The San Francisco Giants had a chance to cut their deficit in the wild card race down to 3.5 games, but instead they lead San Diego trailing in the standings by a season-high 7.5 games. The Giants won the first game of the series, and were in position to win the next two, but lost both in crushing fashion. They rallied against Padres closer Josh Hader in the middle game, only to lose on a walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth. They led 4-0 and 7-6 in the finale, but both times the SF Giants came up with big innings, they allowed huge innings in the bottom half. The Giants simply don't do enough to win often enough.
At this point, the Giants must get red hot or the hill will be too steep to climb. The opportunity sets up well, at least, since the Giants' next 12 games are against teams below .500. They haven't had an easy times with those teams this year by any means, but it represents one last good opportunity to make up ground. If they tread water or lose ground, the season will be pretty much over, barring some kind of miracle.
Joey Bart's ankle injury is discussed, as is the Giants' sloppy defense in the finale on Wednesday. J.D. Davis has been a bright spot since he was acquired at the trade deadline, but he has made a couple of bad throws recently that severely hurt the Giants. Wilmer Flores made one as well. The Giants' defense and bullpen has been a huge reason for their demise this season and it shows no signs of getting any better with this current group of players. It will likely be the Giants' downfall in 2022.
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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.
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