San Francisco Giants: Are They on a Collision Course with Oakland?

Bullpen

May 23, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Jean Machi (63) throws a pitch against the Minnesota Twins during the ninth inning at AT&T Park. The San Francisco Giants defeated the Minnesota Twins 6-2. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Giants: The Giants’ bullpen this year has a collective 2.49 ERA, which is third best in all of MLB. Even with injuries to some key relievers, such as Santiago Casilla and Jeremy Affeldt, other relievers have stepped up, such as Jean Machi, Juan Gutierrez, and, of course, Sergio Romo.

The Giants have a lot of depth in their bullpen. They have setup relievers, a long reliever, left-handed specialists, relievers who can pitch multiple innings, etc. The Giants’ bullpen is elite and is a large reason why they’re a contender for a World Series title.

A’s: The A’s bullpen has had some mixed results so far this season. Although the bullpen has a collective 2.60 ERA, which ranks fourth in all of MLB, they’ve faced some consistency issues. The bullpen has shut down opponents at times, and other times, they’ve given up leads and blown saves (9 blown saves so far this year).

Jim Johnson has struggled, so Sean Doolittle had to take over closer duties. Despite some of these inconsistencies, the A’s have depth in their bullpen, so they’ll be just fine.