Stick a fork in 'em

The Giants get swept by the Padres (6-5 Monday, 4-3 Tuesday, and 5-4 Wednesday) and their losing streak is now seven games. They finish the month of August 10-17. They are done. If a ray of hope was still shining it has now vanished. They are tied with the Diamondbacks! They will have to fight for third place. A .500 record is likely out of the question.

So, what to do? Roughly a month (32 games) of baseball remains. The rosters only expand by two players in September, it’s not like it used to be with a dugout full of prospects and no-names. But it wouldn’t hurt to see some young guys get a few reps. David Villar and Heliot Ramos come to mind. Maybe we should get a look at what they can do. Heck, I’d give Kyle Harrison a few innings on the mound.

I should note that the only two position players signed for 2023 are Brandon Crawford and Tommy La Stella (they also have an option on Evan Longoria). The other players in the fold are starters Alex Wood, Alex Cobb, and Anthony DeSclafani. Carlos Rodón has an opt-out and most folks figure he will exercise that. Next year’s roster has a lot of question marks. Youngsters Logan Webb, Camilo Doval, Joey Bart, and Thairo Estrada will be key pieces so it will be good to see how they perform in the final weeks. Guys like John Brebbia and Jakob Junis have probably earned a call-back (both are still arb-eligible), and I think the team wants to keep J.D. Davis. It’s hard to know what will happen to veterans like Wilmer Flores and Joc Pederson. But that’s what the off-season is for!

Right now we have to ride out the rest of the way with what we’ve got no matter how painful. A strong finish won’t change the pennant races but it would give fans like me a lift. So, let’s hope the team turns it around and gives us a few weeks of some fun baseball.

The Phillies come to town tomorrow night, game time 7:15 Pacific.

Go Giants!

–M.C.