Giants Bullpen Has Been Key to Early Season Success

The San Francisco Giants have some issues to evaluate as they head into June with a 31-25 record on the heels of a series sweep by the Detroit Tigers.

The Giants haven’t scored more than four runs in a game since May 16.

There’s been a team-wide hitting slump, with some dire underperformers, some of whom Buster Posey has begun to directly call out.

In other instances, he has encouraged patience as San Francisco regains its rhythm. 

As the Giants look to June with a lens on fixing what’s gone wrong, they can rely on their relievers—particularly the core of Camilo Doval, Randy Rodriguez and Tyler Rogers—to give those efforts a chance. 

How Giants Can Get Back To Winning With a Strong Bullpen

A strong bullpen, or the absence of one, can make or break a team.

Quietly, the Giants have amassed one of the best in the MLB.

Should they be able to find a spark on offense, their relief corps will take them far into the postseason.

Manager Bob Melvin recently shook up the closer role by moving Camilo Doval back in following Ryan Walker's struggles. 

Doval has cut his walk rate in half and has a 1.16 ERA. As Doval anchors the unit, Randy Rodriguez and Tyler Rogers have been stellar, too.

Rodriguez has a 0.73 ERA while Rogers boasts a 1.78 ERA through a team-leading 26 appearances.

The depth and versatility of San Francisco’s bullpen has led to a 2.48 ERA, which is the lowest in the MLB and in the National League by nearly half a run.

Their relievers are No. 2 in the league with only 14 home runs allowed, and they lead baseball with just 60 walks.

If the Giants can find a way back to consistent hitting, their bullpen is something to lean on. They are 21-2 when they lead after six innings.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case lately as the lineup struggles persist.

Over the course of a 162-game season, one can expect slumps, so San Francisco should eventually return to consistency at the plate.

When they do, the bullpen has proved capable of protecting their leads to give this team a chance at putting together a good year with some potential October success on the horizon.

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