SF Giants have tumultuous ending to a tough first month of the year

The SF Giants finished the first month of the year with a 13 - 18 record. That was capped off by a tumultuous ending, being walked off in both sides of a doubleheader.

SF Giants have tumultuous ending to a tough first month of the year

The good news is there is still plenty of baseball left in the season. In fact, they are not even one-quarter of the way through the year. 

The bad news is they have dug themselves into a hole, but a surmountable one. If they put together a three-game winning streak, that will get them within striking distance of a .500 record. That said, getting within striking distance of .500 has been on loop for the past decade.

The NL West has proven to be a tough division yet again. The Giants will not catch the Los Angeles Dodgers in the standings, but at 19-11, the San Diego Padres remain a formidable opponent. The Arizona Diamondbacks are off to a quality start with a 16-14 record.

Even the Colorado Rockies are off to a better-than-expected start. The rest of the NL West has banked wins against the Rockies in recent years, but that may not be as easy this time around. 

That leaves the Giants as the division dwellers. It is too early to look at the standings, but it may not be too early to take a pulse from the rest of the division. That pulse appears strong in the early going.

Few Giants players will be sad to see the calendar turn to May. Casey Schmitt and Jung Hoo Lee were a couple of the best hitters in the lineup. Robbie Ray and Landen Roupp have anchored the rotation. Logan Webb is off to a slow start, but has looked more like himself over the past couple of starts. 

Aside from that, it has been not all that promising. Much of the rest of the lineup has been mired in a season-long slump. The new additions to the rotation, including Tyler Mahle and Adrian Houser, are off to slow starts. Harrison Bader struggled badly before landing on the injured list.

On a positive note, Luis Arráez’s defense at second base had improved considerably. That is a testament to the hard work Arráez has put in, along with the ability for Ron Washington to coach players up. Bringing him onto the coaching staff may quietly be one of the best moves by the organization this offseason.

It was a rough month. The good news is it is a long season and things can turn around quickly. 

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