San Francisco Giants 3 Up, 3 Down: Get the Brooms Out

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – MAY 31: Brandon Crawford #35 of the San Francisco Giants bobbles the ball for an error off the bat of Trea Turner #7 of the Washington Nationals in the top of the first inning at AT&T Park on May 31, 2017 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

3 DOWN

1 – Defense

Offensively and on the mound, this was the Giants’ best series of the season. Defensively, however, was a different story. They committed two errors on Friday (both Austin Jackson and Gorkys Hernandez bobbled grounders hit into the outfield that turned into extra bases), three more on Saturday, and two more on Sunday. Hanson committed three of those errors, while Hernandez made two.

There were a lot of sloppy plays that weren’t ruled errors as well, but luckily the Giants scored enough runs and made enough quality pitches that it didn’t matter. They aren’t always going to be able to do that, however, and the defense will have to lead the way sometimes. Performances like they got this weekend just won’t cut it.

2 – Injuries Again

Yet again, the Giants just couldn’t avoid the injury bug in a series. They continue to receive bad news about Mac Williamson, as his return date is still being pushed back. Right now, “indefinite” is the best guess. Reyes Moronta joined him in the trainer’s room after leaving Saturday’s game with a tight back, but is said to be doing better and probably won’t need to go on the disabled list. That leaves the Giants with a seven-man bullpen for now, which could hurt them during this long stretch if Moronta’s back is worse than thought.

They also got some good news on Mark Melancon and Madison Bumgarner. Melancon threw a bullpen that gave the team great optimism on Saturday, and Bumgarner has started throwing as well. So, it’s not all bad.

3 – The Road Doesn’t Get Easier

(This series was really, really good so let’s look ahead instead.) San Francisco took care of one hot team, but the Philadelphia Phillies are next for four games and they’ve figured some things out too. They’ve fallen on hard times after a hot streak in April (3-7 in their last 10), but this is another young team that has given the Giants problems in recent years.

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They then finish the road trip in Pittsburgh, where McCutchen returns to his old stomping ground for the first time since the trade. The Pirates have also cooled down, but are still right behind the Giants in the wildcard race. They’re back home after that, and have four games with the red-hot Rockies after three with the Reds (who are the worst team, record-wise, in the NL).

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