Three takeaways from the SF Giants series loss to the Toronto Blue Jays
The SF Giants may have lost their first series since early June when they went on the road to battle the Toronto Blue Jays, but unsurprisingly, they showed plenty of grit and fight as they went down two games to one up in Canada.
Three takeaways from the SF Giants series loss to the Toronto Blue Jays
Despite this, there were some positives to take away from the highly competitive series, and now as the Giants shift to The Big Apple and a showdown with the disappointing New York Mets, these are our takeaways from that series loss.
1. Familiar SF Giants faces thriving in new places
One of the biggest things the Giants team and their fans were looking forward to in this series was seeing old faces like Brandon Belt and Kevin Gausman, and while the Giants managed to pick up a win in Gausman's start, he was once again stellar. A,d perhaps, a reminder of a big miss by the front office.
As for Belt, he's been off to yet another solid start for the Jays, and while he didn't manage to hurt the Giants, it's clear that two very familiar faces are comfortable up north and are looking to help bring the Blue Jays a World Series.
While some splits in professional sports can be ugly, these two were nothing of the sort, and after a very fun, competitive series, it was great to see them thriving, and was especially fantastic to see a reunion between two Brandon's that spent over a decade together in San Francisco.
2. The SF Giants may have themselves a new starter
The SF Giants have struggled to put together a consistent rotation this year due to injuries, and they've resorted to using several openers to great success, especially with Ryan Walker, but in the series finale, they may have uncovered a new starter.
That would be Keaton Winn, who was making his fourth appearance and first start in the major leagues, and while he ended up taking the loss, he went six solid innings, allowing just three hits, one walk, and two earned runs.
Kyle Harrison is still waiting in the wings and the Giants are likely to get healthy soon, but right now, Winn has forced himself into the role, and if they continue to leave him in that spot, they may have themselves a genuine contributor for the rest of 2023 and beyond.
3. The SF Giants may have the best defensive catcher in baseball
The SF Giants may have come up short in this series, but one notable thing we did get from the three games is more Patrick Bailey highlights, as he not only came up clutch in the game one win, but he added another fantastic throw to his already impressive resume.
After just 31 appearances behind the plate, Bailey has caught 10 runners stealing, good for an elite 37 percent caught-stealing percentage, which puts him right at the top of all catchers in baseball.
Beyond that, his framing has improved dramatically too, as he continues to steal strikes for his pitching staff, and while many thought Joey Bart was the future behind the plate, it is clear now that it is Bailey's team going forward.