SAN FRANCISCO — It was after the Giants swept the Houston Astros in early April that Landen Roupp provided a message to the baseball world.
“If you don’t know by now, we’re pretty good,” Roupp said, “and we’re going to be good.”
That was before they started the season 8-1, racing out to their best start since 2003.
That was before president of baseball operations Buster Posey shook up the roster amidst an offensive cold spell.
That was before Posey made an even more shocking move weeks before the trade deadline by acquiring Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox — and inheriting nearly $250 million worth of salary.
That was before Heliot Ramos’ walk-off Little League home run and Patrick Bailey’s walk-off inside-the-park homer and Wilmer Flores’ three-homer barrage and one of the coldest, windiest games the Giants have played in recent memory.
There are many adjectives that can describe the Giants’ first half. Boring does not apply.
“We’ve put ourselves in a position to where, starting in the second half, our objective and where we want to go is still attainable,” said manager Bob Melvin.
The Giants enter the All-Star Break with a 52-45 record and sit in third place in the NL West. They’re six games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the division and a half game behind the San Diego Padres for the third and final Wild Card. San Francisco is outperforming preseason expectations, and a run at the postseason is well within the realm of possibility
This team has unquestionably been anchored by its pitching staff. The Giants’ collective 3.50 ERA ranks first in the National League and third in all of baseball. Their bullpen’s 3.14 ERA, specifically, is the best mark in the game. It should come as no surprise, then, that the Giants’ three All-Stars — Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and Randy Rodríguez — are pitchers.
Webb, a two-time All-Star, is turning in arguably the best season yet, on pace to eclipse 200 innings for a third straight year and 200 strikeouts for the first time in his career. Ray, another two-time All-Star, has returned to form in his first full season since Tommy John surgery by posting a 2.65 ERA over 20 starts. Landen Roupp has emerged as a No. 3 starter behind Webb and Ray by posting 3.27 ERA over 19 starts.
As for Justin Verlander? The future Hall of Famer remains searching for his first win as a Giant despite six quality starts to his name. Having made a recent tweak mechanically, Verlander is optimistic he can be even more effective in the second half.
San Francisco’s starters have thrown the fifth-most innings in all of baseball, allowing the bullpen to go into the break having thrown the eight-fewest frames. Less work has kept the relievers rested, resulting in several great individual seasons.
Rodríguez has blossomed into one of baseball’s best relievers. Tyler Rogers made another case for the Midsummer Classic. Doval, despite his ups and downs, has rebounded from last year. Walker lost the closer role in late May but quietly hasn’t allowed a run since July. Spencer Bivens has been an unsung hero in the bullpen by pitching in any role required.
“I think we’re in a really good spot where we’re at going into the second half,” Ray said. “This game is tough. We’ve been playing really good baseball.”
The offense, by contrast, has been below average despite spurts of excellence, the product of a lineup that has seldom had multiple hot bats at the same time. At the break, the Giants rank 21st in runs (399), 28th in batting average (.229), 24th in OPS (.678).
The Giants were averaging 4.6 runs per game by the end of April. Their collective .683 OPS ranked 19th in baseball, but they compensated by having a .776 OPS with runners in scoring position, the fifth-best mark in baseball at the conclusion of the first full month.
Since May, by contrast, the Giants are averaging 3.9 runs per game. Their .677 OPS over the last two-and-a-half months is almost similar to their mark in April, but (entering Sunday) the team’s .693 OPS with runners in scoring position since May ranks 22nd in baseball.
Posey attempted to spark the Giants’ offense in early June with a shocking flurry of moves, designating LaMonte Wade Jr. for assignment and signing Dominic Smith to a major-league deal. The shakeup sparked a seven-game winning streak, but there was still a need for a true big bat.
With top prospect Bryce Eldridge still a ways away, Posey swung one of the most shocking trades in recent memory by acquiring Devers in exchange for Kyle Harrison, Jordan Hicks, James Tibbs III and Jose Bello. The Giants would be on the hook for the remainder of the 10-year, $313.5 million deal that Devers signed prior to the 2024 season, but the Giants saw Devers as a perfect addition.
Devers, who’s about a month into his Giants tenure, has yet to consistently look the part of a three-time All-Star. Over 25 games with San Francisco, Devers has a .202/.330/.326 slash line two homers and 10 RBIs. Despite the slow start, the Giants aren’t harboring many concerns.
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Along with the back and groin ailments that he’s managing, Devers is still adjusting to a new team after spending more than a decade with the Red Sox organization, a team that signed him as a 16-year-old in 2013 out of the Dominican Republic.
Before acquiring Devers, the title of new splash addition belonged to Willy Adames, who signed a seven-year, $182 million contract to boost the offense. Adames on both sides of the ball in his first two months with the Giants and will enter the All-Star Break with 12 homers, 48 RBIs and a .680 OPS. Since Adames’ scheduled off day on June 8, Adames is hitting .290 with seven homers, 22 RBIs and an .892 OPS.
“We’re going to be better offensively. I believe that. We have some guys that are coming around a little bit,” Melvin said. “We have some guys that will come around a little bit more. We have some guys in the middle of the lineup, they’re going to do more damage. I think our offense is going to be better in the second half.”
