San Francisco Giants: Surviving Without Key Players

The San Francisco Giants are 18-18 and are five and a half games out of first place in the National League West. At first glance, it would seem as if the defending World Series champions are struggling out of the gate but one must take other factors into account besides a team’s record when evaluating them.

San Francisco was dealt horrible news when Hunter Pence — the team’s heartbeat — went down in Spring Training with a broken left forearm. It was obvious he would miss all of April, but little was known beyond that. Now, May’s halfway point has arrived and Pence is on his way back. He will join the team in Cincinnati on Saturday and is expected to play.

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To make matters worse, the Giants have been without two-fifths of their projected starting rotation for almost the entire season to date. Matt Cain has not seen a major-league mound since July of 2014 and will have to continue to wait to make his first start of the season. It is unclear when Cain will return and even when he will begin a rehab assignment. It seems as if his injury is more serious than previously expected.

Joining him on the disabled list is fellow veteran Jake Peavy, who originally missed his first start of the season because of back tightness. He has since started two games with the last coming on April 17th against the Arizona Diamondbacks; that start was cut short by, once again, his ailing back. Peavy is expected to make an appearance in an extended Spring Training game sometime this week, but nothing is guaranteed when it comes to a veteran player’s back.

For the most part, San Francisco has been fortunate with how well their replacements have played. Except for a few short weeks when Gregor Blanco patrolled right field, Justin Maxwell has filled in for Pence. Even with recent struggles at the plate, Maxwell has exceeded expectations by slashing .250/.309/.400 (batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage) and by playing extraordinary defense. He has made countless fantastic plays in right field in only 33 games.

Rookie pitcher Chris Heston is making the most of his current opportunity and deserves a concrete spot in the starting rotation even when both Cain and Peavy return. Heston has posted a 2.91 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP in seven starts but has only three wins. He’s been the tough-luck loser a few times early in the year, but he made sure he would get the win in his last start. In Houston on Tuesday, Heston was masterful: he threw his first complete game (it was also the Giants’ first complete game of the season) while striking out ten and surrendering one run on only two hits.

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In addition to Heston, Madison Bumgarner has been as advertised — except for one lowly start in San Diego when he was rocked for five runs in three innings. Tim Lincecum has also been a huge help early in the season. Lincecum’s ERA is 2.43 and his WHIP is near one at 1.30. This is arguably the best Lincecum has pitched for an extended period of time since his Cy Young days.

While Maxwell may be relegated to a bench role upon Pence’s timely return (or maybe Maxwell and Aoki will split time in left field), Heston deserves to keep a spot in the rotation. If those two can continue to perform well until San Francisco gets back to full-strength, the Giants should be fine.

With Pence playing every day, the Giants automatically receive an offensive boost. Pence provides power, speed, and is a calming effect when in the middle of the lineup. While the return of both Cain and Peavy will certainly provide pitching depth, it is unclear how well those two will be able to perform — or if they will be in the rotation. With Heston pitching so well, there may not be enough room to fit all starting pitchers. Manager Bruce Bochy will be in for a few tough decisions when his team returns to full strength.

Even before his injury problems, Cain struggled on the mound. In 2013, his ERA was 4.00 — the highest since his rookie year in 2006 — and in 2014 his ERA was 4.18 in 15 starts. All things considered, there was general optimism surrounding Cain during Spring Training but this most recent injury surely makes a return to form more unlikely.

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Peavy carried the Giants into the postseason last year with a spectacular second half but struggled to keep his rhythm once the playoffs arrived. His struggles carried over to this season as he posted a 9.39 ERA in two starts before hitting the disabled list. Peavy is almost 34 and it would not be wise to expect him to pitch as well as he did after being acquired from the Boston Red Sox last season.

Regardless, pitching depth is certainly a luxury San Francisco would like to have as many of their current starters have logged many innings over the last few regular seasons and playoff runs. The Giants do have talented arms in their farm system, but none are quite ready for the big leagues as of now.

If Buster Posey and company can continue to keep San Francisco afloat until reinforcements arrive, the Giants will have plenty of time to set themselves up for another postseason run whether it be via the Wild Card or even a division title.

Next: San Francisco Giants Try to Get over the Hump Against Cincinnati Reds

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