Standings Update: SF Giants drop to third NL Wild Card spot

Aug 22, 2023, 9:04 AM

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 21: Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies scores an insi...

(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

Sacramento Kings Beat Writer

The slide down the National League Wild Card standings continues for the San Francisco Giants.

Following Monday night’s 10-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, the Giants (65-60) dropped from the second Wild Card spot into the third and final position after the Chicago Cubs’ win pushed them ahead of San Francisco.

Following an impressive stretch that saw the Giants improve to 61-49 on August 3rd, San Francisco has lost 11 of its last 15 games, which has all but ended the push to catch the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West standings.

With 37 games remaining, the Giants are in an NL-Wild-Card-or-bust mindset as they navigate a demanding schedule that includes five-straight series against postseason hopefuls.

HE ON X GAMES MODE#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/MdGYAaA0QR

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 22, 2023

“We don’t want to dwell on one [game], particularly one that didn’t go well,” San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler said following Monday’s loss in Philadelphia. “I don’t think there’s much to look back on, other than we probably don’t want to do it the same way again in the next couple of games.”

Looking ahead, things aren’t going to get any easier for the Giants in the coming weeks.

All of San Francisco’s next five series are against teams in the mix for a postseason spot: Philadelphia, Atlanta, Cincinnati, San Diego, and Chicago.

Here’s the breakdown of how many games the Giants have against teams around them in the NL Wild Card race:

7 vs. San Diego (4 at home, 3 on road)
3 vs. Cincinnati
3 @ Chicago
2 @ Philadelphia (SF trails by 3 games in standings)
2 @ Arizona

What is the current state of the NL Wild Card standings?

For the first time since before the All-Star break, San Francisco has fallen from one of the top two spots in the NL Wild Card standings as Chicago continues to play well.

The Cubs, a team that many expected to sell during the August 1st trade deadline, has won three straight games and four of five to move 2.5 games behind the Phillies for the top Wild Card spot.

Among teams in the mix for a postseason spot, only Miami (8th) has a more challenging remaining strength of schedule than the Giants (9th).

While there is still over a month of baseball left to play in the 2023 regular season, San Francisco’s next two weeks of action could have a huge hand in determining its postseason fate.