The SF Giants did something in Milwaukee that doesn’t usually fit their profile: they ran, and they ran successfully.
Against a Brewers club that has allowed the fewest stolen bases in 2026 at 43, the Giants swiped six bags in seven tries over the three-game series. That’s a striking number on its own, but it stands out even more because Milwaukee has been so hard to run on all year. The Brewers have the highest caught stealing rate in baseball at 37 percent, and they’ve built that reputation with a combination of clean work behind the plate and a pitching staff that helps control the game.
Milwaukee’s catching duo of William Contreras and Gary Sánchez gives the Brewers two capable receivers. Sánchez may not bring much in the way of framing or blocking, but he does have a quick pop time and a strong arm.
The staff behind them has done its part, too. According to Baseball Savant, the Brewers rank fifth in baseball with 15 Net Bases Prevented, another sign that they’re winning the little battles that matter on the bases.
That’s what made the Giants’ showing so notable. They’re usually not one of the league’s more aggressive running teams, but they attacked Milwaukee anyway - and did it cleanly.
Heliot Ramos was the only Giant caught stealing, and that was the club’s first caught stealing since the end of June. San Francisco had gone 18 straight stolen base attempts without being thrown out.
For a team that has often sat near the bottom of the steals leaderboard in recent years, that kind of efficiency matters. The Giants have struggled to produce even one player with double-digit steals in a season. Luis Arráez is the only one to reach that mark so far, and Casey Schmitt had nine steals before suffering what is expected to be a season-ending knee injury.
The numbers from this series also showed something else: the Giants may have more room to push the envelope. They’ve now stolen at least three bases in a game just twice this season, and both of those games came against the Brewers earlier this week. That’s the same Milwaukee team that has been better than anyone at controlling the running game.
Overall, the Giants are 46-for-59 on stolen-base attempts, a 78.0 percent success rate. That’s strong enough to suggest they can keep being aggressive, even if it doesn’t always look like their usual style.
In Other News...
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The Astros are still shopping for help at the front of their rotation, and Logan Webb naturally drew attention as one of the more appealing names on the board. He has the kind of long-term security contenders love, with contract control running through 2028, and his profile fits the sort of arm a deadline buyer would normally push hard to land.
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Giants Face A Brutal Deadline Choice As Mariners Talks Heat Up
The trade market around Heliot Ramos has started to get louder as the deadline approaches, and it is easy to see why the Giants would at least listen. Ramos has become the kind of middle-of-the-order bat that plays in any lineup, while Seattle has been looking for more offensive punch and has the kind of pitching depth that can make a deal possible without stripping the roster bare.
For San Francisco, the appeal is obvious: a controllable starter who could help steady the rotation beyond this season and give the club a clearer path forward on the mound. For the Mariners, the attraction is just as clear, since adding a bat like Ramos could change the look of their offense right away. Nothing is done yet, but the fact that these talks are even circulating says plenty about how both teams are weighing present needs against what comes next. [Read more 🡒]