ST. LOUIS — The Giants do not control their own playoff destiny. They ceased that power in late July and early August when they lost 21 of 28 games and sunk below .500.
But over the last two weeks, they’ve slugged their way back into the conversation.
Fresh off sweeping the Colorado Rockies, San Francisco has won 10 of its last 11 games and revived its postseason hopes heading into this weekend’s series in St. Louis. Entering Thursday’s games, the Giants (71-69) trailed the New York Mets by four games for the third and final National League wild-card berth.
The Reds, Cardinals and Diamondbacks all are hot on the Giants’ heels, and the odds still aren’t great; FanGraphs has the Giants’ chances of making the playoffs at 4.1 percent, while Baseball Reference lists them at 11.1 percent. Still, the Giants will take those slim prospects given where they were two weeks ago.
These renewed hopes are the product of an offense that is terrorizing opposing pitchers. Since Aug. 22, the beginning of their series against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Giants are averaging 7.5 runs per game with a collective .300/.367/.530 slash line. Their last three games were at hitter-friendly Coors Field, but they had three double-digit outbursts during their latest home stand.
How has San Francisco’s offense been one of baseball’s best in recent weeks? The most obvious place to start is with …
The record-setting home run streak
The Giants have had some awesome offensive machines since the team moved to San Francisco. Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda in the 60s. The Will Clark, Kevin Mitchell and the Pacific Sock Exchange. Barry Bonds, Jeff Kent and company in the early 2000s.
None of those teams had a run like this group. The Giants have homered in 17 consecutive games, the longest streak since the team moved to San Francisco, and they’re two games away from matching the 1947 New York Giants for the longest such streak in franchise history.
They’ve hit 36 home runs over this stretch, shaking out to a little more than two per game. Of the 13 players who have taken at least one at-bat during this stretch, 11 of them have homered at least once.
Prior to this streak, the Giants ranked 27th in the majors with 114 homers. During this stretch, they’ve catapulted to 20th in the majors with 150. The two players leading the way in this department are …
Willy Adames and Rafael Devers
… who have hit seven home runs apiece during this 17-game stretch. Adames and Devers needed time to acquiesce to their new surroundings, but their collective star power is driving the Giants’ offensive machine.
Adames has been one of the best players in the majors over the last three months, and he’s posting a .907 OPS with 17 homers since July. Beginning with his two homers against his old team, Adames is hitting .326/.385/.744 with six homers and 13 RBIs.
Devers hit four homers with a .692 OPS for the Giants in June and July, but he’s hit 11 homers and is posting a .997 OPS since August. Earlier this week, Devers was named National League co-Player of the Week along with the Philadelphia Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber after he hit .478 with three homers and 10 RBIs.
Adames and Devers are expected to carry the offense, but the Giants have also gotten a boost from unexpected hot streaks by …
Luis Matos and Drew Gilbert
The Giants have yet to lock down a long-term right fielder since trading Mike Yastrzemski to the Kansas City Royals. During this stretch, Gilbert and Matos have provided jolts of offense at the bottom of the lineup.
Gilbert has two homers and a 1.215 OPS over his last 27 plate appearances, the highest mark by any Giant over the team’s last 12 games. He recorded his first three-hit game on Aug. 31, then followed it up with his first career four-hit game on Sept. 1.
Following months of inconsistent playing time, Matos is experiencing his first true run of success this season by hitting three three homers with a 1.140 OPS since being recalled in late August.
Whether it’s Adames or Devers or Gilbert or Matos, the Giants have been exceptional over the last couple weeks when it comes to …
Hitting with runners in scoring position
Back in April, the Giants were one of the best teams in the majors when it came to hitting with runners in scoring positions. At the end of the first month, their .776 OPS with runners in scoring position ranked sixth in the majors.
From May to August, by contrast, the Giants posted a .661 OPS, the second-worst in the majors during that stretch. This hot streak has seen them find that ability to hit in big situations.
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Over their last 12 games, the Giants are collectively hitting .388/.417/.641 with runners in scoring position. Their 1.057 OPS ranks third in the majors during that span, and their batting average ranks.
They’ve also been better in another department, and they’re having …
Success against four-seam fastballs
When the Padres’ Nick Pivetta stacked 10 strikeouts against the Giants on Aug. 19, manager Bob Melvin iterated that San Francisco’s hitters were being attacked by four-seam fastballs.
Pivetta’s dominance highlighted the Giants’ season-long struggles against four-seamers. Overall, the Giants rank 15th in slugging percentage (.430) and 20th in batting average (.243) against four-seam fastballs. This season, 35.3 percent of the pitches that San Francisco’s batters have seen this season are four-seamers, the highest mark in the majors.
The Giants have continued to be attacked by four-seam fastballs during this hot streak, but they’ve found a way to buck the season-wide trend and start mashing the heaters. Over their last 12 games, the Giants hitting .310 (3rd) with a .620 slugging percentage (4th) against four-seam fastballs.
