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Reeling Giants are still trying to weather the storm
If we were to write a script for the worst possible start to a season, it would probably closely resemble what the San Francisco Giants have experienced in April.
Between a lethargic offense, a bullpen that’s still been leaky and a plethora of injuries, particularly the one suffered by ace Madison Bumgarner, the Giants have been fighting an uphill battle all season. The result of all the above is a 9-16 record, which is now the worst in the National League.
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The last 10 days or so have been particularly challenging. The Bumgarner news broke on April 21, then the Giants were immediately swept in a one-sided series in Colorado. Though they’ve alternated wins and losses in six games since, Saturday’s 12-4 loss to San Diego was a reminder that they’re going to have to play better baseball to have any shot at joining the race during the summer.
The Giants hope that will start with their April finale against the Padres on Sunday afternoon. You can scope them out for yourself and make your own assessment, as that game will be featured as the Free MLB Game of the Day on Yahoo Sports. You can stream the game for free on the Yahoo Sports MLB page, on our Free Game of the Day tab or in this very post, beginning at 4:05 p.m. ET.
On the plus side, the Giants seem to have found one spark in rookie Christian Arroyo. The highly regarded prospect was promoted earlier this week and has enjoyed some success. That included picking up his first career hit against Clayton Kershaw, and hitting a pair of homers. Friday’s was a go-ahead blast in the Giants 4-3 win.
On the down side, prior to this week, and even prior to Bumgarner’s injury, the Giants looked a step behind in every facet. That allowed seemingly hungrier teams like Arizona and Colorado to establish an early presence. It might be the old adage of “you can’t win a division or pennant in April, but you can lose it” in play here. That is unless the Giants can find a way to rebound.
It certainly won’t be for a lack of experience. Many of these players have played on the biggest stage more than once. But many of these Giants also know that sometimes it’s just not your year in baseball. Sometimes there’s no rhyme or reason to it. Sometimes there are too many reasons to count. But baseball can and will find ways to humble teams regardless of their real or perceived circumstances, and right now the Giants are being tested on every level.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
