San Francisco Giants Control Path to Postseason

After finishing a critical road stretch 5-5, the San Francisco Giants open a seven game home stand hoping to catch rival Los Angeles in the NL West and pad their lead in the Wild Card standings.

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The San Francisco Giants return home after finishing a critical road stretch 5-5. Before the road swing, the team trailed the Dodgers in the division and barely held on to the top spot in the wild card standings. But a sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks over the weekend should provide some confidence coming home.

Bruce Bochy and the Giants staff could not have been happy with their road performance. With exception of a 6-0 opening series loss to Colorado, Bochy’s squad was in position to win every game on their trip. A hit or pitch could have seen the Giants end the road trip 9-1. Missed opportunities could haunt the Giants if the team misses out on the postseason.

In a potential playoff match-up, the Chicago Cubs took three of four at Wrigley Field. All four games were decided by one run. Credit Giants ace Madison Bumgarner for rising to the occasion to out duel Cubs ace Jake Arrieta in the only win of the series for San Francisco.

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Albert Suarez pitched well but the Giants offense provided no support as he was out-pitched by Jon Lester. The bullpen faltered again, giving the lead up late and cost the Giants an opportunity to gain ground in the division.

A wake up call must have happened before the series against Arizona though. In the rubber match against the Rockies, Santiago Casilla failed to seal the win. His inconsistency — and Joe Nathan ultimately giving up the game winning hit — was a reality check.

Bochy had said during the trip that the team needs to turn the power switch on and start scoring runs. The lack of run support has been a factor in the Giants losing the lead late and the pitchers not being able to silence the opponents’ bats.

After Casilla’s blunder in Arizona — giving up the game tying home run in extra innings Friday night — he has been demoted from closing duties. Closing out games will be done by committee and a decision is unlikely to be made on a regular closer until the postseason.

Given their struggles, San Francisco’s pitchers lack confidence. And it’s been that confidence, that swagger that’s been a main factor in the franchise’s three even year championships. History suggests the Giants will find the confidence to make a run but first, they need to clinch a playoff spot.

Despite his bullpen concerns, Bochy must be pleased with the display Hunter Pence put on against Arizona. In Friday’s game he made a spectacular diving catch in right field in a tight game. His bat came alive during the series, providing the offensive power the team has been lacking since the start of the second half.

Offense during the Arizona series came from the five through eight batters in the Giants’ lineup — especially in Friday’s game. Pence will need to continue his offensive explosion. And hitters at the top of the order such as Denard Span and Buster Posey need to step up in the final weeks of the season.

Starting pitching for the Giants has been impressive lately, with Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, and Matt Moore delivering quality starts against Arizona. That momentum needs to continue against the San Diego Padres at home in a three game series.

Mike Matheny and the St. Louis Cardinals are currently battling the Giants for the second Wild Card spot. And as luck would have it, the Cardinals come to AT&T this weekend for four games, giving the Giants a chance to open up a lead.

These two teams have provided great baseball over the years — especially in the postseason. Giants fans cannot forget Barry Zito’s performance to force game six in the 2012 NLCS or Travis Ishikawa’s walk-off homerun to send the team to the 2014 World Series.

This year very well may add to those memories as the Cardinals come to the Bay Area focused on taking the top spot in the Wild Card, giving them home field advantage.

With the renaissance of the Cubs under skipper Joe Maddon, the Cardinals are no longer the dominant force of the NL Central. However, management has put together a solid team year in and year out, and is always a contender.

Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez leads the team with 14 wins and former Giant Mike Leake will make a return to San Francisco. Look for Yadier Molina to get the Cardinals offense going.

13 games will remain after conclusion of the St. Louis series. And all 13 games will be within the division. Six of the games are against the Dodgers, which will certainly determine the NL West. The Giants and the Dodgers are currently 37-23 and 34-25 in the division respectively.

Not only is the NL West tigh,t but the fate of the Wild Card is also at play. The New York Mets sit in the second spot with the Cardinals right behind. Pittsburgh and Miami are in the hunt, but the Giants, Mets, and Cardinals will be the three to decide who gets the two spots.

Next: San Francisco Giants Morning Minute: Pence Giving Needed Lift

No matter if they win the division or the Wild Card, the Giants will be happy to nab any spot in the postseason. San Francisco simply need to take care of business by winning down the stretch. Bochy is gearing the team up for another even year postseason run. Hopefully the magic does not stop in the remaining regular season games.