San Francisco Giants 'Biggest Red Flag' Could Be Reason They Miss Postseason

The San Francisco Giants have run into an issue they need to fix before October.

Aug 18, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Blake Snell (7) throws a pitch against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. / Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants have done just enough all year to stay afloat. While they haven't been good by any means, they also haven't been bad. It's been tough to get a feel for the type of team they are, but when healthy, there's a lot of talent on this roster. 

It'll be interesting to see how they play for the remainder of the campaign, as they're currently four games out in the National League Wild Card. If they can put together a decent stretch in the next few weeks, there's a good chance they'll be in a position to make the postseason. 

After some decisions they made at the trade deadline, most specifically not trading anybody of value, it would hurt not to make the postseason. Factor that in with the possibility of Blake Snell leaving in free agency this offseason, and there are a lot of question marks for the Giants as they move on. 

Despite those worries, they're the type of team that might simply need a chance. If San Francisco can sneak into the postseason, there's plenty of veteran talent to help them succeed when it matters most in October.

They'll have to improve in a few different areas before that, and Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report believes he found the biggest one. Rymer listed the Giants starting rotation as their "biggest red flag," hinting at some of the struggles from pitchers other than Logan Webb and Snell.

"Meanwhile in San Francisco, the Giants are putting on a textbook display of hanging around. They've never been more than three games over or six games under the .500 mark.

"But if the Giants are going to make the run they need to make, they need help in the rotation for Blake Snell and Logan Webb. They're crushing it, while the team's other primary starters (Robbie Ray, Kyle Harrison, Hayden Birdson) have a 5.68 ERA in the second half."

The struggles of Robbie Ray and others could be due to their lack of innings. Ray looked decent outside of his last outing against the Atlanta Braves, where he allowed five earned runs in 2/3 innings pitched. He had another start where he allowed four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings, but outside of that, he's been a steady arm who should make an impact for this team in their playoff push.

As for the others, they're a bit unknown. They don't have the same type of experience as the other three pitchers on the staff, but they need to step up in a massive way for San Francisco to make the postseason.