Giants drop sixth straight, continue to slide in NL West standings

Jul 24, 2023, 12:43 PM

DETROIT, MI - JULY 24: David Villar (R) #32 of the San Francisco Giants heads for the dugout after ...

(Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)

Sacramento Kings Beat Writer

It’s been a rollercoaster ending to July for the San Francisco Giants.

On the heels of a seven-game winning streak that gave the Giants a 54-41 record, San Francisco has immediately erased the ground gained in the National League West standings after losing its sixth-straight game on Monday.

Following the weekend’s embarrassing three-game sweep at the hands of the last-place Washington Nationals, the Giants traveled to Detroit for a make-up game against the 45-54 Detroit Tigers.

San Francisco (54-47) was shut down by Detroit starter Tarik Skubal, who tossed five innings of two-hit, nine-strikeout ball en route to claiming his first win of the 2023 season.

The Giants’ offense could only put four balls in play for hits during a 5-1 loss–San Francisco’s sixth-straight game with three runs or less.

To make a long story Short… pic.twitter.com/SVBs7HC6br

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 24, 2023

Although the Giants got an overall strong start from Ross Stripling (three runs over six innings), the offense let San Francisco down once again as the daunting losing skid hit six games.

Aside from Wilmer Flores’ solo home run to left field during the top of the sixth inning–Flores’ fifth blast over the past seven games–the Giants didn’t post another extra-base hit on Monday.

Checking in on the NL West standings

San Francisco’s slide comes at a bad time, as other teams in the NL West continue to regain ground in the standings.

Following Monday’s loss to the Tigers, the Giants have fallen to third place in the NL West standings, 4.5 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers.

As the rest of the league enters play on Monday afternoon, San Francisco also has seen its third and final spot in the NL Wild Card fall into a tie with the Philadelphia Phillies and Miami Marlins.

If the Giants want to stop the bleeding and climb back into the mix for an NL West title, that process will need to begin on Tuesday when San Francisco welcomes the Oakland Athletics to Oracle Park for a two-game Bay Bridge Series.

Things can change quickly in baseball, and one good week can change the Giants’ approach to next Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline.

While San Francisco is in a solid position to make a playoff push, an extended losing streak could put more pressure on the front office to make a big move on August 1st.