Series Preview: SF Giants limp into Houston with a problem

After a deflating series a mile and a half up, the SF Giants come down to earth to meet the surging Astros. Will they crash and burn against the defending champs?

It's safe to say that the SF Giants' series against the Padres didn't go how anyone expected. That much was clear about three innings into Saturday's game, when pop fly home runs and ground balls to the wall highlighted an explosive offensive environment. Forgive the Giants for losing an 11-16 farce on that first day, when the strike zone was the size of a grapefruit, and Manny Machado's game-winning home run was the 21st hardest hit ball of the night. Sunday was a little tougher, when the Giants kept hammering away at San Diego's pitching staff with the long ball, but went cold in the late innings before losing 6-4.

The impact of that series, though, will go far beyond some inflated stats and a two-game drop in the NL West standings. The Mexico City trip was an unmitigated disaster, and the Giants are once again beaten the hell up. On Saturday, Sean Manaea took a line drive directly off his knee, while Brandon Crawford left with hamstring tightness. The next day, Mike Yastrzemski suffered a leg injury attempting to field a pop fly, and throughout the series, catchers Blake Sabol and Joey Bart took multiple direct shots on foul tips. The repercussions of a physically brutal series threatens to last for weeks, if not more, and we've already seen the ugly consequences of the Giants missing key starters.

A tilt with the title defense

Hot off the heels of that brutal series, the Giants stop over in Texas to face the 15-13 Houston Astros for a 3-game set before heading home at the end of the week. The good news? The Giants sport a significantly better offense, with a team OPS seventy points higher than Houston's. The bad news? Giants pitching is no closer to coming out of its early season funk, with San Francisco sporting a team ERA a full 1.53 points higher than the Astros. So it's gone for the G-Men, who end April with 46 home runs hit (top 5 in franchise history in April) but nearly as many (41) allowed.

Can the Giants pull off a series win to halt the bad vibes before they get even worse? They'll have an opportunity on Monday against right-handed starter Luis Garcia, who's had an up and down year - 12 ER in his first three starts, but none in his last two. They'll have to work even harder on Tuesday in a pitching duel between DeSclafani and Astros hurler Hunter Brown, given that neither starter has an ERA above 3.00. If they can't fight hard enough to rip two wins out of Houston's hands then, they'll be in a rough position come Wednesday, when they face lefty ace Framber Valdez, who averages nearly seven innings a start. Logan Webb's been Cained a few times already this season, and it might just happen again facing Valdez.

Part of the Giants' issue is that they haven't yet built an identity around this year's team. Without much star power, both the offense and defense have been efficient but ineffective. That might change if Thairo Estrada and J.D. Davis keep up their scorching hot starts. Estrada has been San Francisco's most dependable hitter, batting .346 while leading the Giants in at-bats. Davis, meanwhile, has taken the team lead with 6 home runs, and is playing incredible defense around the infield. And don't forget about Joc Pederson, who has plenty of experience against these Astros. He went 6-for-18 against them in the 2017 World Series, with 3 home runs. Hopefully that Joc shows up at Minute Maid, instead of the one who went 1-for-15 against them in 2021. 

Series details:

Who: SF Giants at Houston Astros
Where: Minute Maid Park, Houston, Texas
When: Mon. 5/1 (5:10 PM), Tues. 5/2 (5:10 PM), Wed. 5/3 (11:10 AM). All times Pacific.

Projected starters:

Monday: Ross Stripling (0-1, 6.89 ERA) vs. Luis Garcia (2-2, 4.00 ERA)

Tuesday: Anthony DeSclafani (2-1, 2.70 ERA) vs. Hunter Brown (3-0, 2.37 ERA)

Wednesday: Logan Webb (1-5, 4.10 ERA) vs. Framber Valdez* (2-3, 2.54 ERA)

*Indicates LHP

How to watch:

• SF Giants broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area, KNBR 680/1510 AM
• Astros broadcast: ATT Sportsnet SW, KBME 720/KLAT 1010/93.3 and 94.5 FM
• National broadcasts: MLB Network (Wed. 5/3, out of market)