POLL: Will the A’s or Giants Finish With a Better Record?
Today is the conclusion of the four-game Battle of the Bay series between the Oakland Athletics and the San Francisco Giants. The A’s won both games in Oakland, and the Giants won yesterday’s game in San Francisco.
Fans usually say that whichever team wins the Battle of the Bay series is the best team in the Bay Area. This may be true, but one series doesn’t necessarily capture which team is the better team overall.
Both teams have at one point or another been the best team in MLB. The A’s are playing near perfect baseball right now, whereas the Giants have been mightily struggling for the past month or so. Although the Giants won last night and played the way they did when they had the best record in baseball, it’s unclear if they’ve fully escaped their losing ways.
Both teams have several qualities that make them elite teams. Both of their starting pitching rotations are solid, especially now that the A’s have traded for Jeff Samardzija.
Their bullpens have both had somewhat inconsistent production throughout the course of this season, but, overall, they’re both strong. The A’s bullpen started off very shaky, but the Giants’ bullpen started off very effective. As of now, the A’s bullpen is even stronger, and the Giants’ bullpen is struggling a little bit.
The A’s have one of the best offenses in the league, and they currently lead the league in run differential by a wide margin at +142. The Giants’ projected starting lineup entering this season was playoff-worthy, but some of their key players such as Angel Pagan, Marco Scutaro, Brandon Belt, Michael Morse, and Pablo Sandoval have all suffered various injuries that have kept them out of the lineup for different ranges of time.
Defensively, the A’s and Giants are fairly even, statistically, as of now. They both have .983 fielding percentages.
In terms of their divisions, the A’s are currently leading the Los Angeles Angels in the AL West by 3.5 games. The Giants are in a tight race with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and they’re currently tied for first place in the NL West.
With all that being said, both teams are solid. The Giants are trying to break out of a serious slump, but when they execute the fundamentals, they’re one of the elite teams in MLB. The A’s do just about everything right and are certainly one of the best, if not the best, team in baseball. Which team will finish the season with the better record though?
Let us know your opinion by answering the poll below!