Matt Moore

Matt Moore had instilled the Giants with hope. After a brutal season in which he ranked among the least effective pitchers in Major League Baseball, the San Francisco Giants began to put pressure on Moore.

If any club wants Samardzija or Moore to appear on a playoff roster, a trade must be completed prior to September 1.

Though a Giants pitching staff that ranks 17th in the Major Leagues in earned run average hasn’t aided the franchise’s cause this season, San Francisco’s lineup was unable to keep the club afloat during the first half of the season.

After being eliminated from a National League West race that never materialized this season, the Giants have more than a month to focus on a rather subjective team goal that manager Bruce Bochy has outlined: Play better ball.

Chris Stratton wants to pitch every five days. And with the way he’s thrown in his last two starts, the Giants’ rookie may one day have the opportunity to do so.

Since the calendar turned to August, the Giants have heeded the words of their manager, Bruce Bochy, and played better baseball.

Last year, the Giants were still a month away from acquiring Moore in a deadline trade from Tampa Bay when San Francisco won its 50th game. This year, he’s played a critical role in the Giants’ struggles, as he notched just his fourth win in his 25th start of the year.

If someone told Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy on Sunday morning that his two starting pitchers, Chris Stratton and Matt Moore, would combine to throw 13.2 innings and allow two earned runs against the Washington Nationals that day, San Francisco’s skipper probably wouldn’t have believed it.

Things haven’t exactly shaken out the way they’re supposed to for Giants’ rookie Chris Stratton.

Matt Moore has struggled through the 2017 season, and Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy has considered skipping the lefty’s turn in the rotation.