SF Giants about to embark on difficult 6-game road trip

The SF Giants are coming off an impressive series win against the Los Angeles Dodgers. They will not have much time to feel good about this because they now are on the road against two difficult opponents in back-to-back series.

SF Giants about to embark on difficult 6-game road trip

The Giants could have swept the Dodgers in the kast series as they had numerous chances in the later innings of the second game of the series. Alas, it was still important to get two wins against the Dodgers even if they have a number of injured players right now.

The Giants could definitely use the confidence gained from this series against a good, playoff-bound team because they are about to face two more teams that appear playoff-bound and should provide a stout test.

The first test will be the Atlanta Braves. The Giants will face off against them beginning tonight in Atlanta. They are going to be up against 3 really difficult starting pitchers. Tonight's matchup pits the rookie Hayden Birdsong against Reynaldo López of the Braves. López boasts a 6-2 record with a 1.70 ERA. Wednesday's game will have Jordan Hicks go up against Chris Sale, who when healthy has been one of the most dominant pitchers of his generation. Sale is having a great 2024, with a 10-3 record, 2.79 ERA, and 118 strikeouts. The Giants do not get a breather on Thursday, either. Logan Webb will square off against the veteran Charlie Morton who is having a very solid year.

The one positive is that the Giants at least have three starting pitchers going into this series. They will not have to manufacture bullpen games like they have been forced to do so often recently. The only problem is that their starting staff will be going up against a very dangerous lineup. Even though the Braves lost Ronald Acuña Jr. for the year, they still have two of the most fearsome hitters in the game in Matt Olson and Marcell Ozuna. Ozuna. has been exceptional, with a .300 batting average and 21 home runs and 67 RBI already.

After the Braves, the Giants will then travel to Cleveland to take on the Guardians. The Guardians have been one of the biggest surprises in MLB this season. Their current record is 52-30 and it seems like new manager Stephen Vogt has really turned the culture around over there. This series could give Giants fans second thoughts about the team's decision to hire Bob Melvin over Vogt in the offseason. The Giants will also have to contend with José Ramírez who has 23 home runs and 76 RBI this season. That's right, 76 RBI before the second half. Just remarkable.

These next 6 games for the Giants will be a good test. They are playing two really good teams on the road and they have a chance to get back to .500 on the year while proving that they can hang with teams likely headed for the postseason.