The San Francisco Giants knew just how crucial their four-game set against the Atlanta Braves was going to be for their playoff hopes. The Braves are their direct competitor for a playoff spot after all. Alas, the Braves won the first three meetings thanks to dominant pitching in the first two games and some incredible slugging from Atlanta in the third. But on Thursday night, the Giants put their feet down and stopped the bleeding in convincing fashion, taking a 6-0 win over the Braves thanks to a stellar outing from Logan Webb.
Webb, much like Blake Snell and Kyle Harrison were earlier in the series, was on point against the Braves. He put in a workhorse effort, throwing 104 pitches in 7.2 innings of shutout ball as he struck out seven against just one walk. Giants manager Bob Melvin knows just how important this win is for his team, and there are few pitchers out there whom he would much rather have than Webb in games with stakes like these.
“It really was kind of a must-win for us. Those are the guys you want on the mound in those types of games, and he came as advertised,” Melvin said, per ESPN.
Logan Webb is still the bonafide ace of the Giants' rotation; entering Thursday night, he has been pitching to the tune of a 3.32 ERA in 157.0 innings pitched (25 starts) — which has been good for a 3.3 WAR, per Fangraphs. The Braves' lineup may not be the most terrifying this season, but they showed on Wednesday that they can put runs on the board in a hurry. But Webb quieted them all night long thanks to his precision from the mound.
At present, the Giants have a 62-62 record, which still has them within striking distance in the NL Wild Card race. This 6-0 win over the Braves cut Atlanta's lead over them for the wild card spot to 3.5 games — a very surmountable deficit for the Giants with 38 games remaining. But Bob Melvin knows that his pitching staff will have to put up performances similar to what they got from Webb on Thursday moving forward if they were to make the postseason.
A look-ahead at the Giants' schedule
The good news for the Giants is that, following a difficult four-game set against the Braves, their next five games will provide as much breather as possible. On Saturday, they will be facing Bay rival Oakland Athletics — a team that's languishing in the bottom of the AL West with a 52-70 record. Hayden Birdsong will have his shot at redemption in the series-opener, while Blake Snell, fresh off an epic duel against Chris Sale, will look to finish off the A's on Sunday.
And then following the series against the Athletics, the Giants will be facing an even worse team in the Chicago White Sox. The vibes may be more immaculate now that Grady Sizemore is the manager, but the fact of the matter is that Chicago's roster remains the worst in the MLB, and by a fair margin. The Giants, if all goes according to plan, will be starting Kyle Harrison, Robbie Ray, and Logan Webb in that three-game series.
The Giants must look to win those five games, as they will not have it any easier than that five-game stretch. Meanwhile, the Braves have the Philadelphia Phillies on the docket following their upcoming weekend series against the Los Angeles Angels — making the next five games the best opportunity for San Francisco to gain some ground in the standings.
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