4 biggest roadblocks to the SF Giants making it back to the postseason

The Giants' schedule for the rest of August is absolutely brutal

The Giants have played pretty well against the better teams in the league so far this season. In 2023, San Francisco's record against teams who currently have a record better than .500 sits at 28-23 which is the best mark in the NL West and trails just the Braves by winning percentage in the National League. However, that is really going to be put to the test during the rest of August.

After the Giants get done with this three game set against the Rangers who are among the best teams in baseball this season, they have to take on (in order) the Rays, Braves, Phillies, Braves again, and finally the Reds. That is a lot of teams either in playoff contention or among the best teams in the league. If the Giants can emerge from this stretch coming out relatively unscathed, they will be battle-tested and in a great spot. If not, their entire season could be torpedoed.

San Francisco needs the old Thairo Estrada back and fast

When Thairo Estrada went on the injured list, it was a huge blow for the Giants' offense as he was in the middle of a career year. In addition to being an excellent defender, Estrada slashed .272/.327/.434 with nine homers in the first half of 2023. While those aren't otherworldly numbers, it was strong production for a Giants' offense that really needed it.

The good news is that Estrada is back. The less good news is that he only has just four hits since returning from the IL. The sample of games since he came back is very small, so no one should be too alarmed. However, the Giants only have around a month and a half of baseball left and to hold on to their playoff spot, they are going to need their first half offensive MVP to round back into form or at least find someone else in the lineup to pick up the slack.