A lot is riding on the next few games.
The San Francisco Giants are probably going to miss the playoffs. We’ve known this for a while, but things are worse than ever right now. Per Fangraphs, the Giants are down to a measly 2.6% chance of making the postseason, after they had Monday off while the Atlanta Braves won … pushing Atlanta’s lead over the Giants to 5.5 games, a miserable stat that’s compounded by the the Braves hold the tiebreaker, and that the New York Mets sit between the two teams.
So regardless of what happens this week, the season is probably toast for the Giants. But that doesn’t mean that the next few games aren’t important. Because, if there’s one thing working in restaurants has taught me, you can always attempt to make something interesting out of toast, even if it’s still toast.
The Giants kick off a three-game road series against the Milwaukee Brewers tonight, then return home for a three-game set against the Miami Marlins. If they win four or five (or ideally six) of those games, they’ll remain a must-monitor team going into next week, even if the playoff odds remain slim. If they lose four or five of those games — or even just three, while Atlanta has a good week — then it will fully be time to stick a fork in the season.
Critically, this week takes us to September. The Giants have five games between now and then, and those five games will play a huge role in determining their fate. September 1 is not only the time when rosters expand to 28 players, but the point where players must be on a roster in order to be postseason eligible. In other words, the Giants can place a Michael Conforto or a Taylor Rogers on waivers while the calendar still says “August,” and any team can pick up those players and have them postseason eligible. Once the calendar flips to September, that no longer becomes an option.
So if the Giants get swept by Milwaukee, you can expect a few veterans to get released, while the Marco Lucianos and Luis Matoses of the world fill out the roster. And if the Giants sweep Milwaukee, you can expect to develop a false sense of belief.
I’m not sure which is more exciting.
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants visit the Brewers tonight at 5:10 p.m. PT.