A lot can change in a year. Last year, the Giants and the A’s were bottom-feeders, finishing last in their divisions. Now, they’re both in the playoff hunt. The Giants have won three of their last four games and sit just three games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.
Meanwhile, the A’s have won 13 of their last 16 games and are arguably the hottest team in baseball. Despite having the eighth-best record in baseball, they sit five games back in the AL Wild Card race and eight games back in the AL West thanks to the success of division rivals Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy said the playoff stakes have added an unquestionable importance to this year’s Bay Bridge Series.
“You have two teams that are trying to get to the postseason and (the A’s are) playing really well,” Bochy said. “There’s nobody playing better than Oakland right now. They’re clicking everywhere. They’ve been throwing the ball well, great comebacks, they’re scoring runs, they’re winning games they’re supposed to.”
Bochy added that the A’s have been bolstered by quality bullpen pitching and likely feel good about their playoff chances.
“You get on a run like they are, that means you’re playing really good baseball and you’re clicking,” Bochy said. “And since they’ve been on this run, I’m sure they really feel good about where they’re at and trying to get to the postseason. And that’s what we’re trying to do. So you have two teams that are trying to accomplish the same thing, that are playing very important games right now.”
This is the first game of a six-game series between the Giants and A’s that will finish after the All-Star Break. The series will be the only time the two teams face each other this season.
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