San Francisco Giants Pitcher Blasts Critics, Makes Bold Prediction

Are the San Francisco Giants poised to make a big run down the stretch?

Jul 28, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants outfielders Michael Conforto (8) (left), Derek Hill (48) (center) and Mike Yastrzemski (5) run in from the outfield. / Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants were frustratingly inconsistent in the first half. Plagued by injuries and a lackluster offense, the Giants started slow out of the gate and were still six games below .500 through May 14. A 10-2 stretch briefly put them over .500 in late May, but they slumped in June and have been hovering around .500 ever since.

With July winding down, San Francisco finally started hitting its stride. The Giants took four games from the Colorado Rockies in three days, matching its longest winning streak of the season and setting a franchise record in the process.

While San Francisco is still two games below .500, things are looking up. Following Monday's off day, six of the Giants' next seven series are against teams with losing records, giving them a golden opportunity to go on a sustained run. They're healthy, their rotation is thriving and their offense is showing signs of life.

If Sean Hjelle's recent comments are any indication, San Francisco has its swagger back.

"People are going to kind of regret counting out the Giants."

Sean Hjelle last night on why San Francisco is playing with a chip on its shoulder 😤 pic.twitter.com/akqvQoC1Wi

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) July 28, 2024

"I think it just speaks to how special this team is in a lot of different areas, in every facet," Hjelle said. "Just talent-wise, culture, what we got going on in the clubhouse...it's really fun to be a part of it."

The 27-year-old reliever also had a message for the doubters who were quick to dismiss the Giants after their sluggish start.

"I think people are gonna kind of regret counting out the Giants going forward in this 2024 season," Hjelle said. "I think that kind of put a chip on our shoulder a little bit, and I think we're gonna prove a lot of people wrong, which will be really fun to do."

San Francisco still has some work to do to prove the critics wrong, but it's trending in the right direction. The Giants have three legitimate aces in Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and Blake Snell (assuming they don't trade any), plus two more quality starters in Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks. If they stay healthy and get some help from the bats and bullpen, there's no reason San Francisco can't go on a tear and get back in the playoff hunt over the next few weeks.