SF Giants Rivals report for April 17

The Giants had a rough week, but none of their NL West rivals did well either.

Every week, we take a look at how the SF Giants' rivals have been doing. This week, the division rivals played almost as badly as the Giants did, while also dealing with nearly as many injuries as the G-Men. We also look into how former Giants pitchers are doing (well) and former hitters are faring (badly). 

Arizona Diamondbacks: 3-3 last week; 9-7 overall

Ace Zac Gallen rebounded from two rough early starts to win two games this week, throwing 13.2 scoreless innings, striking out 18 hitters and yielding only five hits and one walk. Merrill Kelly threw six no-hit innings against the Brewers, then gave up three runs in the seventh and lost to Corbin Burnes’ eight three-hit innings. Rookie Corbin Carroll hit his fourth home run of the season Sunday, but the highlight of his week was when the Suns’ Kevin Durant attended a D-Backs game wearing a Carroll jersey,

In Giants-related news, injured Diamondbacks closer Mark Melancon is selling his Tampa Bay home for $11 million. Evan Longoria’s average dropped from .429 to .286 after a 2-14 week. Madison Bumgarner fell to 0-2 with a 7.90 ERA with a loss to the Marlins.

Colorado Rockies: 1-5 last week; 5-11 overall

Seattle swept Colorado this weekend, holding the Rockies to five runs in the three-game series. They’ve lost five games in a row, dropping the final two games of their series with the St. Louis Cardinals. Colorado’s offensive star so far is catcher Elias Diaz, tied for the team lead with eight RBIs and slashing .362/.423/.574. For his career, Diaz is a .247/.302/.388 hitter, so someone else needs to step up offensively on a team that has only four hitters with a positive WAR. That does not include Kris Bryant, who has hit far better away from Coors Field in his 57 games as a Rockie.

Los Angeles Dodgers: 3-3 last week; 8-8 overall

The Dodgers took two out of three from the Giants this week, including two blowouts. Max Muncy went 5-9 with four home runs and 11 RBIs. His slash line for the series? .555/.600/1.889.

For his career, Muncy has 25 home runs and 55 RBIs against the Giants and is slugging .635, which honestly feels low.

Will Smith went on the concussion Injured List thanks to two hard foul balls off his mask against the Giants, one of the few times they managed to hit the ball hard against L.A. Julio Urias lost his first decision of the season Sunday to fall to 3-1, despite giving up only two earned runs, but he was no match for Forever Giant Drew Smyly.

San Diego Padres: 2-5 last week, 8-9 overall

The Padres wasted a 12-strikeout effort from Yu Darvish Sunday and lost 1-0 to the Brewers Sunday. San Diego left the bases loaded in the ninth, while Milwaukee scored its lone run on a bunt single, a disengagement violation, a steal of third, and a sacrifice fly. The highlight of the week was probably former No. 7 pick Ryan Weathers winning his first game since July 6, 2021, throwing five shutout innings against the Mets.

San Diego is about to get some crucial players back. Fernando Tatis Jr. can return April 20, and he’s tearing it up at AAA El Paso, with six home runs in his last three games.

Fernando Tatis Jr. is now 10-for-12 with 6 home runs in his last 3 games after going deep AGAIN pic.twitter.com/tXlBUHf8hp

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 16, 2023

They’re getting outfielder Adam Engel back soon from a rehab assignment. Starter Joe Musgrove struck out eight in a rehab start Sunday, and pronounced he was “ready to go”. Former Giant Drew Pomeranz strained his neck last week, but should be back with the big club soon. Fortunately for them, a 2-5 week only left them a game and a half out of first place in the NL West.

Wild Card Rivals

Only the Rockies and the Washington Nationals have a worse record than the Giants’ 5-9 mark, so their wild card rivals are…everybody. There are only five teams with a positive run differential, however, and the Giants’ -6 differential puts them right on the middle of the pack. Atlanta has won six straight and the Mets have won four straight, while the Cubs have gone 7-3 after a slow start.

The Giants’ 0-2 record in extra-inning games is only better than the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics, who are 0-3. So if you go to a Bay Area baseball game and it’s tied after nine innings, you might as well leave to catch BART.

Former Giants

Kevin Gausman has struck out 25 batters in 20 innings for the Blue Jays, and has a 1.35 ERA. Carlos Rodón won’t pitch for the Yankees for the first time for a few more weeks due to forearm soreness. Austin Wynns signed with the Dodgers after Will Smith’s concussion issues. Brandon Belt had a horrific 1-25 start to his season for the Blue Jays, but went 4-10 with two doubles last week to get back on track. He’s primarily platooning while splitting time at first base and DH. And so far, Tommy La Stella is struggling for the Mariners, with one walk and one double in 15 plate appearances.