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Minasianball: If you take out all the bad, just how good were the 2026 Giants?

The San Francisco Giants’ 2026 season revealed a team with elite offensive flashes buried under defensive and strategic missteps. When stripping out Rafael Devers’ disastrous first month, the Giants’ lineup ranked among MLB’s best, with Devers himself becoming a middle-of-the-order powerhouse—finishing as the fourth-best hitter in baseball (158 wRC+) and third in home runs (35) over the stretch.

Yet despite a lineup that led the league in isolated power and ranked seventh in batting average, the team’s 34–46 record during this stretch reflected a bullpen crisis, particularly in the ninth inning, where their ERA ballooned to 5.74—the worst in the game. Adjusting for just two blown saves and one blown tie, the Giants could have been 50–60 by early August, a far more competitive standing than their actual 47–64 mark.

Beyond the ninth, the team’s ERA by inning showed glaring weaknesses in the fifth (4.83) and first (4.61), suggesting a need for earlier reliever hooks and a more varied bullpen approach. Even with a lineup capable of contending, the Giants’ struggles in late-game situations and a lack of depth in their pitching rotation kept them from translating their offensive strength into wins.

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