The Best Baseball Is Being Played In The Bay
May 5, 2021, 10:53 AM | Updated: 10:54 am
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
Seeing the Oakland A’s on top of the AL West standings and with the top record in the American League isn’t that shocking. The surprise of that is they have done this so quickly after starting the season (0-6).
The San Francisco Giants story on the other hand is quite surprising.
The Giants have moved ahead of the world champion Dodgers and the talk of the offseason the San Diego Padres, but they too own the best record in their league with the top spot in the National League.
The Giants have accumulated their (18-12) mark based on several key factors.
They have the third best run differential in all the Major Leagues. Buster Posey’s resurgent bat has given them a HUGE lift. Posey is hitting .382 with 7 home runs after taking last season off. The key to the entire equation though has been their pitching staff.
The Giants team ERA is 4th at 3.26 and they are 3rd in quality starts.
San Francisco has had a favorable schedule so far with all of their matchups still ahead of them with the Los Angeles Dodgers. On the other hand they have faced the Padres six times and have already split with San Diego at (3-3). One month doesn’t dictate how a long 162 game season will go but it sure can lift a team’s confidence and this team should feel great about their start.
The Oakland A’s just keep doing what they have been doing for several years.
They replace key roster pieces and seemingly just keep moving forward. After a brutal (0-6) start in which they weren’t even competitive the A’s have been very good. The A’s are now (19-12) and have won 5 of their last 7 series and in that stretch had that impressive 13 game winning streak.
The best thing the Oakland A’s do is they know how to win. Their pitching stats have improved as the season has gone on and their offensive numbers are mostly in the middle of the pack. However, in games decided by 1 run or less they are (6-2). This team usually has a knack for that and this year is no different.
They have several walk off wins already and their confidence to come back in every game is always on display. The team is still waiting on Matt Chapman’s bat to get going and when they get the services of the perfect utilityman Chad Pinder back this team may take off even more.
It has been fun to see these two teams thrive this early in the season. Fans of both teams will have to wait a while for them to play one another.
The first series between the Giants and the A’s will take place on June 25-27th.
