SF Giants endure seven-game losing streak at worst possible time

Okay, there is no good time to have a seven-game losing streak. That said, the SF Giants current stretch of poor play right before the trade deadline really complicates any approach they might take.

SF Giants endure seven-game losing streak at worst possible time

The Giants finished the first half of the season with a 48-43 record and they had rattled off consecutive series victories including three wins in four games against the Milwaukee Brewers. After some sloppy play in June, it felt like they were beginning to turn the corner.

However, they have struggled badly out of the gates to start the second half of the season. They currently have a 48-50 record, but they remain in the shadows of playoff contention. They currently are in fifth place in the Wild Card standings and only 3.5 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the final Wild Card spot.

They are mired in a deep slump after being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers have a very good team, so a sweep was not a terribly surprising outcome. On the other hand, the Diamondbacks are a team that they need to beat.

When the season begins to wind and the probability of a playoff spot slips away, the Giants will see some of these series losses as missed opportunities. They are the product of inconsistent hitting, poor defense, and a bullpen that has flipped from one of the best units in 2021 to one of the worst this season.

The trade deadline is in just a couple of days. The front office will need to make a determination regarding the direction of this season. It is a spectrum with buying on one end and selling on the other. Will they buy? Will they sell? Perhaps, something in between.

The front office will make the final call but it is the play on the field that informs this decision. This is not a team that is inspiring the type of confidence to make a big move at the deadline. On the other hand, the Giants rarely sell as ownership wants to tally as many ticket sales as possible by the end of the year and selling tends to obstruct that goal.

The truth is, the Giants just have not been good enough to buy. They are more than one or two moves away from competing with a roster that is flawed and imperfect in a lot of ways.

They got off to a good start with a 14-7 record in April. Since then, they have struggled to stay afloat as they have posted a 34-43 record. One bad month could be due to injuries, a tough schedule, or a rough patch that is common over the course of a 162-game season.

This stretch of poor play spans nearly three months. It is not just a seven-game losing streak, but this most recent skid likely limits the options that even make sense at the trade deadline.

There is no good time to lose seven straight games, but San Francisco will likely fall out of the playoff picture. Many teams will find ways to improve, but the Giants will likely not have impactful reinforcements on the way.