The roadtrip started so well.
A series win over the Washington Nationals complete with a victory over Max Scherzer raised the Giants’ record to 33-32 with an impending trip to cellar-dwelling Miami.
But since then, everything has fallen apart for the squad. And with the exception of a 16-inning win on Thursday, the Giants have looked feckless in most of their games since Sunday’s triumph in Washington. Saturday’s tilt with the Los Angeles Dodgers was no different, as an absent Giants offense and a few Dodgers home runs was enough to sink the visiting Giants, as they fell 3-1.
The game was nearly a carbon copy of Friday’s game, as Matt Kemp and Kike Hernandez each homered off the Giants’ starting pitcher. Instead of journeyman Derek Holland, however, Saturday’s home runs came off staff ace Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner threw 112 pitches in the game but finished just six innings, an indication of his struggles with command.
The Giants now drop to 34-37 and may be running out of time to turn it around. The Dodgers have been resurgent since the return of Justin Turner and trail the Diamondbacks by two games in the NL West. Arizona has experienced a similar turnaround and currently stands at nine games over .500. The loss drops the Giants to six games back of the D-backs and fourth place in the division.
San Francisco has long hoped to stay around .500 until they are able to return to full strength for a playoff push. However, with news coming Saturday that Evan Longoria will be out for 6-8 weeks after needing surgery on his fractured metacarpal bone, the team must face the possibility that returning to full strength may not be an option in 2018.