprising as it was impressive, especially considering they stood 12 games under .500 in late-June.

Kicking things off with a three-game set in San Diego at Petco Park, a stadium that has been none too kind to the Giants the last few seasons compared to years past, skipper Bruce Bochy would witness his club score double-digit runs at Petco for the first time in their last 52 visits as the Giants ran away with a 13-2 victory in the opener. Those hot bats would continue into Game 2 as San Francisco tallied another 10-runs in a 10-4 win, marking the team's third consecutive game with double-digit runs, a feat that hadn't been accomplished by a Giants team since August 23-25, 2010. And though the Giants saw their double-digit streak end in the series finale, they did manage to sweep the series with a 7-5 victory as Evan Longoria and Alex Dickerson teamed up to hit the Giants' first set of back-to-back homers this year. It would be a memorable series for Longo who clubbed home runs in all three games of the series, including two in Game 2, becoming only the third player to hit four HR's in a series at Petco Park since the yard opened in 2004.

Returning home to host the St. Louis Cardinals for three games before the All-Star break, Giants ace Madison Bumgarner would take the ball in Game 2. After tying his friend and former teammate Tim Lincecum for the 2nd most strikeouts in SF Giants history, MadBum would surpass his old pitching mate with a punchout in the first inning. But Bumgarner would see his night cut short after taking a line-drive off his left forearm just two batters into the game. And while he would stick around for two innings, the swelling eventually got the best of him, forcing him to leave the game. It wouldn't be anything the bullpen couldn't handle as the Giants went on to win the game and take the series the following day, two games to one. Winners of six of their last seven games, the Giants suddenly found themselves playing their best ball of the season entering the All-Star break and any fear of the their recent hot-streak fizzling out following the four days off would be put to rest rather quickly as they picked up right where they left off and struck for double-digit runs in their first game back. Hitting the road to face the Milwaukee Brewers, the Giants opened a thrilling series against the Brew Crew with a 10-7 win in extras, clubbing five homers for the first time since 2014, en route to the victory thanks to a grand slam by Buster Posey in the 10th inning. And though Milwaukee would avenge the loss with a walk-off win the following day, it was the Giants who got the last laugh as they escaped Miller Park with the series win by taking the rubber-match, 8-3.

Continuing their road trip in Colorado against the Rockies, the Giants would begin a double-header by exploding for 19-runs, the third most runs scored in San Francisco Giants history and the franchises most runs ever scored at Coors Field in its 26 year existence. Following the 19-run outburst, the Giants' 94 runs scored over their last 11 games marked the most runs scored in an 11-game span since the club moved to the Bay Area in 1958. Leading the way in the big win was shortstop Brandon Crawford who became the first shortstop in MLB history to have five hits and a career-high 8 RBI in a single game. Not to mention he became just the third Giant to ever record 8 RBI in a single game and first since 1961, joining some elite company and a pair of Hall of Famers in Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda. Setting the bar rather high with another game to be played just hours later, the Giants would only muster a measly 2-runs in Game 2, but still managed to sweep the double-header with a 2-1 triumph. With wins of 8-4 and 11-8 in the next two, the Giants completed the four-game sweep of the Rockies before returning home for a seven-game homestand. Out of the cellar and no longer in last place in the NL West, the Giants were unable to duplicate the same run production at home that they saw on the road, but still managed to claim three of four games against the visiting Mets to take the series, with all three wins coming in walk-off fashion.

Better late than Never - Reaching the .500 mark for the first time this season at 49-49 thanks to a season-best seven-game winning streak following Game 2, the Giants hadn't reached .500 for the first time this late in a season since August 6, 1982. And helping the Giants get there on offense was outfielder Mike Yastrzemski who put an exclamation point on the series with an opposite-field home run to help his team walk-off with a 3-2 win. The grandson of Red Sox Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski who had 14 career walk-off RBI's, little Yaz became the first Giants rookie to hit a walk-off homer since Al Gallagher in 1970 and helped the Giants move into sole possession of 2nd place in the division. Next on the list would be the first-place Chicago Cubs who the Giants claimed the first two games against before falling in the series finale. After a come-from-behind win that saw the Giants rally in the 8th inning of the series-opener and improve over .500 for the first time since August 14, 2018, the Giants pulled off their fourth walk-off win in six games, this time a solo home run in the 13th inning off the bat of Pablo Sandoval who connected for his fourth career walk-off dinger.

Beginning a 9-game road trip against the Padres, Phillies and Rockies, including the final series in San Diego under manager Bruce Bochy, the Giants looked to finish the month strong. And while the Friars awarded their former skipper with several farewell gifts, the Giants awarded him with another series victory as they took two of three from their division rivals. With another extra-inning home run by Sandoval, this time in the 11th inning of the series-opener, the Giants collected their MLB-leading 11th win in extra-inning affairs and became the first team in the live-ball era to win six extra-inning games in a 10-game span. With an off-day before traveling east to face Bryce Harper and the Phillies, lots of uncertainty surrounded the Giants regarding the July 31 trade deadline and what direction they'd go in after showing new life with their red-hot July. After dropping the series-opener, the Giants came out on top, 5-1 on the day of the deadline. And instead of trading away their two most coveted assets in starter Madison Bumgarner and All-Star closer Will Smith, Giants brain trust Farhan Zaidi did make a number of moves, but none involving the two names that had garnered the most attention.

While hanging onto both Bumgarner and Smith in hopes of a chasing a Wild Card berth, the Giants dealt a number of other arms and jettisoned a few unwanted contracts while fetching several prospects Zaidi hopes can soon contribute in the big leagues. Sending right-handed reliever Sam Dyson to the first-place Minnesota Twins, San Francisco received a pair of pitchers and an outfielder in return (RHP Prelander Berroa, RHP Kai Wei Teng and OF Jaylin Davis). Washing their hands of Mark Melancon and his hefty contract, Zaidi sent the inconsistent ex-closer to Atlanta in exchange for righties Daniel Winkler and Tristan Beck. Freeing themselves of the $18 Million still owed to Melancon thru the 2020 season is enough to deem the deadline a success for Zaidi and the Giants, but perhaps the best return of the day by Zaidi was the score of Minor League infielder and Sacramento native Mauricio Dubon who the Giants fetched from the Milwaukee Brewers (No. 3 prospect) for two troubled relievers in lefty Drew Pomeranz and RHP Ray Black. Finishing off the busy day and his first trade deadline at the helm of the Giants, Zaidi acquired 2018 All-Star second baseman Scooter Gennett and cash considerations from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for a player to be named later or cash.

Another notable transaction that was made in the days leading up to the deadline was the dealing of Derek Holland who was sent to the Chicago Cubs for cash considerations. Spending only a season and a half in a Giants uniform, Holland had an up and down tenure with the club, but proved to be one a fan favorite and a good-energy guy for the Giants clubhouse as he even went out of his way to thank the organization and the fans before his departure.

Entering the dog days of August, the Giants who have now pulled within striking distance for a Wild Card spot and currently trail a handful of clubs by 2.5 games, are in prime position to either bolster or hurt their postseason hopes as they'll face a number of teams jockeying for position in the Wild Card race in the first few weeks. And after their MLB-best run of 19-wins and 6-losses in July, if Bruce Bochy's guys can continue their torrid streak into the month of August, we could be in store for some late season magic before bidding their skipper a final farewell.


Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest

San Francisco Giants Month in Review: May 2019

After opening the month of May with a series-finale win over the archrival Dodgers to take the rubber-match, the San Francisco Giants took to the road to visit two of the more unforgiving ballparks in the league to a pitcher in Cincinnati's Great American Ballpark and Colorado's Coors Field. And after falling behind early to the Reds who jumped out to an eight-run lead by the third inning, the Giants appeared to be in store for a long evening in the Queen City. Instead, San Francisco managed to tie their largest comeback in franchise history after storming back to erase the eight-run deficit with crooked numbers in the 4th, 6th and 8th innings before a solo home run off the bat of Stephen Vogt with 2-outs in the 9th inning, tied things up at 11-all. In his first game in a Giants uniform and first game at the big league level since recovering from a right shoulder injury that kept him out of baseball for nearly two years, Vogt finished the game a triple shy of the cycle and was the hero of the game until Evan Longoria stole the spotlight with a solo home run that decided the outcome in the 11th inning. It would be a rather fitting win for San Francisco who had to pull a rabbit from their hat to log their first win in Cincy in three years, having previously lost seven straight at Great American Ballpark while being outscored by 43 runs.

The franchise-tying 8-run comeback that had happened on four other occasions, coincidentally, have all occurred on the road, with the last taking place on Sept. 4, 1989 also against the Reds. After notching a season-high 17-hits in the opener, the Giants were held to only 5-hits in Game 2 as the Reds avenged the series-opening loss with a 9-2 victory. Game 3 would witness another comeback for the Giants, but this time after being down only 4-runs as San Francisco matched Cincinnati's 4-run first inning with a 4-run 6th before Brandon Crawford's pinch-hit 2-run home run capped the win. The Giants would only manage a split of the four-game series as Cincinnati proved to be too much for the Giants in the first inning, outscoring San Francisco 13-0 in the opening frame as well as clubbing 15 home runs in the series which tied a club record for the most HR's hit in a single series. Another rare feat that was accomplished in Cincy was one by super utilityman Pablo Sandoval who's been used by skipper Bruce Bochy in a variety of roles this season, including off the bench and on the mound. In the series finale, Sandoval became the first player in 114 years to homer, steal a base and pitch a scoreless inning in a single game since Giants Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson achieved the feat against the Reds on May 23, 1905.

Off to Denver, the Giants would call-up the hot-hitting Mac Williamson who's red-hot bat at the Triple-A level would catch the attention of the Giants front-office in time for their series with the Rockies. After clubbing three homers the night before with Triple-A Sacramento, Williamson would continue his torrid streak by launching a home run in his second at-bat of the season to go along with 4 RBI's which helped propel the Giants to a 14-4 win in the opener. Unfortunately, it would be only Williamson's only shining moment after the call-up as he would be designated for assignment and later elect free agency following a 6-for-51 drought at the plate. With inclement weather postponing Game 2 to a makeup date in July, the Giants would partake in their coldest game since 1997 as snow flurries began in the 2nd inning of Game 3. The 39 degree temperature at first-pitch would be the lowest that the Giants would play in since an affair on the north side of Chicago on April 13, 2013 against the Cubs. Seeking his first home run of the season, Tyler Austin would record his fourth career multi-homer game with a pair of long balls, including a 441-foot tape-measure shot, the furthest by a Giant this year. Austin's powerful bat would help the Giants erase an early 7-run deficit, but the San Francisco bullpen would fail to contain the Rockies' formidable lineup which escaped with the 12-11 win.

Returning home to face the Reds again, the Giants would run into more of the same issues as Cincy continued to put up runs in the first inning. And after receiving a no-decision a week earlier in Cincinnati, Reds starter Luis Castillo was out for revenge. Having established himself as one of the better pitchers through the first month with a record of 4-1 and a 1.76 ERA to show for, Castillo backed his claim with another stellar outing by tossing six scoreless innings of 2-hit ball and striking-out 11 batters to tie a career-high. After allowing a combined 5-runs scored in the first inning of the next two games, the Giants were once again forced to play catch up, managing to do so after falling behind three different times before eventually salvaging the series-finale with a win on Mother's Day to avoid the sweep. Another short two-game set against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays would allow players and fans alike to see a team they're not used to seeing as the two clubs would square off in a rematch after the Giants completed the two-game sweep north of the border in Toronto a month earlier. Only this time, the Blue Jays would have reinforcements with them as baseball's top-hitting prospect in Vlad Guerrero Jr. was not yet with the club when the two clubs last met in late April. The son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero displayed his power by blasting the first two homers of his career to help give Toronto the 7-3 victory.

From one top prospect to another, the Giants would see the debut of their top pitching prospect as Shaun Anderson made his debut in Game 2 against the Jays. The 24-year old righty who was acquired from the Boston Red Sox in the trade that sent Eduardo Nunez to Bean Town in 2017, tossed 5 innings while allowing a pair of runs on 2 hits and 3 walks. Anderson who struck out five Blue Jays on the afternoon, wouldn't factor into the decision as the Giants won 4-3, but his manager and teammates liked what they saw in the young farmhand. He would also dazzle at the plate, connecting for a pair of hits to become the first Giants pitcher since 1908 to have a multi-hit game in his MLB debut. In a short three-game road trip to the desert to face the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Giants would be blanked by Dbacks pitching in the opener before ace Madison Bumgarner helped right the ship with an 8-5 win in Game 2. The Giants would need heroics on both offense and defense in order to return home with the series victory, as Brandon Crawford delivered with his glove to throw-out Adam Jones with a close play at first base that nearly sent the Dbacks home with a walk-off victory in the 9th. Meanwhile, Pablo Sandoval delivered at the plate as his opposite-field home run in the 10th helped the Giants take 2 of 3 from their division rivals.

Hoping their winning ways would follow them home to the Bay Area, the Giants would begin a 7-game homestand against the Braves and Dbacks that the team would much rather forget. After dropping Game 1 of 4 against Atlanta, the Giants went into the 9th inning of Game 2 trailing 3-1, but rallied with 3-runs in the inning to walk-off against the Braves, capped by Joe Panik's second career walk-off hit and the third by the Giants this season. But it would be the only highlight of the series as Atlanta won each of the next two to take three of four. After being swept in San Diego by the Padres in which the Dbacks mustered only five runs in the series, Arizona held a team meeting in hopes of putting an end to a slump that saw them lose 12 of their last 17 games entering their series versus San Francisco. Whatever was said in that meeting definitely worked as the Diamondbacks showed no mercy in the series-opener, tying a team record for the second-most runs scored in a game in franchise history as well as the most ever scored by a visiting team at Oracle Park as they ran away with the 18-2 victory. Believe it or not, the Giants would actually hold a 2-1 lead in the game before the Arizona bats really got going, smacking four homers in total. The offensive outburst would be no fluke as the Diamondbacks continued their run-scoring prowess in Games 2 & 3 by winning those meetings, 10-4 and 6-2 respectively, to complete the sweep. With 34 runs in the series, Arizona set a franchise record for the most runs in a three-game road series.

Hitting the road to face two of the three worst teams in all of baseball, the Giants would head to Miami and Baltimore to face the Marlins and Orioles to close out the month of May. But after dropping the first two in Miami, the Giants were on the verge of being swept by the only team in the National League with a worse record than their own. But after being called back up to the Majors to make his first appearance since May 14, pitcher Tyler Beede would help his team stave off the sweep by logging his best outing in the Majors yet. Though he would receive a no-decision, Beede held the Marlins to only 1 run on 5 hits, while waking 3 and striking out 4. With Beede still in search of his first win at the MLB level, one player who did record career firsts was outfielder Mike Yastrzemski who after logging his first hit in the previous series against the Dbacks, tallied his first big league RBI with a game-tying RBI single that scored Brandon Crawford in the 7th inning. Crawford would put his team ahead with a 2-run double as the Giants salvaged the finale to avoid being swept. Visiting Baltimore's Camden Yards for the first time since 2004, the Giants and Orioles would exchange in a rather odd first inning which saw the GMen jump out to an early 5-0 lead before the O's stormed back with a 6-spot of their own. The wild first inning would mark the first time since 2012 that two teams would score at least five first-inning runs in the same game.

Yastrzemski, grandson of Boston Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski, spent 703 games in the Minors prior to being called up last week, serving 663 of those games in Baltimore's farm system before being traded to San Francisco during the spring. Little Yaz is the latest Giant to join the revolving door that is left-field which has now seen ten different players man the position in 2019. And though he never got the chance to play a big league game in an Orioles uniform at Camden Yards, he certainly made up for it by homering in his second at-bat of the game to record his first career dinger which tied the game at 6 in the 2nd inning. But the O's would one-up San Francisco again in the bottom half of the inning by scoring a pair of runs and take a lead that they wouldn't relinquish a second time as Giants starter Drew Pomeranz was hit hard and failed to make it through the second inning even after his team gifted him with a 5-run first inning, their most runs scored in the opening frame all year. The Giants ended up dropping the game by a final of 9-6 which dropped them to 10-16 in the month of May and 22-34 overall, 15.5 games behind the first-place Dodgers.

It was a rough one for the Giants pitching staff in the month of May as their league-worst 7.32 ERA was the poorest combined earned-run average in a full month for any Giants team in the history of the franchise. And no pitcher has struggled more than the aforementioned Pomeranz who after allowing a career-high eight earned runs in Baltimore, has seen his ERA climb to 8.08 on the year over 10 starts as he's registered only one quality start this season. With what appears to be a resurgence from both Tyler Beede and Dereck Rodriguez who pitched in relief for Pomeranz in Baltimore after being sent down to the Minors following his own struggles, it's likely Pomeranz has seen his last start in the rotation at least for now. And things won't get any easier following their current road trip which concludes against the Mets in New York as the Giants return home to host the archrival Dodgers who own the best record in the National League at 39-19.


Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest

Bochy's Farewell

In what's been a rather dull offseason for Major League Baseball with the top two coveted players in Bryce Harper and Manny Machado still on the free-agent market less than a week before the start of Spring Training exhibition games, the news of San Francisco Giants skipper Bruce Bochy announcing his retirement following the 2019 season might be the biggest news yet this offseason. The 63 year old skipper who is already the oldest manager in the league, will celebrate his 64th birthday less than three weeks into the 2019 season. However, it's safe to say he'll be treated like everyday is his birthday for the entire season by his team, front-office and fans alike as he looks to hang it up following his 13-year tenure as manager of the Giants and his 25th season overall.

Basically a shoo-in for Cooperstown, the future Hall of Fame skipper announced from a dugout prior to Monday's Spring Training workout in Scottsdale, Arizona that the 2019 season would be his last at the helm of the team he managed to three World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014 and helped create into a dynasty. "In my mind it's time," he told reporters before admitting his plans to stick around the game of baseball in some form or capacity. What position that'll be, we'll just have to wait and see, but my guess is that Giants brass will make him a Giant for life or for however long he's willing to man a position. The active leader in wins among all Major League managers, Bochy currently stands with 1,926 total wins during his combined time spent with the Giants and San Diego Padres which places him 11th on MLB's all-time wins list. A former Manager of the Year Award winner in 1996 with the Padres, Bochy would go on to lead San Diego to only their second World Series appearance just two years later before losing to New York during the Yankees' 1996-2000 dynasty. Relocating from San Diego to San Francisco in 2007, Bochy would become one of only five managers in MLB history to lead a team to three titles in a five-year span and is the only manager in the game's history with 900+ wins with multiple franchises.

Helping bring a trio of World Series championships to a city that had been starving of a title since the Giants followed the archrival Dodgers from New York to California in 1958, not many of the players he managed were as beloved as the manager himself during his time spent spent with the Giants which I'd say is pretty rare for a skipper these days considering how short we've seen some managerial careers last in certain places. As for the other nine managers before him to hoist the Commissioners Trophy at least three times, they've all been enshrined into Cooperstown which should make Bochy a lock to one day be able to say the same. Boasting a career record of 1,926-wins and 1,944-losses which equates to a .498 winning percentage, Bochy is 975-969 during his time with the Giants who will need to win at least 75 games in 2019 to ensure a winning record for their skipper of the last decade plus. But Bochy's team will try doing a lot more than that to help give him a proper sendoff, even if it means fighting off superior teams like the Dodgers and Rockies within the division. 82 wins shy of tying another Hall of Famer and World Series-winning manager with the Giants -- Leo Durocher, Bochy could move into the top 10 of all-time wins among managers. But we all know another miraculous postseason run and fourth World Series title is really what lies on the minds of Bochy and his team as they prepare for his final go-around.


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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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First Longo, Now 'Cutch -- Giants stay Busy in Quiet Offseason

In what's been a slow developing market for the league's top available free-agents this offseason in Major League Baseball which has had very little excitement compared to years passed, baseball fans have been kept waiting for the next big splash. And though the San Francisco Giants have yet to dip their toes into the waters of free-agency, they've been one of the more active teams this winter in acquiring new talent. Providing us with the most excitement out of anybody up to this point with the lone exception of the blockbuster deal that sent National League MVP and Home Run Champion Giancarlo Stanton from Miami to the Bronx, whom the Giants had also pursued, the G-Men have successfully landed a pair of players via trade that they hope can help them regain their winning ways in preparation for another dose of some even year magic.

Following the acquisition of All-Star third baseman Evan Longoria on December 20 which gave Giants fans an early gift to unwrap in time for Christmas, the front-office went out and added another big bat in the lineup in the form of outfielder Andrew McCutchen. Sending a pair of prospects to Pittsburgh in exchange for the 5-time All-Star, the Pirates who appear to be in full on rebuild mode after trading away their two most well known players, received right-handed pitcher Kyle Crick and outfielder Bryan Reynolds from San Francisco. The decision to deal McCutchen who's in the last year of his contract, comes just two days after the ball club agreed to move ace Gerrit Cole to the defending champion Houston Astros. Both players helped put Pittsburgh back on the baseball map and into the postseason, snapping a 21 year playoff drought. Unfortunately, the Pirates would fail to make it past the division round, but gave baseball fans in Pittsburgh a reminder of what postseason baseball tastes like in the Steel City by clinching playoff spots in three straight seasons from 2013-2015.

After being named to five NL All-Star teams in nine seasons with the Pirates and putting up MVP numbers from 2012-2014 including a 2013 campaign which saw him take home MVP honors, the one nicknamed "Cutch" took a step back in 2016 and experienced a dip in production before seeing a resurgence in 2017, especially towards the end of the season. From May 24 on, McCutchen registered a .400 OBP and slugged .540 to finish with a .363 OBP and .486 SLG, both improvements over the previous season. Hitting .279 on the year, McCutchen tallied 28 home runs and 88 RBI's, both of which would've led a Giants offense that has long lacked a power threat in the lineup. Happy to now have him on their team, Giants brass and fans alike are hoping McCutchen can add a spark similar to the one another Pirates outfielder and former MVP had supplied after being acquired by San Francisco in the past who goes by the name of Barry Bonds. Of course the sting of Bonds' departure from Pittsburgh was one the team and its fan base had to deal with for many years until McCutchen debuted in 2009 and eventually took the team on a ride they hadn't been on since Bonds wore No. 24 and was still in a Pirates uniform. Like Pittsburgh who looked upon McCutchen to be their saving grace, the Giants are hoping their newest acquisitions have plenty left in the tank as the club looks to bounce back from a last-place finish in the NL West and a dreadful 98-loss season which ranked as the franchise's third worst season since the club moved out west from the streets of Manhattan, New York.

As for Longoria who has two years remaining on his contract and is coming off his third career Gold Glove Award, the new Giants third baseman should fit in quite well in an infield that has stout defenders all across the board in fellow Gold Glovers Brandon Crawford, Joe Panik and Buster Posey. Spending the first 10 seasons of his big league career with the Tampa Bay Rays where he left as the franchise leader in home runs (261), RBI's (892) and runs scored (780), the 3-time All-Star left behind a similar legacy than the one his new teammate left in Pittsburgh. Like McCutchen, Longoria helped end a funk in Tampa Bay by leading the Rays to their first glimpse of postseason baseball with playoff berths in 2010, 2011 and 2013 as well as the team's one and only World Series appearance in 2008, a season in which Longo was named AL Rookie of the Year. With 2017 being a down year offensively for Longo who hit .261, drove in 86 runs and smacked 20 homers, he still managed to top every Giants hitter in both categories as San Francisco was the only team in the league who failed to produce a single player with 20 HR's. With that in mind, the Giants dealt outfielder Denard Span, their No. 1 prospect Christian Arroyo and two additional prospects to Tampa in exchange for the longest-tenured player in Rays history.

Sure Giants fans would've much rather have seen the brain trust of Brian Sabean and Bobby Evans make the move for the duo much earlier in their careers with both players now in their 30's, McCutchen 31-years old and Longoria 32, but the two bring with them a plethora of experience as well as some well decorated resumes and are tremendous upgrades at their respective positions over what Giants manager Bruce Bochy had to work with the season prior. And for an outfield that had hit 40-some home runs combined a season ago, they're adding a guy who hit 28 dingers on his own in 2017 as McCutchen leaves one pitcher-friendly ballpark for another. Ranking dead last in the league in home runs hit by team, the Giants who hit 128 homers, hit 23 fewer long balls than the next closest team (Pittsburgh). Those additions in the lineup as well as a full season from ace Madison Bumgarner who was lost for nearly three full months after sustaining injuries stemming from a dirt biking accident, figure to help the Giants make a rebound in 2018. And with the division-rival Dodgers, D-Backs and Rockies all making the postseason in 2017 and poised to duplicate the feat, San Francisco will need all the help they can get. And they may not be done making moves.

With Giants skipper Bruce Bochy expected to have McCutchen man right field and shift Hunter Pence from right to left, a center fielder could very well be next on the list as such free-agent names as Carlos Gonzales, Cameron Maybin, Jon Jay, Jarrod Dyson and Lorenzo Cain have all been rumored as well as a possible trade for Billy Hamilton of the Reds. However, the possibility of signing Cain who at one point seemed like a lock to land in San Francisco, now appears like a long shot given how close to the luxury tax threshold the Giants now are after acquiring McCutchen who will make just over $14 Million in 2018, with Pittsburgh dishing out $2.5 Million. So until the first pitch of the regular season is thrown, don't rule anything out just yet as the G-Men could very well be in the news again with yet another move being made.

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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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