GIANTS ARE IN A SERIOUS BIND
Team has lost key players to injury, COVID in midst of stretch vs. NL’S best
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.
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. 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 twoteam race.
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. The Dodgers are now just a half-game behind the Giants for the National League’s best record.
There’s little doubt both clubs will make the playoffs, but the team that secures a division title should have homefield 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.
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.
On Monday, the challenge of successfully navigating a brutal week became much more difficult.
Giants manager Gabe Kapler announced the team’s projected starter on Tuesday, Alex Wood, had tested positive for COVID-19 and was symptomatic. The club’s starter for Monday’s series opener, Johnny Cueto, tested negative, but was placed on the COVID-19 injured list for a day because he felt ill.
At a moment’s notice on Monday, the Giants found out they’d have to chase innings with their bullpen while the Brewers would send National League Cy Young candidate, Corbin Burnes, to the mound at Oracle Park.
The Giants’ bullpen pitched well, but a struggling offense was overmatched against Burnes and Milwaukee’s top three relievers, Brad Boxberger, Devon Williams and Josh Hader. Kapler’s club lost 3-1 and failed to regroup on Tuesday against another Cy Young candidate, Brandon Woodfuff, as the offense looked lifeless throughout the first half of a non-competitive defeat.
Cueto returned to the roster Tuesday and gave up six runs in 3 2/3 ineffective innings in a 6-2 loss to the Brewers.
Throughout the 2021 season, the Giants have touted their depth as the No. 1 reason why they’ve enjoyed unexpected success and maintained their grip atop the standings. But as their depth, particularly on the pitching side, is stressed again, it’s fair to say the team is in a serious bind.
Two of the team’s active starting pitchers, Kevin Gausman and Anthony Desclafani, are dealing with ailments that could hinder their effectiveness. Gausman aggravated a hip issue while covering first base in Atlanta over the weekend while Desclafani was placed on the injured list twice in August, once with right shoulder fatigue and once with right ankle discomfort.