Before the weekend, the Red Sox had the second-best record in MLB over the past 45 games. The Giants, in a team-wide offensive drought, had to contend with a lineup that had the second-most production in baseball in July.
San Francisco didn’t outslug the Sox. They scored nine runs in three games, stranding 31 runners.
But the Giants nevertheless pulled two of three games in the series. With J.D. Davis’ walk-off homer Saturday and an extra-innings rally in the finale, the Giants did what they have just enough in the month of July: clawed away victory in spite of its offense.
Then on Monday night, the Giants’ walk-off wandoo ran out as their offensive deficiencies persisted. In an extra-innings loss, SF went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
“Obviously lots of opportunities to deliver the knockout blow, over the past 10 games or so, maybe a little bit more,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said after Monday’s defeat.
With the Aug. 1 trade deadline hours away, the Giants’ purported roster needs have evolved. Because in July, they ranked dead last in wRC+, batting average and runs scored. Despite all that, because of fantastic pitching and consistent defense, they finished 12-13 in the month and maintain the top National League wild-card reservation.
The Giants have stayed afloat despite their offense serving as ankle weights.
“I think it speaks to obviously our pitching and defense,” Kapler said Sunday. “We’re playing solid defense. I know there’s been some discussion out there, and a lot of it has to do with just the errors statistic, but with my eyes, what I see is a team that’s playing really good defense. And consistent defense. In the biggest moments, we’re making plays. We’re making really good decisions. So despite our inability to get that big hit right now to kind of break the game open, we’re doing a really nice job of when the moment counts on defense, making plays. And then obviously when the moment counts, making pitches as well.”
At the deadline, the Giants could still certainly benefit from trading for a starting pitcher capable of handling a playoff game. But improving the offense is becoming much more of a pressing necessity.
The Giants’ run prevention units have allowed the Giants to hover around .500 in a month in which their bats had holes in them. Like on Monday, when Taylor Rogers and Camilo Doval worked in their third straight games, pitchers have stepped up while taking on challenging roles. Proud veterans bought into pitching out of the bullpen. Relievers stepped up in a smorgasbord of situations.
Before Monday’s loss, the Giants were one of nine teams to give up fewer than 100 runs in the month. They did it with two pitchers — Logan Webb and Alex Cobb — as the only true starters in the rotation. Time and time again, they bought their offense time to gut out wins like they did against Boston.
San Francisco’s front office should reward them with offensive reinforcements. Because boy, does the lineup need a lift.
As a team in July, the Giants went 32-for-178 (.179) with runners in scoring position. No team was worse.
“There’s ups and downs, and I think our whole team has been grinding offensively — besides Flo,” Joc Pederson said after his walk-off single Sunday. “But it shows you can still win games even if you don’t get a ton of hits. The scrappy, grindiness kind of comes out.”
Zaidi noted that the Giants’ quality at-bats have often been concentrated at the top of their lineup. Rallies have gone to die at the bottom-third, where replacements Brett Wisely, Casey Schmitt and others have more frequently hit.
The other issue the Giants have had has been handling left-handed pitching. They ranked 29th in July in batting average vs. southpaws and also rank second to last in overall OPS against lefties this season.
You don’t need to add a superstar to lengthen the lineup. A right-handed, professional hitter with some power, would go a long way.
San Francisco was without Thairo Estrada, Mitch Haniger and Brandon Crawford for most, if not all, of the month. Crawford has already returned, and the former duo are due back in the second half, but the Giants could do more. Given the month-sized sample of offensive quicksand, they need to do more.
More than AJ Pollock, too. There’s a reason the Giants could acquire him for cash and a player to be named later. Pollock has a long history of production and is still tight with his former teammates Joc Pederson, Ross Stripling and Alex Wood, but a 35-year-old hitting .173 doesn’t exactly bring the same type of juice to a new clubhouse Kris Bryant did in 2021.
No, the Giants should do whatever they can to go bigger. It’s a seller’s market and the position player pool is shallow to begin with. C.J. Cron and Randal Grichuk already moved, as did Jeimer Candelario and Mark Canha. Staying pat would mean Estrada, Haniger and potentially Luis González could be viewed as additions.
But this is the last chance SF has to make a splash outside its organization. Paul DeJong, Tommy Edman, Tim Anderson, Jonathan India, and Teoscar Hernandez haven’t yet changed teams.
“There’s still ways we can help the club with some complementary pieces, with some guys that are still available in trades,” Zaidi said. “So we’re going to keep pushing on that. You just never know for sure what’s going to happen. The effort, both to communicate the message to the club that we can go really far this year, but also just on paper become a better club, those are objectives we have to still have.”
For much of this season, the Giants have looked like a team that desperately needed another starting pitcher. Strangely, after going a month with just two traditional starters, their priority should shift: they need to go out and get a bat that can make a difference.