The San Francisco Giants made a trade for Rafael Devers a couple of weeks ago from the Boston Red Sox. It was a massive trade for the Giants, who needed so much offense. He has played 14 games with the Giants, and they are struggling at 4-10, having lost four straight games, with an 8-2 loss Tuesday night to the Arizona Diamondbacks. A couple of weeks ago, the Giants were just two games back of the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers, now they are 45-41 and nine games back.
In 14 games with the Giants, Devers is off to a slow start, batting .204 with home runs, five RBIs, and striking out 23 times. Oracle Park is not a hitters-friendly ballpark, so his numbers were expected to dip a little. Additionally, the Giants lack sufficient good hitters around Devers to provide adequate protection. When you lack protection, you won’t see many hittable pitches. If you have good protection behind you, you will see hittable pitches and put up good numbers, due to pitchers fearing the hitter on deck.
The Giants’ offense has been inconsistent all season. San Francisco lacks contact hitters; they have been relying on power and walks, but don’t produce consistent contact to make runs. As a team, the Giants are 25th out of 30 teams in batting average, with a team average of .230, which won’t get it done. The lack of contact hitters and the overreliance on power and walks are key factors contributing to their offensive struggles.
The Giants’ significant free agent acquisition, shortstop Willy Adames, who signed a seven-year, $182 million contract with a $22 million signing bonus—the largest contract in Giants history—has been disappointing. He is currently hitting .211 with ten home runs and 37 RBIs. Patrick Bailey has also struggled; he has been injured and is only hitting .194.
San Francisco’s starting pitching is top-heavy, with Logan Webb and Robbie Ray having been fantastic. Webb is 7-6, but has a 2.61 ERA, and Ray is 8-3, with a 2.75 ERA. Landon Roupp has been ok with his 3.43 ERA, but everybody else has struggled. Justin Verlander, an offseason addition, has yet to win a game as a Giant; he is 0-5 with a 4.26 ERA. Even when the Giants pitch well, they get poor run support from the offense, which puts additional pressure on the pitching staff and affects their performance.
If the Giants want to turn it around quickly, they will need Devers and Adames to get the bats going. They both make a lot of money, and it’s time for them to start producing. San Francisco must also get third baseman Matt Chapman back from injury. He adds right-handed pop, but is another player who does not hit for average, but would help the offense. Giants must also look to add more offense via trades. The need for more offense is urgent. They should target hitters who can put the ball in play and get on base. It would be nice to have runners on base when Devers and Adames are at the plate. If they want to compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers, they need bats.
Additionally, San Francisco must solidify its pitching staff; it has two good starters. If they can add to the back end of the starting rotation, it could help them in the long run. Right now, it’s too much pressure on Webb and Ray to pitch well.
If the Giants can make a couple more moves and get players to step up, they could make a run this season. The next moves are crucial. If the Giants can make the playoffs with Webb and Ray pitching, they have a good chance to be a factor; however, they need to get their bats going. Buster Posey has some work to do to get the Giants going.
To contact Sports Reporter LaMarr Fields email [email protected].
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