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Hello and happy Friday.
The San Francisco Giants start the second half of the season today, which actually means they have just 73 games left.
The Giants hit the All-Star break with a 57-32 record, tops in baseball, and a +116 run differential, third-best in the Majors. They have a two-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West, a six-game lead over the San Diego Padres, and a 9.5-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds for the second Wild Card spot.
Not a bad position to be in.
So let’s drop some second-half predictions:
Second-half record:
Final postseason position:
Breakout candidate:
Regression candidate:
Will Brandon Crawford reach 30 home runs?
Where will Kevin Gausman finish in Cy Young voting?
When will the Dodgers lose?
My answers, for what it’s worth, are 42-31, first Wild Card, Tommy La Stella, no one (ugh, fine, Evan Longoria), yes, third, NLDS.
Old, random MCC article for you to read
Gregor Blanco, Fourth or Fifth Outfielder (March 11, 2012 — Grant Brisbee)
Giants links
- Podcast: Roger Munter talks the draft and Dick Tidrow with MLB’s Jim Callis (There R Giants)
- Grant Brisbee and Andrew Baggarly discuss how the Giants will approach the trade deadline (The Athletic, subscription required)
- Kerry Crowley on how the next two weeks will define the second half of the season (Mercury News)
- Andrew Baggarly on Dick Tidrow, pitching architect (The Athletic, subscription required)
- Alex Pavlovic on the keys that Farhan Zaidi laid out for the team’s 2021 success (NBC Sports Bay Area)
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants play the St. Louis Cardinals tonight at 5:15 p.m. PT.
Have a lovely Friday, all of you.