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Historically, how do the Giants fare after offensive explosions?

A lot better than I thought, actually ...

San Francisco Giants v Arizona Diamondbacks Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

If you missed Tuesday night’s game San Francisco Giants game, then you have only yourself to blame.

I specifically alerted you that it was the game to watch this week. I even chose a Tuesday night contest because ... it’s a Tuesday night. In a pandemic. There’s no way you were doing something more important than watching baseball. Trust me, I’ve heard all the excuses.

After beating the Rockies 23-5, the Giants head back to Coors Field for a Wednesday finale matinee. I joked in the recap that the Giants would get no-hit, because that’s how it goes, right? The team’s offense explodes, they use up their entire power bar, and they show up the next day with imaginary bats and overflowing entitlement.

Or that’s how I thought it worked, at least. I’ve grown so accustomed to the Giants falling on their faces after great performances that I forgot to think about whether they actually do that or I’m just making it up to fill a funny narrative so I can make a not-funny joke.

Turns out it’s the latter.

I decided to look back and see how the Giants have done in the past following games in which they scored at least 15 runs. I wanted to do this so that I could bathe in a bath of morbid humor. Instead I get to shower under the rains of optimism.

So you can all blame me when the Giants actually do get no-hit.

Here are the next-game performances from every time the Giants have scored 15 or more runs since 2010, in reverse chronological order. Feast your eyes and be happy.

July 15, 2019 — 2 runs

Let’s start with one that looks a lot like what just happened. Just over a year ago, the Giants went to Coors Field and beat the Rockies by a hilarious score of 19-2. But it was the first half of a doubleheader, and the offense used up almost all of their runs, as they mustered just a pair in the second game.

But even at Coors Field, that was enough, as the Giants won 2-1 in a very funny doubleheader.

June 22, 2016 — 7 runs

A day after hanging a 15-4 shellacking on the Pittsburgh Pirates (which came a day after getting shut out by the Pirates), the Giants offense still looked competent. They used 12 hits to earn a 7-6 win over Pittsburgh.

July 11, 2015 — 8 runs

The Giants started off a series against the Philadelphia Phillies by pummeling a very good pitcher in Cole Hamels, en route to a 15-2 win. The next day they did their work against the bullpen, dropping a 5-run sixth inning (followed by a 2-run seventh), and cruising to an 8-5 win.

September 1, 2014 — 9 runs

The Giants concluded a dominant series against the Milwaukee Brewers with a 15-5 win, leading to a series sweep in which they outscored Milwaukee 31-8.

Then they headed to Colorado, where the offense kept going (not surprising) but the pitching did not (also not surprising), as the Rockies walked it off 10-9. They would then score 12 the next day, keeping the offensive explosion rolling along.

September 15, 2013 — 4 runs

September 14, 2013, was a very, very happy Giants game. Tim Lincecum pitched pretty well, and the Giants went into Chavez Ravine and beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 19-3. More of those, please, especially if they happen this year, since that would be in the playoffs.

The next day the offense cooled off, but a modest 4-3 win was still enough for a road sweep. Beat LA.

August 9, 2012 — 1 run

A day after about as dominant of a win as possible over the St. Louis Cardinals — the Giants won 15-0 — San Francisco’s offense fell flat in a 3-1 loss to the same team.

August 4, 2012 — 12 runs

That win over the Cardinals was their second time in less than a week scoring at least 15 runs. A few days earlier they beat the Rockies 16-4, and didn’t miss a beat the next day, winning 11-6.

Those games were at Coors Field, which I’m guessing you could have figured out on your own.

July 3, 2011 — 3 runs

A day after taking advantage of having a designated hitter (which was Pablo Sandoval, who had a 2-run home run off of Max Scherzer) and beating their future World Series opponent 15-3, the Giants offense came up short in a 6-3 loss.

August 25, 2010 — 11 runs

For a three-day period in August, 2010, AT&T Park played like Coors Field. In the second game of a three-game set against the Cincinnati Reds, the Giants erupted for a 16-5 win. It wasn’t that big of an explosion, however, as they bookended the game with 11-run performances (those 11-run performances, however, were bookended by being shut out).

The 38 runs in a three-game series was mighty impressive, but not enough to earn the sweep, as the Giants dropped the series finale 12-11 in 12 innings.

July 8, 2010 — 9 runs

The Giants dominated the Brewers that summer, sweeping a four-game series by a score of 36-7. The third game was the big one, with the Giants winning 15-2, and they backed it up in the series finale with a 9-3 victory.

So, in the World Series era the Giants are 6-4 the day after scoring 15 or more runs, and they’ve averaged 6.6 runs in those games. That’s about 6 wins and 6.6 more runs per game than I was expecting.

Again, I’m sorry in advance.