SF Giants offense has been one of the worst in baseball since May 17

The SF Giants offense has not only struggled lately, it has been one of the worst over a prolonged stretch. Since May 17, they have scored 133 runs, which is the third-lowest mark in baseball.

SF Giants offense has been one of the worst in baseball since May 17

Why is May 17 a watershed moment in this season? Well, if we go back to May 16, Wilmer Flores blasted three home runs while leading the Giants to a 9-1 victory over the A's. We were all feeling good about the direction of the club at that point. It was fun and games, as the Giants got off to a strong start with a 26-19 record.

Then, the lights went out, and they have not turned back on since that game. Scoring runs has been a struggle for the Giants. Anyone who is watching them right now can see that. They have found new ways to avoid a rally, whether it is a bad send by Matt Williams or getting picked off at third base with Rafael Devers at the plate.

The Giants are not only struggling to score runs, the offense has struggled to do much of anything. Over the last 40 games, the lineup is slashing .219/.308/.344 (87 wRC+) with a .125 ISO, 10.0 percent walk rate, and 22.0 percent strikeout rate. The batting average (.219) and slugging percentage (.344) are the lowest in baseball during that stretch. They are not hitting, they are not hitting for power, and they really are not reaching base at an acceptable rate.

Six teams have a lower wRC+ than the Giants' 87 wRC+ since May 17. There is a good reason for this. One area where they continue to do well is working walks. They have the second-highest walk rate in baseball.

With that being said, their .308 on-base percentage is still a rough number and ranks in the bottom-third in baseball.

The Giants are 19-21 over the past 40 games. That is actually an impressive number for a team that is averaging 3.3 runs per game. The pitching staff continues to hold up its end of the bargain, but it creates no margin for error. Logan Webb allowed three earned runs in Monday's 4-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Despite yet another quality performance, that was an insurmountable number to overcome.

This is no longer a slump. Slumps do not generally last for one-quarter of the season. It is hard to believe that the lineup has struggled as bad as it has. No one expected them to be offensive juggernauts. On paper, they should be better than this.

Willy Adames has not gotten it going this season, Jung Hoo Lee has had some poor luck, and even Rafael Devers has slumped in his first few weeks with San Francisco. Plus, Matt Chapman has been out since early June.

The Giants have invested a lot of money into this lineup. The return on investment has not been what they had hoped. Perhaps, the Devers trade puts pressure on the roster and coaching staff to perform. That was a win-now move by the front office, and if the lineup is not performing, it may pressure the organization to make some uncomfortable decisions.