Neither the San Francisco Giants (66-68) nor their fans are comfortable enough to say it, and rightly so. Sub-.500 ballclubs do not have the luxury of making October plans, but don't look now, Bob Melvin's squad is nearly back to neutral after winning two of three on the road versus the MLB-leading Milwaukee Brewers and sweeping the playoff-bound Chicago Cubs. Regardless of how the final month of the season unfolds, The Giants need to end 2025 in respectable fashion.
The fan base deserves it. Moreover, this team could use a morale boost heading into another potentially long offseason. San Francisco is just taking the schedule one game at a time, and in the past five, it is rising to the level of its opponent. Although Logan Webb allowed solo home runs to Dansby Swanson and Michael Busch, he once again gave the Giants an opportunity to earn a big win. And once again, they capitalized, earning a 4-3 walk-off victory on Thursday.
The home team hung tough, relying on Willy Adames' two home runs and a solid seven-inning showing by Webb to pull even with the Cubs heading into the ninth inning. San Francisco strung together a couple of base hits to apply pressure on Chicago closer Daniel Palencia, and Jung Hoo Lee singled in the deciding run. Oracle Park is elated to see good baseball again, and one of the franchise's most important players is grateful to be a part of it.
Logan Webb, Giants are hoping to stay strong down the stretch
“That team hasn’t been swept all year,” Webb said, per the San Francisco Chronicle's Shayna Rubin, after allowing three runs on seven hits and striking out seven in the win. “That’s a team that’s going to be playing in the playoffs. I really good team. We just went and beat the two best teams in the NL Central two series in a row so it feels good. Just have to keep it going.”
The 2023 Cy Young runner up and two-time All-Star was instrumental in helping the Giants level up over the last week. He pitched six innings of one run ball in last Saturday's 7-1 trouncing of the Brewers, giving the squad some momentum to carry over into the Cubs series. Webb owns a 3.16 ERA with 187 strikeouts and leads all of MLB with 173 2/3 innings of work. While it may be too late, things are starting to come together in the Bay.
Rafael Devers is finding a consistent form, at long last, Willy Adames has two multi-homer games in the last week and Logan Webb and Robbie Ray (2.93 ERA) are one of the most trustworthy rotation duos in baseball. It gets even better.
The Giants welcome in the Baltimore Orioles (60-74) for a three-game set this weekend before visiting the Colorado Rockies (38-96), providing them with the perfect opportunity to cut into their six-game deficit in the NL Wild Card race. Again, the club and everybody else need to stay calm and just try to embody Webb's words. “Keep it going.”
