The Giants are back in the win column, responding to a five-game losing streak by taking three of four from the Cubs — their first victories since the death of Willie Mays. Winning a series against Chicago, a team that’s spiraled over the last two months, is one thing. Trying to take a series against Dodgers, who keep on rolling despite injuries? That’s another.
“It’s always pretty festive here when we play the Dodgers,” said manager Bob Melvin.
Los Angeles looks very different compared to the last time these two teams met in mid-May, the biggest absence being that of Mookie Betts after he sustained a left hand fracture on June 16. Before the injury, Betts was making a case to win his second MVP, sporting an .892 OPS with 10 home runs and nine steals while playing shortstop.
It’s not just Betts missing, either. Infielder Max Muncy is on the 60-day injured list with a right oblique strain. Right-handers Yoshinobu Yamamoto (right rotator cuff strain) and Walker Buehler (right hip inflammation) are on the 15-day injured list, too.
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Most teams would crater under these circumstances. The Dodgers keep winning.
Since Betts went down, Los Angeles has won seven of their last nine. During this stretch, Shohei Ohtani has hit six homers with an absurd a 1.606 OPS — strengthening his own MVP case in his teammate’s absence — while Freddie Freeman boasts a .920 OPS, too. The pitching staff has been strong as well, posting a 3.20 ERA over its last 81 2/3 innings.
While Los Angeles is still thriving, San Francisco is trying to tread water.
The Giants currently have an entire five-man rotation — Blake Snell, Robbie Ray, Alex Cobb, Kyle Harrison and Keaton Winn — on the injured list. This month, San Francisco’s starters have thrown 103 2/3 innings, the fewest in baseball. That total is unsurprising given that Melvin has been forced to roll with bullpen games, just as he did on Monday and Tuesday.
The rotation depth is so depleted that the team called up Hayden Birdsong, a 22-year-old who had made just two starts with Triple-A Sacramento, to start …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
