SF Giants at 50 games: Can they maintain a playoff position?

The Giants’ just-completed homestand was a downer for all concerned, given an uncharacteristic start from Logan Webb and the news that Justin Verlander was headed for the injured list.

Yet in hitting the 50-game mark at 29-21, the Giants are just two games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the N.L. West and in the second wild card position behind the New York Mets (30-20) and San Diego Padres (27-21).

Projected over 162 games, that’s a 94-win clip — a total that would surprise even the most wild-eyed optimists about the potential of the Giants in the first year of Buster Posey taking over as the president of baseball operations.

“If you look at where the season started, where we are right now, that’s not a horrible place to be,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said after an 8-4 loss to the Kansas City Royals Wednesday. “But you’re never really happy with where you are. You always feel there’s a little more in there. We’re going on a long road trip here. We’re right in the middle of it. In that respect, it’s a good place to be.”

The Giants opened the season 12-4 but have been a .500 team ever since at 17-17. They begin a three-game series in Washington against the Nationals Friday night, then visit Detroit, with the Tigers currently having the best record in baseball at 33-17, and finally have three games in South Florida against the Miami Marlins.

Over the last 25 years, the Giants have exceeded 29 wins through the first 50 games six times — getting to 30 wins five times and 32-18 in 2014. There’s something to be said for getting off to good starts. That fast start in 2014 saw the Giants go 56-56 the rest of the way and drop into a wild card spot, but they won the World Series anyway courtesy of Madison Bumgarner.

Webb, 5-4 with a 2.67 earned run average and one of the top starters in the National League, was disappointed in his start Wednesday but not in the Giants’ performance through the first 50.

“I think we’ve held our own,” Webb said. “We’ve had a couple of long road trips and we’ve got another one coming up right now. We played 17 straight games in April. That’s not an easy thing to do. I think we’ve fought, we have high expectations in here, and I think we’ve got to keep our head down and keep going.”

The Giants still have 112 games to play, and here are some roadblocks and potential solutions if the first postseason since the out-of-nowhere 107-win season in 2021 is achievable.

Picking up for Wilmer Flores

First baseman/designated hitter Wilmer Flores (10 homers, 42 RBIs) is on pace to drive in more than 140 runs. So he will cool off. That doesn’t mean he’s not an important player and a clutch hitter when healthy. But Flores has never driven in more than 71 runs. He’s in his 13th year and there’s no evidence that what he’s doing is sustainable.

The good news, if you can call it that, is the Giants have a lot of struggling hitters who can pick up the slack when needed. Only Heliot Ramos, who has been on a tear recently, is holding up his end consistently with a .296/.392/.500 slash line with nine homers and 26 RBIs. You could probably add center fielder Jung Hoo Lee to that list (.276, six home runs, 31 RBIs, 30 runs scored).

But the Giants expect more after heavily investing in the left side of their infield with shortstop Willy Adames (.214, five homers, 23 RBIs) and third baseman Matt Chapman (.217, nine homers, 25 RBIs).

Outfielder Mike Yastrzemski has been a middle-of-the-road .273/.371/.429 with five homers and 17 RBIs and first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. and catcher Patrick Bailey have been in horrible slumps all season. Each has shown some breakout potential of late, including delivering back-to-back pinch-hits in a win over the A’s.

There are plenty of candidates who can do better as the season progresses and Flores isn’t carrying the team on his back.

Justin Verlander will miss at least two starts for the Giants with a pectoral nerve irritation. Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group

What’s up with Verlander?

It’s always risky to pin a key rotation spot on a 42-year-old pitcher, even one with the credentials of Justin Verlander. And while Verlander’s record (0-3, 4.33 ERA) isn’t impressive, he pitched against tough luck and was pushing his velocity into the high 90s.

Then came his Sunday outing against the Athletics, with a pectoral nerve irritation, and a stint on the injured list where he’ll miss at least two starts. Melvin and Verlander are looking at it as a necessary precaution and outwardly have expressed confidence that his stuff will bounce back. But for a pure power pitcher in his early 40s, injuries are always a concern.

The Saturday start in Washington could fall to left-hander Kyle Harrison, or be a promotion for Carson Whisenhunt, who is pitching well in Sacramento as Harrison was when he earned his promotion. If all goes according to plan, Hayden Birdsong will remain in the rotation along with left-hander Robbie Ray while Landon Roupp attempts to hold off young arms poised to join the rotation.

There are enough arms to weather a temporary loss of Verlander. If it’s anything more long-term, it gets more difficult.

“We’re used to having two or three guys,” Webb said. “Now it’s like we’ve got eight.”

Ryan Walker of the Giants reacts after closing out the Colorado Rockies on May 3 at Oracle Park. Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group

A close-out bullpen

Ryan Walker and Camilo Doval both had rough patches and rebounded from them. It gives the Giants two good closing options. Tyler Rogers has been of All-Star quality as a set-up man. Randy Rodriguez is flying under the radar at a nearly unhittable 3-0 with an 0.87 earned run average and 30 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings.

Now they’re joined by Jordan Hicks, who immediately looks more comfortable back in a relief role after struggling in the starting rotation. That’s another power arm who throws two-seamers at 100 miles per hour.

The SF Giants needed a stopper. Logan Webb didn’t deliver.

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Throw in left-hander Erik Miller and some good middle-inning work from Spencer Bivins and it’s one of the best bullpens in baseball.

Sticking with the formula

Pitching, defense, timely hitting. If the Giants’ success is sustainable, it will be because of those three strengths. They’re not going to bludgeon you with their bats, but will depend on their starting and relief arms to keep opponents at bay and then look to execute when it matters.

“We’re usually in every game,” Melvin said. “And we’re going to fight to the end. We hit good pitching late in games. We come back. Those are all qualities we talked about from spring training forward. This is the type of team we need to be. Good defense, timely hitting, good pitching, close games. I think we’ve accomplished that to this point.”