San Francisco Giants Predicted to Play Spoiler Down the Stretch

As we head into September, the San Francisco Giants have the ability to play spoiler in the playoff race.

Sep 1, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants pinch hitter Mark Canha (16) hits an RBI single against the Miami Marlins during the fifth inning at Oracle Park. / darren yamashita-usa today sports

It has been a challenging season for the San Francisco Giants, as they are a couple of games under .500 with the playoffs looking highly unlikely at this point. 

While the Giants are by no means a bad team, they play in arguably the best division in baseball, which is the National League West. The NL West currently has the team with the best record in baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

In addition to the Dodgers, the Giants have also had to deal with the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks, both of which appear to be playoff teams. Despite being essentially out of the playoff hunt, the Giants will have the opportunity to play spoiler for the rest of the season. 

Theo DeRosa of MLB.com recently spoke about the Giants playing spoiler down the stretch. 

“Led by ace starters Blake Snell and Logan Webb, San Francisco certainly has the talent to play spoiler in the season’s final month. Snell has a 1.30 ERA in 10 starts since the beginning of July, while Webb leads the Major Leagues with 183 2/3 innings pitched and has a 3.43 ERA. San Francisco’s lineup also includes a few potent bats, including Heliot Ramos (20 HR, .820 OPS) and Matt Chapman (21 HR, .776 OPS). Overlook the Giants at your own risk: The five postseason hopefuls they face in September aren’t likely to do so.”

When looking at the schedule, it is easy to see why the Giants have had a tough season. In the month of September, the Giants will only be playing one team that isn’t in the playoff picture, and that is the St. Louis Cardinals in the last series of the season. 

San Francisco will certainly make an impact on the playoff race one way or another, as they will be playing a ton of meaningful games against playoff hopefuls. 

For teams facing the Giants, they will have to contend with two very talented starting pitchers in Logan Webb and Blake Snell. These two pitchers can win any game they start, and it’s one of the reasons why San Francisco can be dangerous. 

One of the main weaknesses for the Giants has been their lineup. Besides Matt Chapman and Heliot Ramos, there isn’t much reason to fear the lineup for San Francisco. 

With a lot of games against teams hoping to make the playoffs, the Giants certainly have the opportunity to play spoiler in September.