SAN FRANCISCO — At the same time as the Giants were failing to get a runner in from third on Wednesday in Detroit, the Los Angeles Dodgers were watching their bullpen implode in Cleveland.
It turned into a five-loss day for the National League West, which has come back to earth in May. Early on, it looked like the division could put four teams in the National League playoff field, but the Dodgers (13-12) are the only team in the West with a winning record in May.
Each team has its own issues, and it’s easy to pinpoint what has sunk the Giants. They have stopped hitting, failing to score more than four runs in each of their last 11 games, their longest streak since … 2024. This is what they have done quite often over the past four seasons, although this year they at least have some company. With the others in the West dealing with their own warts, the Giants are just three games out of first place after getting swept in Detroit.
As they head for June, here are three things that went right for the Giants over the first third of the season, and three issues that they need to fix if they want to stay in the race:
Near the bottom
Having a rough 50-ish games would be one thing, but that’s not what’s most worrisome for Patrick Bailey and LaMonte Wade Jr. The real issue is that this is not just a 2025 development.
Since the 2024 All-Star break, Bailey (.172) and Wade (.191) are in the bottom four in the majors in batting average (Joc Pederson and Michael Conforto are also in the bottom 15, so at least the Giants moved on before it got really ugly). Bailey is the only big leaguer hitting under .180 during that stretch, which covers more than 100 games, and has just two homers.
The catcher’s Gold Glove defense at least allows him to contribute in some way on a nightly basis. Wade has been below league-average there, too, and it seems the Giants are preparing to move on. Marco Luciano got his first start at first base in Triple-A on Wednesday and Jerar Encarnacion should be back next week.
There are no decisions to be made with the highest-paid player on the roster. Willy Adames is 3-for-20 on this road trip and his average for the year is down to .208, with a .621 OPS that’s the lowest of his career by about 100 points. After hitting 32 homers and driving in 112 runs last year, he’s on pace for 14 and 72. When you throw in some early defensive issues, he’s sitting at 0.1 Wins Above Replacement through his first 56 games…