For nearly two months, the Giants lived a dream.
Gabe Kapler’s club exceeded nearly every spring training expectation, working its way to the top of the National League West on the shoulders of excellent starting pitching, outstanding defense and a lineup that produced timely home runs.
The dream has not only ended, it’s given way to a nightmare.
In a span of 72 hours, the Giants fell from first place down to third as Dodgers starting pitchers put on an overwhelming performance capped off by Julio Urías’ dominant effort in an ugly 11-5 defeat.
In the club’s worst loss of the season, right-hander Anthony DeSclafani became the first Giants starter since Ty Blach in May, 2017, to give up 10 earned runs in an outing as he watched his ERA climb from 2.03 to 3.54 with a brief 2 2/3-inning stint.
DeSclafani entered Sunday’s outing as one of the club’s top performers this season as the former Reds starter had been a catalyst behind the rotation’s unexpected success. In a start he’d prefer to forget, his counterpart, Urías, tagged him for a two-run double in the second inning before extending a crushing third inning with an infield single that led to his third RBI of the afternoon.
The next batter, Gavin Lux, launched a grand slam over the right center field wall, requiring Kapler to go to his bullpen far earlier than he anticipated.
A weekend that began with high hopes ended in huge disappointment as the Giants were unable to take advantage of a Dodgers team that’s been decimated by injuries. The reigning World Series champions were without shortstop Corey Seager and top slugger Cody Bellinger, and played the final two games of the series with former American League MVP Mookie Betts on the bench.
Even without several key players, the Dodgers annihilated the Giants this weekend, putting a significant damper on the excitement and energy provided by fans at Oracle Park that was palpable all weekend.
A Sunday crowd that was ready to erupt if the Giants showed any signs of early life was at its loudest in the sixth inning, after Mike Tauchman reached on an infield single to break up a perfect game bid from Urías. The cheers continued when Austin Slater yanked a two-run home run into the left field bleachers, but the Giants didn’t exactly give their fan base reason to believe they can be serious contenders in a loaded division this year.
Three games is hardly enough of a sample size to analyze the Giants’ long-term chances, but as the Dodgers continue their recent hot streak in San Francisco this weekend, it was increasingly clear they could reach a gear Kapler’s club just hasn’t been able to hit yet.
After the three-game sweep, the Giants are still nine games above .500 and own a .596 winning percentage that’s comfortably better than the vast majority of NL clubs. With a 5-4 record against San Diego this season, the Giants have also proven they’re capable of playing competitive ball against one of the only teams in the majors with a superior record.
In 47 games this season, the only test the Giants have yet to pass is the one they just failed miserably. Can they match up with the Dodgers and become a serious threat to the deepest team in baseball?
The answer this weekend was no, but they’ll have a chance to wake up from a daze next weekend when they travel to Dodger Stadium for a four-game series that could put them right back in front of the division, or push them down further toward the ranks of the mediocre.
