5 takeaways from the SF Giants sweep against the Colorado Rockies
The SF Giants have come out of a poor stretch, in which they lost five games in a row, and are now looking like the red-hot team they were to start the season.
5 takeaways from the SF Giants sweep against the Colorado Rockies
After taking the final two games in a series split with the St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco welcomed division rival Rockies to the bay, and promptly swept them with three emphatic victories.
We've seen how up and down this team can be, so we won't crown them World Series Champions after this series, but their form, combined with welcoming back some injured players gives the team a good outlook going forward.
With that being said, it was a great series to end the home-stand for the Giants before they head out to St. Louis, and here are five things we can takeaway from it.
1. Even with little help from behind the plate, SF Giants pitcher Carlos Rodon is elite
In the first six weeks of the season, few pitchers have been as good as Carlos Rodon, and in this series, he turned in another fantastic start in game one.
There were many, many complaints about the missed calls from behind the plate that would have given him another few strikeouts, but the former White Sox stud managed to persevere and turn in another winning performance.
At this point, nothing Rodon does should surprise anyone, but at this point, if he can keep this up, we may be looking at the first Giant to take home the Cy Young since beloved, home-grown star Tim Lincecum.
5 takeaways from the SF Giants sweep against the Colorado Rockies
2. The SF Giants have a fantastic collection of role players on this team
This has been true for the past few years, but in this past series against Colorado, the role players like Mauricio Dubon, Thairo Estrada and Luis Gonzalez really stood up.
With bigger names like Longoria and Belt working their way back into the lineup, we can't expect Crawford and the other veterans to do all the work, so this past series really showed off how deep the Giants can be.
Tommy La Stella isn't far from a return either, and that may cost one of the Giants young role players their roster spot for the near future, but right now, it's good to know that these guys can perform when called upon.
3. With Evan Longoria returning, the SF Giants have close to their best lineup available
The Giants have yet to field a fully healthy lineup in 2022, but with Evan Longoria's return to the No. 3 spot in the starting lineup, they are closer than ever, with just Tommy La Stella to return.
While Evan isn't the player he once was, the way he hits lefties will make this a big inclusion for San Francisco, and will allow them to start fielding consistent lineups game after game.
With such a hot race in the NL West with all five teams being above .500, the Giants will need Longo's consistent bat and veteran presence if they want to stay in that race all year long.
5 takeaways from the SF Giants sweep against the Colorado Rockies
4. Mike Yastrzemski is teasing SF Giants fans with what looks like a return to career best form
Mike Yastrzemski burst onto the scene in 2019, and while he's had some good years since that, he's never quite hit his career best peak, but his start to 2022 could be just that.
He missed some time due to the covid outbreak that hit the Giants a few weeks ago, but after returning, he's being more patient than ever at the plate, and it's resulting in some great at bats that give Giants fans true hope.
If Yaz can come anywhere near career best form with the rest of the team the way they are, this makes the Giants true contenders, and given his recent performances against Colorado, it's fair to be optimistic.
5. A healthy Alex Cobb gives this SF Giants rotation scary potential
In his first outing of the year, Alex Cobb looked electric, and while he dealt with his own injury issues, his start against Colorado once again looked electric.
He wasn't quite at his best, but over the 5.1 innings he threw, he flashed potential of his best, and if he can be the Giants consistent No. 4 for the rest of the way, this team is going to be tough to beat.
With Cobb, Rodon, Alex Wood and Logan Webb, any playoff opponents of the Giants will be up against it, and a healthy Alex Cobb will make the race to the playoffs against the Dodgers and Padres a whole lot easier.