Giants gamble again, but now it backfires

Here, take this ladder, San Francisco Giants fans. It will help you peer over that enormous wall between your team and the postseason.

You might need a highpowered telescope as well. A distinct possibility at the AllStar break, “Giants in October” suddenly carries the unsettling vacancy of a pipe dream.

Team president Farhan Zaidi is getting crushed by the fan base these days, after those eight straight losses to the Dodgers. From this point of view, that’s a bit unfair. He had a plan last year, radical and unconventional. It worked to 107-win perfection. Why wouldn’t he take another shot, with a bit of tinkering and an elite starter, Carlos Rodón, to replace Kevin Gausman?

Zaidi earned that much, a chance to see it through. He could not have imagined facing the Dodgers on Thursday with a lineup that ran Mercedes, Davis, Villar, Wynns, Johnson and Machado in the Nos. 4-9 slots. But in truth, there wouldn’t be much difference with the injury-tormented veterans out there. It’s just an entirely different year, explained only by “that’s how it goes in baseball.”

Barring family connections and the highly sentimental, there isn’t a fan outside the Bay Area who would pay to see anyone grab a bat in the Giants’ dugout. These guys aren’t “junk” or “terrible,” or any of the other vitriol emerging from social media. They’re major leaguers, each with a pretty cool story.

But measured against quality opposition in the National League’s wild-card race, they’re damn near insignificant.

The St. Louis Cardinals picked up a couple of respected left-handed starting pitchers, Jose Quintana and Jordan Montgomery, at the MLB trade deadline. They’re looking to veterans Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Yadier Molina, Adam Wainwright and Albert Pujols to guide their young players through the stretch drive. Philadelphia shored up its defense with Brandon Marsh, who can step right into center field, along with elite reliever David Robertson (2.23 ERA with the Cubs) and once overpowering pitcher Noah Syndergaard, freed from the Angels’ eternal malaise and likely to deliver a few choice starts. The Phillies have a lineup full of solid hitters, and if they get Bryce Harper (fractured thumb) back next month, he could deliver a playoff spot.

The Giants made some moves, but they essentially did nothing. It’s conceivable they could get caught from behind by Miami, Arizona or Colorado in the wild-card standings, never mind catching the Cardinals, Phillies, Brewers or Padres.

Call it a .500 average, Mr. Zaidi. One miracle and one bust. Let’s see how you play your cards this winter.

Remembering Vin

In the wake of Vin Scully’s death, fellow broadcasters Jon Miller and Joe Buck recalled one of his finest moments in the booth. When Hank Aaron homered off the Dodgers’ Al Downing in Atlanta to break Babe Ruth’s home-run record in 1974, Scully made a simple play-by-play call and then went silent for nearly a minute. He actually backed away from the microphone to avoid the temptation of speaking. And then he said, “What a marvelous moment for baseball. What a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia. What a marvelous moment for the country and the world. A Black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking the record of an all-time baseball idol.” Such beautiful and timely perspective.

Klay Thompson’s brother, Trayce, has given Giants fans a reason to at least appreciate the Dodgers with his sterling play of late. But you wonder about his playing time with the imminent return of Chris Taylor (foot injury), the trade for Joey Gallo, the recent hot streak of James Outman (sent back to Triple-A on Friday) and the presence of Miguel Vargas, who broke into the big leagues with a searing double against the Giants on Wednesday. Vargas is the son of Lazaro Vargas, a legendary player who helped Cuba win gold medals at the 1992 and ’96 Olympics, and is a born-to-hit kind of prospect described as special by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.

Dusty Baker’s Houston Astros get a little more likeable as the months go by, boos and catcalls gradually subsiding among fans incensed over the 2017 sign-stealing scandal. Trey Mancini, acquired from Baltimore at the deadline, is one of the game’s most beloved players, for his courage (overcoming colon cancer in 2020) and character. His Orioles teammates hated to see him go, and he belted a two-run homer in his second at-bat with the Astros. … Ex-Giant Mauricio Dubón has made a nice impression as well, with his solid play as a part-time starter . ... As for Baker, the ultimate players’ manager, how perfect that he speaks Spanish with Framber Valdez, Jose Urquidy, Luis Garcia and Cristian Javier in his rotation. … Booing Jose Altuve, in particular, is yesterday’s whine. The man is just a great hitter, period, likely to open any game with a home run on the first pitch and carrying a .306 career average into the weekend. … Will Clark, incidentally, finished at .303. As it becomes increasingly difficult to hit .300, thanks to launch-angle swings and lights-out relievers, that’s going to help his Hall of Fame case.

Juan Soto is being called the greatest hitter ever acquired at the trade deadline. In that discussion: Rickey Henderson, returning to the A’s via trade with the Yankees in 1989 (Oakland won the World Series and returned the next year) and Lou Brock, dealt by the Cubs to the Cardinals in 1964 (St. Louis won two World Series with him leading off ). Not at the deadline but still midseason: The Cardinals getting the gift of Orlando Cepeda from the Giants for Ray Sadecki in May ’66. St. Louis went to two World Series with Cepeda, winning one, and that one still hurts. … Ever hear of a sod poodle? For those in the know, it’s an old-fashioned West Texas nickname for a prairie dog. It comes into play through the remarkable story of the Carays: Harry, legendary for his broadcasts of the Cubs, White Sox and Cardinals; his son, Skip, who called Atlanta Braves games for years; and Skip’s son, Chip, currently the stylish voice of the Braves. Chip has twin sons, Chris and Stefan, and they’re working in tandem to call games for Double-A Amarillo. That team is called, yes, the Sod Poodles. Get ’em together with the Albuquerque Isotopes, and all heck could break loose.

There isn’t a fan outside the Bay Area who would pay to see anyone grab a bat in the Giants’ dugout.