SF Giants may no longer be best MLB team in Northern California as A's come into town

The SF Giants have reached a new low point following their three-game sweep by the Miami Marlins. Throw in the Rafael Devers incident, and this might already be a turning point in this frustrating season. Incidents like this one are easily brushed aside if a team is winning. If the Giants were 46-31 instead of 31-46, it would barely be addressed. But they are not, and they need to start winning again.

They're back home tonight against the Athletics after an eventful trip out east. The Giants enter their second series of the year against the A's with a 14-20 (.412) record at Oracle Park — the second-worst home record in the majors, behind only the Boston Red Sox. The organization hasn't had a losing record at home since 2019, when it finished 35-46 in Bruce Bochy's final season as manager — a mark that matched the worst home record in the San Francisco era.

The pitching matchups for series vs. A's

Overall, both teams' starting rotations have been struggling this season. The Giants enter with the sixth-highest starters' ERA at 4.63 — despite Logan Webb's heroic performances lately — while the A's 5.05 mark is the second-worst in the majors, behind only the Colorado Rockies. A lot has changed in their rotation since Opening Day, as three of their five initial starting pitchers are currently off the big-league roster. Luis Severino is on the 60-day IL with a shoulder strain, while Luis Morales and Jacob Lopez were optioned to Triple-A.

LHP Robbie Ray (4.07 ERA) vs. RHP Aaron Civale (4.91 ERA)

The last time the Giants took on Aaron Civale, he boasted a 2.70 ERA and had allowed more than two runs just twice over his first nine starts. Since giving up two runs over five innings in the A's 5-2 win over San Francisco on May 15, things have gone south for the 31-year-old right-hander.

Over his last three starts, Civale has posted a 13.50 ERA and 2.33 WHIP, giving up 18 total runs and six home runs in just 12 innings pitched. His ERA has ballooned to 4.91.

Two of those three games took place in Sacramento, where Civale has struggled this season (6.83 ERA). Meanwhile, he's been solid on the road so far, posting a 3.19 ERA in six starts. He's yet to be charged with a loss in a "real" MLB ballpark. (Sutter Health Park is actually the home ballpark of the Giants' Triple-A affiliate.)

In his six career appearances against the Giants, Civale has posted a 2.30 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 31 1/3 innings while owning a 4-1 record. One last important note: lefties are hitting .326 with a .965 OPS against Civale this season, and the Giants' group of left-handed hitters has the highest batting average in the majors, at .275, along with a .748 OPS, the 10th-highest mark.

As for the Giants, they get a locked-in Robbie Ray. After a rough month of May, Ray has posted a 2.65 ERA in three starts in June, holding his opponents scoreless twice. One of his constant struggles, though, has been his command, as Ray has issued at least two walks in 11 of his 15 appearances this season. Against the A's in his career, Ray has posted a 3.23 ERA and allowed 11 home runs in 47 1/3 innings.

RHP Tyler Mahle (6.04 ERA) vs. LHP Gage Jump (2.37 ERA)

Tyler Mahle will officially make his comeback for the Giants on Wednesday after missing almost a month with a hamstring injury. Prior to his injury, Mahle posted a 6.04 ERA and picked up just one win in 11 starts. In his one and only rehab game, the 31-year-old allowed one run and issued five walks in three innings of action.

This A's lineup tagged him for five runs on 10 hits during his start in Sacramento on May 15. In three career starts against the Athletics, Mahle is 0-3 with a 3.71 ERA in 17 innings.

The A's will send promising 23-year-old rookie Gage Jump to the mound on Wednesday. Jump is coming off his best start of the season against the Angels last week, tossing seven scoreless innings and allowing just one hit. He's pitched at least five innings in all four of his starts this season, including a couple of outings in which he pitched through the seventh. In his two starts outside Sutter Health Park, he's gone 2-0 with a 0.68 ERA and 0.75 WHIP. One noteworthy detail: he hasn't given up a home run yet.

RHP Landen Roupp (4.15 ERA) vs. LHP Jeffrey Springs (5.55 ERA)

Just like Civale, Jeffrey Springs had a decent first couple of months before cratering in June. In his four starts in June, he's posted an 11.57 ERA and has allowed nine home runs in just 16 1/3 innings. On the season, Springs leads the American League in earned runs (51) and home runs (21). He's faced the Giants just twice in his nine-season career, including on May 17, when he allowed two runs on five hits in six innings.

One of his go-to pitches, the four-seam fastball, a pitch he throws over 43% of the time, has been crushed by right-handed batters. Righties are batting .296 with a .602 slugging percentage against his four-seamer. Eight of his 21 total home runs have come off this pitch against righties.

As for Roupp, despite his solid outing against the Marlins over the weekend — 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 7 K — he's still chasing his first win since April 26. The Giants are 0-9 over his last nine starts. Roupp has only made one start against the Athletics. It came in May 2025, when he threw six scoreless innings in a 1-0 Giants win.

The big difference for Roupp has been the effectiveness of his sinker, a pitch he throws over 36% of the time. Over his first six starts, opponents were slashing just .114/.264/.159 with a .423 OPS, just two doubles, and no home runs. Since then, over nine games, the numbers have climbed to .355/.437/.645 with a 1.082 OPS, seven doubles, one triple, and three home runs.

Some notes on the Athletics

The A's may not be in Oakland anymore as they're splitting their time between Sacramento and Las Vegas, but while they're in Sacramento they are challenging the Giants for best MLB team in Northern California which says everything you need to know about how badly this season has gone for San Francisco.

In the midst of a mediocre American League — one that has only six clubs over .500 compared to the National League's 11 — their underlying profile is a little uglier than their actual 38-40 record suggests, a mark that puts them just one game out of a Wild Card spot.

They've been outscored 418-364, which adds up to a -54 run differential, the worst in the American League and the same as the Giants' mark, which ranks 14th in the NL. Their record is also a bit misleading, as MLB.com gives them a 34-44 expected record, mostly due to a weak AL West division. The Mariners lead the division with a 40-39 record.

Their strength has been their offense. As a team, they rank top 10 in the majors in runs scored, with 364 (10th); hits, with 666 (6th); home runs, with 105 (4th); walks, with 295 (7th); batting average, at .250 (9th); and OPS, at .749 (3rd). It's worth noting that they've hit 62% of their home runs in their minor-league ballpark despite playing just four more home games. On the road, their OPS sits at .679 compared to .813 at home.

As for the player to watch, it's Nick Kurtz, the headliner of this feisty offense. After a very successful rookie season in which he unanimously won the American League Rookie of the Year Award, along with an AL Silver Slugger and All-MLB Second Team selection, the 23-year-old hasn't slowed down.

To make it short, he basically leads every offensive category in the American League. Here is the list: first in runs (56), first in RBI (61), first in walks (72), first in OBP (.439), second in OPS (.995), sixth in home runs (19), and fifth in SLG (.556). He's also piled up the second-most strikeouts, with 104.

Another player is also putting up historic numbers, and probably one you would expect. With his 2-for-4 night against the Angels on Sunday, third baseman Zack Gelof extended his hitting streak to 24 games, the longest active streak in MLB and tied for the third-longest in Athletics history. Gelof was recalled from the Las Vegas Aviators on April 16 and has been batting .284 with an .838 OPS and 11 home runs ever since.

The Giants' hot bat

Casey Schmitt has been the team's most consistent hitter this season and has already shattered multiple career highs. He enters the series riding a six-game multi-hit streak dating back to the Giants' first game against the Braves last week.

The challenge for Schmitt is to match the production he's put up on the road at Oracle Park. His numbers in San Francisco are still relatively good: a .235 batting average, 19 RBI, six home runs, and a .776 OPS in 27 games at Oracle. But on the road, he's been an All-Star, slashing .331/.348/.554 with a .902 OPS, 23 RBI, and nine home runs in 42 games.

The Giants' playoff odds are shrinking with each loss, now standing at just 2.0%, according to FanGraphs, following their disastrous weekend in Florida. The big picture is discouraging, so a series-by-series approach makes more sense for this team. With that being said, bouncing back and finally building some momentum at home should be the priorities.

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