The San Francisco Giants sit at one game below .500 and are tied for second place in the NL West with the hot Arizona Diamondbacks, and half a game behind the Dodgers. In the early parts of the season it seemed as if offense was not going to be a problem all year, while there was concern with the back part of the rotation.
The Front Three
In the first 10 games of the season, the Giants scored 68 runs while going 6-4 and had two series wins. During this span Madison Bumgarner had one win and a no-decision that was lost, Jeff Samardzija did the same, and Johnny Cueto won both of his first two starts. The problems were, and remain with, Jake Peavy and Matt Cain. Cain had a no-decision that was won and then lost the next start after giving up 6 earned runs, while Peavy did the same but gave up double digit hits in both of his first two starts and did not make it past the fifth inning in either outing. Now, as we have reached 35 games played, the statistics are starting to become more realistic as all five starters have had seven starts as of May 10. Bumgarner and Cueto rank 16th and 17th in the National League in ERA with 2.93 and 3.02 respectively, while Samardzija ranks 23rd with 3.17. All three have five quality starts with four wins each and 143 strikeouts between them. When the Giants have those three starting on the mound, they are a combined 14-7, which is winning 66% of the time.
The Back Two
When Peavy or Cain is on the mound, the team has gone a combined 3-11, which is winning just 21% of the time. Should this trend continue, the playoffs are likely out of the picture for the Giants, as the same statistics have them projected to win just 48% of their games. Both Cain and Peavy have just one quality start each and have only one win between them. Cain is ranked 53rd in National League ERA with 6.46, and Peavy has not even qualified for the rankings tossing an 8.47 ERA. There needs to be a change in the rotation, but the status of Peavy and Cain makes that seemingly difficult. Peavy won the 2007 Cy Young Award, capturing the pitching Triple Crown, while with the Padres. He also has two World Series rings to his name, but the almost 35 year old does not look to be anywhere near as sharp as he once was. Cain is a fan favorite, especially since he pitched a perfect game on June 13, 2012 and had an integral part in each of the Giants three World Series wins, but the former ace has struggled to get a win and more basically has struggled to get outs.
Peavy had a good outing against Miami at home, going seven innings and allowing just two earned runs while collecting the win, but in his next start he lasted just two innings and threw 70 pitches on the road against the Mets, allowing six earned runs in a 13-1 loss. In his last two outings, he collected two more losses and gave up 10 earned runs and five home runs. Peavy is clearly a liability on the mound, although he does lead the team in batting average and has three RBIs. As for Cain, the Giants have lost his last six starts, with Tuesday’s start against Toronto being the only bright spot as he went eight innings and gave up just two earned runs in a loss. But before that, the most he had lasted was six innings and had given up a combined 44 hits and 29 runs in his first six starts. You want to root for these guys who are struggling, especially when it is guys like these, but it is hard when the playoffs and the World Series are the goal every year.
The Backup Options
The Giants do not have a ton of options to pull up from the minors, although Giants fans remember the effectiveness of Chris Heston from the 2015 season, but Heston has struggled greatly as a reliever in the big leagues this season with a 10.80 ERA, and as a starter in AAA Sacramento where he has not won a game and has a 4.12 ERA. Albert Suarez is another option, who is a recent call-up and has done well in three outings, pitching four innings giving up five hits and a walk with two strikeouts and has not given up a run. He started three games this season for Sacramento and posted a 2.88 ERA in five appearances. There is also left-hander Ty Blach who has won four games and has a 3.89 ERA, as well as Chris Stratton who has also won four games but his ERA is high at 6.47. Outside of these guys from Sacramento, and the 2014 first round pick Tyler Beede, who is currently in AA, there are not really any options for another starter as there are no relief pitchers in their bullpen that have any starting experience, something that Yusmeiro Petit had provided the past few years and something that Giants fans may begin to miss. A trade could happen, but I doubt the Giants are willing to give up much more than prospects, as one of the main strengths of the team is its continuity. Hitting started off great for the Giants, but has since regressed, as there are just four starters that are batting above .265 and four with at least 15 RBI. Still, they rank 6th in the National League in batting average and fifth in RBI.
The rotation remains the biggest problem, as the Giants have posted a 4.20 team ERA that is 9th in the National League and far behind the leading Chicago Cubs at 2.67. The organization believes in Cain and Peavy, but the Giants really should start checking their options, as this sort of pitching cannot continue if they expect to compete and make the playoffs. The NL West is looking to be wide open and up for grabs, and the Giants have a legitimate chance to grab it, but they are going to need to fix their pitching issue. The issue may need to be fixed by taking Cain or Peavy out of the lineup, and loyalty may need to be set aside for the good of the season. The skipper may have some decisions to make soon.
(All numbers are as of May 10)
