#Yahoo sports sf giants series#

On Monday, the challenge of successfully navigating a brutal week became much more difficult. With the first-place team in the National League Central, the Milwaukee Brewers, in town and the Dodgers set to arrive soon, the Giants are in the midst of their most difficult homestand of the season, which is also taking place during a grueling stretch of 16 consecutive games without an off day. There’s little doubt both clubs will make the playoffs, but the team that secures a division title should have home-field advantage throughout the postseason and will avoid the dreaded one-game wild card playoff that has the potential to bring a quick end to dreams of playing deep into October. The Dodgers are now just a half-game behind the Giants for the National League’s best record.

#Yahoo sports sf giants series#

Those two teams, the Giants and the Dodgers, will finish the week with a highly anticipated three-game series at Oracle Park that may play a significant role in determining who wins the NL West. At the time, the four-game win streak actually catapulted the Giants past the San Diego Padres, who have gone 37-41 since that point to fall 13.5 games behind San Francisco in a division that’s essentially become a two-team race.

The Giants took control of the division on May 31 after winning three straight games against the Dodgers before returning to Oracle Park to beat the Angels 6-1.

Ruf, Wade and Flores have all performed well this year and continually exceeded expectations, and now it’s Bryant’s turn to show he can be the type of difference-maker who can carry an offense at a time of need.įor a soon-to-be-free-agent who hopes to secure a nine-figure contract in the offseason, there’s no better time to earn that deal than October.SAN FRANCISCO - Tuesday marked a milestone for the San Francisco Giants as Gabe Kapler’s club had officially held sole possession of first place in the National League West for three months. Regardless of how the Giants adjust to Belt’s loss defensively, the best way they can keep a ship without a captain headed in the right direction is for the lineup to continue outscoring their opponents. Bryant has struggled in right field at Oracle Park, missing two catchable flyballs in a loss against the Braves during the team’s last homestand, but for San Francisco to offset the loss of Belt’s production, Bryant will have to prove he can learn from his prior mistakes. With Wade clearly a better defensive outfielder than Bryant, the Giants can send Wade to left field, start Steven Duggar in center field and have Mike Yastrzemski in right field against righties.Īgainst left-handed pitchers, the Giants’ top offensive lineup would have Flores at first base, Ruf in left field, Bryant in right field and Austin Slater in center field. Related Articlesīryant can also play first base, and it’s possible the best iteration of a Giants lineup against right-handed pitchers would require him to do so. Those numbers are solid, but it’s also fair to say that Bryant’s performance in a Giants uniform has been underwhelming, his defense at various positions has been shaky at best and he’s struggled to live up to expectations.

Since the Giants acquired Bryant at the July 30 trade deadline, he’s made several important offensive contributions, posted an. Even if Bryant doesn’t put on a first baseman’s mitt the rest of the season, Belt’s injury shines a spotlight on the former Cubs star for a variety of reasons. Belt’s prior absence is proof the Giants have survived without him, but they also haven’t had to survive without the version of Belt who spent the last two months blasting homers and anchoring the most dangerous version of the Giants’ lineup.īelt’s latest injury will require a long list of Giants players to help fill the void he leaves, but no one is more equipped to do so than Kris Bryant. SAN FRANCISCO - When the Giants lost Brandon Belt for six weeks to a right knee sprain in the middle of the summer, the club never lost its grip on first place in the National League West.įrom June 23-August 5, when Belt returned from an injury that initially threatened to end his season, the Giants went 19-14 and only saw their lead in the division shrink from 4.5 games to 3.5 games.