The SF Giants’ recent uptick has come with an uncomfortable twist: the club has looked better while Matt Chapman and Willy Adames have been sidelined.
That’s not just a vibes argument. Since Chapman landed on the IL, the Giants are 27-35.
Since Adames went on the IL, they’re 10-7. Before Chapman’s injury, the team sat at 35-50.
Before Adames went down, it was 52-78. The sample is small, sure, but it’s hard to ignore when the roster is carrying hundreds of millions of dollars tied to those two players.
The latest stretch has only sharpened the point. The Giants have won their last three, capped by their first sweep of the season against the St.
Louis Cardinals. On Wednesday, they erased a 6-1 deficit in the eighth inning to finish the job.
There are obvious reasons the numbers might look this way. Chapman and Adames were both playing through injuries, and that likely played a real role in the rough seasons they’ve had. Health matters, and when two high-priced regulars aren’t right, the whole lineup can feel off.
But there’s another layer here, and it’s the one the Giants probably can’t afford to ignore: chemistry. Logan Webb recently pointed out how many of the current players came together in Triple-A Sacramento, and he said he feels like he’s playing on their team rather than the other way around.
That kind of shared history shows up in the way this group has played. These are young players who know each other, have spent time together in the minors, and are fighting for a place on next year’s roster.
The results and the energy suggest a group with something to prove.
That’s a sharp contrast to the way things looked for much of the first half. It’s fair to wonder whether Chapman and Adames were part of that dynamic, at least in some small way.
The Giants brought them in not only for production, but also for leadership. Instead, there were moments that didn’t exactly project the right tone - Chapman telling Casey Schmitt to catch the ball in a way that made for a bad look, and Adames losing track of the number of outs on the bases while joking around with Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts.
Those aren’t the kind of moments that scream clubhouse authority.
Their absences may also have opened the door for manager Tony Vitello to manage a little more freely. As a rookie manager, he may have leaned on Chapman and Adames more than he otherwise would have. With a younger group around him now, he may feel more like the college coach he used to be.
Rafael Devers has also apparently stepped into a bigger leadership role without Chapman and Adames around, and he may feel freer to be himself in that space.
None of this means the Giants should move on from Chapman and Adames. But it does suggest next year’s clubhouse may need a different mix.
A more balanced, more egalitarian setup could work better - one with veterans and young players pushing each other, instead of the veteran-heavy feel the Giants started the season with. That kind of arrangement may also have made Vitello’s job easier.
Health is part of it too. If Chapman and Adames are going to be central pieces going forward, Vitello will need to be more aggressive about resting them rather than letting ailments linger and get worse.
The Giants have too much money invested in both players to let this conversation hang in the air. But until they’re healthy and productive, the idea that the team is better off without them is going to keep sticking.
In Other News...
Dodgers Just Lost Their Biggest Threat At The Worst Time
The Dodgers are suddenly without Shohei Ohtani at a time when every game carries extra weight, and that matters in a division race that San Francisco has been trying to keep close. Los Angeles placed Ohtani on the 15-day injured list because of injuries to his left knee, right biceps, and neck, a move manager Dave Roberts said the club delayed as long as it could before finally making it.
For the Giants, the timing is notable because Ohtani has been the kind of presence that can alter a series with one swing or one outing, and now the Dodgers will have to navigate the stretch without him. He is not eligible to return until at least Sept. 23, and Roberts confirmed he will not pitch again this season, leaving Los Angeles to adjust on the fly as the calendar tightens. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Bullpen Shakeup May Be Just Getting Started
The Giants kept their bullpen churn going by claiming right-hander Duncan Davitt off waivers from the Braves and clearing space by designating Spencer Bivens for assignment. It was another sign that San Francisco is still sorting through the edges of its relief group, where the mix of roster pressure and uneven results has left little room for patience.
Ryan Walker, Tristan Beck and Seth Lonsway are among the other names that could be pushed into the same conversation as the club tries to keep its 40-man roster workable. For a Giants staff that has been forced to juggle personnel while chasing better late-game reliability, the next move may matter just as much as the last one. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Just Sent Loyal Fans A Telling Late-Season Offer
The Giants are leaning on one of the oldest levers in the business for the final month of the season: rewarding the fans who keep showing up. Season ticket holders are being offered a credit worth 15% of their tickets value for attending select home games down the stretch, a small but notable gesture aimed at keeping the ballpark populated and engaged as the schedule winds down.
There is a little more on the table, too, if the Giants can finish the night with a win, as the credit grows by another 5% and lands in the holders ticketing account for future purchases. The catch is in the fine print, since the offer only applies to tickets actually used by the season ticket holder or forwarded directly to another account, not ones flipped on secondary marketplaces, a detail that tells you exactly which fans the team is trying to reward. [Read more 🡒]