Series Preview: SF Giants vs. Guardians - building on the weekend
After a late summer of doom, the SF Giants are turning things around. A series sweep against the Rockies gives San Francisco the barest hint of a pulse in a fight to stay alive in the playoff race, but the important thing is how they did it.
Their three wins were neither a series of well-timed coincidences that let them squeak away with more runs every time, nor were they a dominant declaration of a team on the warpath. They were simply the result of a cohesive, committed team that believes it can still make noise and fights like it.
To be clear, this sweep came against a 100-loss Rockies team that sees Oracle Park more as a roach motel than anything else. But a week ago, this team never could have come back from deficits of 3, 3, and 4 runs, as they did at various points this weekend. And the transformation of this team from a hapless, failing squad to one capable of playing baseball starts with de-facto GM Farhan Zaidi.
Ahead of the weekend series, Zaidi led a clubhouse meeting in which he delivered a message of belief and encouraged both the players and the staff to lend their voices. What was said inside the clubhouse will remain etched in the hearts of the players, not the curious sports publications, but the overarching message was one of affirmation. The Giants can win, and that shouldn't be a surprise.
Expected or not, the Giants put on quite the show afterward. They scored 24 total runs, hit seven home runs, and mounted three separate comebacks. Core veterans like Mitch Haniger, Joc Pederson, and Brandon Crawford who have struggled for months showed up in a big way, and Luis Matos led the youth movement with 11 total bases over the weekend. They weren't perfect - giving up eight runs to the Rockies outside of Coors is never a good look - but they sure felt a whole hell of a lot more fun than they have in a while.
Now, against a scuffling Cleveland Guardians team, the Giants must prove that their resurgence is more than a feel-good one-off. If the Giants can wriggle into the postseason, they can take a decisive series win against the visiting Guardians. The inverse, of course, isn't true; they won't get into the postseason just because they can string a couple of nice wins together. But they have to start somewhere, and this is a great time to hit the ground rolling.
Series details
Who: SF Giants vs. Cleveland Guardians
Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California
When: September 11-13, Monday (6:45 PM), Tuesday (6:45 PM), and Wednesday (12:45 PM). All times Pacific.
Giants' current streak: W3, 4-6 in last 10, 73-70 overall, 1.5 GB of 3rd Wild Card
Guardians' current streak: L2, 4-6 in last 10, 68-76 overall, 11.5 GB of 3rd AL Wild Card
Projected starters:
Monday: Alex Cobb (7-6, 3.74 ERA) vs. Gavin Williams (2-5, 3.34 ERA)
Tuesday: Sean Manaea vs. Cal Quantrill (2-6, 5.70 ERA)
Wednesday: Kyle Harrison vs. Logan Allen* (7-7, 3.68 ERA)
*Indicates LHP
**Indicates opener
How to watch, listen
- SF Giants broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area, KNBR 680/1510 AM
- Opposing broadcast: Bally Sports Great Lakes, WTAM 1100 AM/100.7 FM/Guardians Radio Network
- National broadcasts: MLB Network (Tuesday, out-of-market only)
- Live stream: fuboTV (start your free trial)
