The San Francisco Giants took on the Texas Rangers on Saturday night for their opening game of the series. San Francisco took home the win, giving them their 31st win on the season. However, all eyes were on managers Bob Melvin and Bruce Bochy, as the two have quite the history together.
Melvin was the manager of the Oakland A's during those years when Bochy was managing the Giants. Bochy helped San Francisco secure three World Series titles during his tenure there. Bob Melvin was asked what it was like coaching against Bruce Bochy again. But San Francisco's current manager downplayed the rivalry, according to Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic. Here's what Melvin had to say about Bochy.
“I try not to face him. I try to do our thing with our team. What was cool is it was the A's and Giants in the Bay Area and there was always a little oomph to those games. But we've been doing this a long time together. It's always cool to be on the same field and in opposing dugouts, but I always try to say I'm not managing against him.”
That's a great mentality to have. Although the two have a history together, Melvin is much more focused on managing his team. Bruce Bochy is probably the same way for the Rangers. The Giants manager gave Bochy some props as the two are considered solid managers in the MLB.
“Hopefully, we're both pretty good at managing the roster that we have. So we're not going to try to jam a home run team out of a team that doesn’t do that.”
Bob Melvin is currently seeking his first World Series win as a manager. The Giants have a ways to go before becoming a true contender. But they seem to be on the right path. Meanwhile, Bruce Bochy won three World Series in San Francisco then won his fourth career World Series with the Rangers after taking the manager job in 2023.
Giants 2024 MLB Playoffs chances
The Giants are currently third in the National League West and are just a half a game behind the San Diego Padres for second place. So, it's completely possible for San Francisco to make the postseason this year. But they're more likely to be in the hunt for a Wild Card spot considering how good the Los Angeles Dodgers look so far.
For that to happen the Giants are going to have to get hot during the summer. They hold a 31-33 record and need to separate themselves from other potential Wild Card teams like the Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, and Pittsburgh Pirates.
To do that, San Francisco has to improve at the plate. Meanwhile, the Giants are likely going to lean on Logan Webb throughout the remainder of the season. But if Blake Snell can get back to form after his IL stint, then this team could have a chance to go on a run later in June and July.
It's an uphill battle for the Giants right now but it's not impossible. For now, it's hard to imagine this team winning a World Series but they can certainly be in the hunt for a playoff spot in September. At the very least, the future looks bright for this organization as they continue making the right moves to progress.
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