Entering the month of June, the Giants looked to continue their winning ways after a red-hot month of May. But they would be greeted rather rudely right out the gates as their All-Star outfielder and emotional voice and leader of the team -- Hunter Pence, was forced to leave a game against the Braves after straining his hamstring on a routine run to first base. The news would only get worse as an MRI the following day revealed Pence had torn the tendon in his left hamstring and would require surgery, putting him on the shelf for 8 weeks and further hampering a Giants outfield that was already without Angel Pagan. With Pence leading the team in RBI's and second in both home runs and batting average at the time of his injury, any panic of the Giants' continued dominance simply vanishing wasn't exactly far-fetched, but it wouldn't be the case as they would do just fine without him.
Needing to take advantage of a relatively easy schedule with the exception of a three game stop in St. Louis to face the Cardinals and hosting the Red Sox and Dodgers in five, the Giants would do just that. After splitting the final two games in Atlanta, the Giants would take the first of three in St. Louis before losing the next two and returning home to host visiting Boston and Los Angeles. In a short but exciting 2-game set against the Red Sox, the Giants would split the series before taking two of three from the archrival Dodgers. With a slow 3-5 start to the month, it wouldn't be long before the Giants once again caught fire and stringed together their second 8-game winning-streak of the season thanks to sweeps against the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays. Seeking their first 9-game win streak since 2004, the Giants seemed destined to win their ninth straight seeing as they had won 10 consecutive games started by ace Madison Bumgarner. But the streak would come to a halt after suffering a tough 1-0 loss in the series-opener against the Pirates in Pittsburgh. However, the Giants would avenge Bumgarner's tough-luck loss by winning the next three in the steel city to take the series, 3 games to 1. Despite suffering the loss, Bumgarner would set a career-best streak of allowing 2 earned runs or fewer in 12 consecutive starts, while also tying the longest streak in the MLB this season for the most consecutive outings allowing 1 earned run or fewer with six.
But with another road trip coming to an end, the Giants would once again return home shorthanded as the injury bug bit once more. Just days after second baseman Joe Panik sustained a concussion in Tampa Bay, third baseman Matt Duffy suffered a strained left Achilles during the series in Pittsburgh as both would join Pence on the DL. Not all injury news was bad, however, as Angel Pagan returned to the lineup as well as Sergio Romo who began his rehab stint with Triple-A Sacramento and is expected back in the coming days while recovering from a strained elbow flexor tendon in his throwing arm. He'll be welcomed back to the club with open arms as the Giants bullpen has struggled mightily this year as is likely to be addressed. While a power bat is also needed and on their list, adding a relief pitcher or two might be forthcoming as baseball's trade deadline looms exactly a month from today (July 1).
Playing host to the Phillies for three games, San Francisco and Philadelphia would split the first two games before the Giants took the series and won the finale in walk-off fashion with their MLB-leading 7th walk-off victory of the season. But they would fail to close out the month strong, losing three of four against the lowly Bay Area rival Oakland A's who took both games in San Francisco for the first time since 2008 and handed the Giants only their second loss in AT&T Park history when scoring 11 runs or more in a high-scoring 13-11 shootout. With the series shifting to Oakland for two, the Giants dropped game three before salvaging the fourth and final game with a 12-run outburst. In the win, the Giants became the first team since the 1976 Chicago White Sox to forego a designated-hitter and hit with the pitcher. But considering Madison Bumgarner doesn't hit like your typical pitcher and was rumored to be interested in participating in this year's Home Run Derby, it wasn't as questionable a move by manager Bruce Bochy as one would think. And considering it was Bumgarner who sparked a 6-run third inning with a lead-off double to center field, I'd say it was a good decision after all.
June also saw Giants skipper Bruce Bochy claim his his 800th win as manager of the team, joining Hall of Famer Sparky Anderson as the only managers in MLB history to win 800 games with two different ball clubs and just the fourth to reach 800 wins with the Giants. With his team currently 50-31 on the season after finishing 17 and 10 in June and sitting in first place 6 games ahead in the NL West, San Francisco has extended their division lead another game and a half in June and are only one win behind the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers for the most in baseball. After a dominant month of May, right-handed pitcher Johnny Cueto logged another stellar month in June, his only blemish being a 6-run, 6-inning outing against the Phillies in which he logged a no-decision to the tune of a 2.67 ERA in the month with 3-wins and no losses. One of those wins coming against the Milwaukee Brewers who he has now recorded eight straight victories against, the longest winning streak against any single opponent of his career. Cueto will also kickoff the month of July for the Giants who will make a pit-stop in Arizona to take on the D-Backs for three games before returning home for a 7-game homestand against the division-rival Rockies followed by another meeting with the Diamondbacks prior to the All-Star break. From there, Bochy and company will hit the road for eight games against the Padres, Red Sox and Yankees before returning home and closing out the month against the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals. GO GIANTS!
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Following a dominant month of May which saw the San Francisco Giants jump out to a blazing start, manager Bruce Bochy saw his team continue their winning ways through the first week of June. After taking two of three on the road in Cincinnati where the Giants have struggled in recent years and sweeping a three-game series at home vs the Mets, San Francisco stood at 41-20 with the best record in all of baseball. It would also be the best 60-game start to a season for the Giants since 1973. And on June 8, the Giants would witness their lead in the NL Western Division hike up to 9 1/2 games over the second place Los Angeles Dodgers. But any hopes of running away with the division, would come crashing down by months end.
After going 6-1 to begin the month of June, it was almost as if someone flipped a switch as the Giants began struggling both offensively and with their pitching which up to that point had been clicking on all cylinders. Right-hander Tim Hudson who through the first two and a half months as a Giant, looked anything but human on the mound. But a trio of bad outings in June for Huddy, who still boasts an ERA of 2.59, and three blown saves in a two week span for reliever Sergio Romo who would be stripped of his closing duties, would highlight some of San Francisco's pitching woes. The Giants would also experience a power outage on offense as the long ball which played a key role in the team's early success, went missing. Also gone missing would be the Giants' lead-off hitter and spark plug in Angel Pagan who's been sidelined since June 14, while nursing a back injury.
Overall, the Giants would finish the month of June going 10-16, losing 5 of their last 6 series' in the month. Bochy and company would witness their reign of 2+ months in first place come to an end as San Francisco seized the top spot in the NL West on the last day of the month. With the Giants having a day off, the Dodgers took advantage by blanking the Cleveland Indians to take a 1/2 game lead in the division. That lead wouldn't last long, however, as the Giants reclaimed first place the very next day with a win copped with a Dodgers loss. Heading into July, the Giants had lost 15 of 19 games entering the month, but despite their struggles, they would still hang on to one of the best records in the league at 46-36. It wouldn't be all doom and gloom for the orange and black in the month of June, however, as the month also witnessed Tim Lincecum hurl his second career no-hitter. His historic outing would also be the first of back-to-back shutout outings for the 2-time Cy Young Award winner who would also be awarded Player of the Week honors for the performance.
For the Giants, the month of July will feature the halfway point as the All-Star break commences from July 14-17 with the MLB All-Star Game taking place on Tuesday July 15. As for San Francisco's opponents, unlike the month of June where all eight series' were against teams at or below the .500 mark, July will be a much harder task as five of their nine series' will be against teams with winning records. One of those teams the Giants will be meeting with is their Bay Area rival -- Oakland Athletics who currently own the best record in the league.
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