Don’t call it a comeback.
The San Francisco Giants just won their fourth game in a row. It’s their longest win streak of the season and when you look at it, probably could not have come at a better time.
Five days ago, the Giants were the worst team in baseball. The three-time World Series champions, who many had locked in to their October picture, had suddenly fallen apart. On their last road trip, they were outscored 63-28. Their outfield looked fairly similar to a Triple-A team, and the team atmosphere was lackluster at best.
So what changed? Enter Brandon Crawford and Denard Span. After losing the two to the disabled list in mid-April, the Giants gained both back on May 11 to kick off the current home stand. Span provided an immediate boost to the leadoff spot and Crawford’s return reunited a Golden Glove caliber middle infield. But most importantly, the return of two of the team’s most sorely missed starters provided the Giants with a spark to play, one that they needed desperately.
Since returning from the DL, Span is batting .384, an immense improvement from Gorky’s Hernandez’s .172. For as well as Christian Arroyo handled shortstop, nothing beats having Crawford in the heart of the infield. The Giants are simply a better team with Crawford in the hole.
Another factor is Buster Posey’s recent power surge. After hitting just one home run in the second half of 2016 and one home run in April, the one-time NL MVP now has six homers in the month of May, and five in the last seven games. For a team that severely lacks right-handed power, these types of things certainly don’t go unnoticed. And you can’t forget about Matt Cain. With his win tonight, he is now 3-1 on the year with a 4.04 ERA — the lowest ERA on the starting rotation.
Don’t get me wrong, at 16-24, the Giants obviously have a long way to go. Although they have a temporary fix with Eduardo Nunez in left, they’re still battling injuries (the Bumgarner one to be specific) and the bullpen still needs some fine tuning. But it’s a start. And it’s a start that couldn’t have come at a more desperate time. The Giants finally got the ball rolling. It’s up to them on when it stops.
