NL Wild Card standings update: SF Giants face daunting schedule

Aug 22, 2024, 8:04 AM

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 10: Matt Chapman #26 and Mark Canha #16 of the San Francisco Gia...

(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

Lead Editor & Kings Beat Writer

With just over one month remaining in the 2024 MLB regular season, the time is now for teams on the precipice of the postseason race to make their moves.

For the San Francisco Giants, a strong start to August (11-8) has kept them afloat in the National League Wild Card race, but things are about to heat up in the coming weeks.

The Giants (65-64) just finished a three-week stretch that featured games against teams out of the postseason race, like the Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Chicago White Sox, and Oakland Athletics. During that span, San Francisco only improved marginally, going from two games beneath the .500 mark to one over.

Unfortunately for the Giants, things only get harder from here.

If San Francisco wants to remain alive in the NL Wild Card standings, they will have to hold their own against teams that are in similar positions as the Giants–fighting for their postseason lives–or those that are currently in position for October.

According to Tankathon, San Francisco holds the hardest remaining schedule in the National League (2nd hardest in all of baseball) with 33 games remaining.

Here’s the current state of the NL Wild Card standings as we inch closer to September:

NL Wild Card Standings

(MLB.com)

After squandering an opportunity to defeat the lowly Chicago White Sox on Wednesday, the Giants will now look ahead to a weekend series against the struggling Seattle Mariners, another team that is fighting tooth-and-nail to gain ground in the playoff race.

San Francisco’s upcoming schedule is riddled with tough matchups, including two three-game sets against the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers, two series against the surging Arizona Diamondbacks, and two series against the San Diego Padres.

With those challenges comes opportunity, of course. The Giants trail both the D-Backs and Padres by 7.5 games in the NL Wild Card standings. If San Francisco can come out on top in a majority of those matchups, they can alleviate some pressure on themselves down the final stretch.

Are the Giants a playoff-worthy team? If they want to punch their tickets for October, they will have to earn their spot against some of the best teams in baseball.