Everyone who isn't a child Jason Schmidt or Will Clark has enjoyed watching the Giants beat the Dodgers in NL West. It was like watching one those nature videos where a lion stalks an injured antelope. It's not a matter of when or if. It's going to happen.
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The big bad, killing machine that was designed to hunt efficiently, which is the Dodgers, will eventually take down the brave but doomed prey. Although the Giants are a fascinating story, and they have been fun to follow, beyond Brandon Crawford and Buster Posey, they're mostly men.
San Fran isn't supposed to be here. Even after nearly five months, it still feels as if they are trying to avoid alarming the alarm. They are inevitable. They must be, right? This is how they are built. After all, they just traded for an MVP candidate as well as a former multi-Cy Young Winner on a whim.
The alarm has not yet sounded and the Giants remain here. If you believe that baseball magic moments are just omens for something unquantifiable, which sometimes infects teams to heights greater that predicted, they might not be moving.
The Giants were trailing by one run in the ninth on Saturday afternoon. This isn't where you want to find yourself against Oakland, who have one of the most impressive bullpens in the American League. LaMonte Wade came up with a runner at first, taking Lou Trivino deep into Oakland's afternoon. The Giants won a memorable victory. Wade is one of many Giants that have come up from nowhere. He has clocked 16 homers this season in spot duty. Wade was once a prospect for Twins. But after two very disappointing attempts at the Majors in 2019 & 2020, Wade was traded to the Giants in February. He's been a good player, just like every other Giants player this year.
They were not done. The Giants fell by one run in the eighth. A runner was on first. Donovan Solano then repeated Wade's trick from A.J. Puk gave the Giants a 2-1 advantage they would not relinquish. The Dodgers lost their 10th consecutive game, bringing San Fran's West lead back to 2.5 games. Solano is another role player/traveller. Maybe the pixie dust is just a bit thicker when you get pops like these from guys like these.
The Giants still seem to be trying to drag the car along the track with duct tape and shoestrings. The team's strength is the rotation. Johnny Cueto, Anthony Desclafani, and Alex Wood are on the IL. Alex Wood has a 5.40 ERA. Cueto may be running out of gas, as he has thrown only 132.1 innings in the three previous seasons. He is now at 104. Desclafani already has thrown the second most innings in a season. The Dodgers could be first if it weren't for Logan Webb (7-3 and 2.47 ERA) or Kevin Gausman (12-5),
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The Giants' pen is still strong and their offense has been supported just enough by their stars. Their season could hinge on their Labor Day weekend series against the Dodgers. However, their playoff spot is certain as they have a 12-game cushion on wild-card spots. Although five weeks and 2.5 games against the Dodgers does not sound like enough, 19 weeks in first was not impossible.
