If the San Francisco Giants cling on to first-place in the kinetic NL West and make it to the post-season, it will be their pitching they have to thank. Their offense has been stone-cold: during the last nine Giants’ losses, the team has scored a total of eight runs. But the guys who take the mound have been astonishing: here’s the team’s line over the previous fourteen San Francisco Games
How Good Is The Giants’ Pitching?
Giants: 126 IP, 74 H, 22 R, 19 ER, 30 BB, 121 K, 1.36 ERA.
It seems no team has allowed so few runs in a 14-game span since 1992, when the Cardinals and Twins each did it. The Cardinals were actually more impressive: from June 28 to July 11 that year, they allowed 20 runs, and pitched additional innings, as one game went 13 frames, so their team ERA was 1.26. Still, San Francisco’s 14-game streak of games allowing three runs or less hasn’t been surpassed in the NL for a very long time...
The last team in the National League to go further was the 1963 version of the Giants, who went fifteen consecutive games from June 6-19. Juan Marichal started four of those games, but much like the contemporary Giants, they struggled to win despite a dominating 1.74 ERA in that time, because their offense averaged less than three runs per game. The 1963 Giants only went 9-6, the same number of victories as the modern crew have managed.
The current mark of fourteen ties that by the 1994 Braves, 1984 Cubs and 1969 Dodgers, though the Giants’ ERA is lower than any of those teams. Oddly, Tim Linecum has been the Giants’ worst starter: his ERA in the streak is 2.89. Instead, you have to look to Jonathan Sanchez, who has allowed one earned run in nineteen innings, a 0.47 ERA. Madison Bumgarner is at 1.35, with Matt Cain (1.80) and Barry Zito (2.05) almost as impressive.
Also worthy of note is the bullpen work for San Francisco. In that time, the Giants' relievers have allowed two runs in 35.1 innings of work - an 0.51 ERA - on fifteen hits and nine walks. They have been particularly good in disposing of inherited runners. 20 have been on the bags when a reliever has entered the game: one has crossed home-plate. That's a 5% rate, compared to the National League average of 31%.
If the Giants are to make the post-season, they’ll be hoping for more of the same, especially during next weekend’s series at Coors Field against the Rockies.
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