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Giants Have Been Undone by One Glaring Offensive Weakness This Season

Originally posted on San Francisco Giants on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Aug 13, 2025 8:00 PM ET

The first season for the San Francisco Giants under president of baseball operations Buster Posey got off to a wonderful start, but the team has fallen on tough times recently and is slowly drifting away in the National League playoff picture.

Entering play on Aug. 13, they had a 59-61 record, 5.5 games behind the New York Mets for the final wild card spot in the NL. Given their recent form, it is hard to envision the team making a run over the final few weeks, especially after trading away a few key contributors ahead of the MLB trade deadline.

What has gone wrong for the Giants over the last two months to have them go from being NL West contenders along with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres to afterthoughts in the playoff picture?

Placing the blame solely on Rafael Devers, who was acquired from the Boston Red Sox in mid-June in a shocking blockbuster deal, would be unfair. He was expected to elevate the offense to another level, helping them make a push for the postseason, but he has fallen short of expectations.

The problems that plagued San Francisco before Devers was even added have continued since he was brought aboard. Given his track record when it comes to facing southpaws, it isn’t all too surprising that he hasn’t helped turn things around in that regard.

What has cost the Giants dearly in 2025 is their inability to hit left-handed pitching, something the three-time All-Star certainly wasn’t acquired with the sole intent of changing. His .742 OPS against lefties in his career pales in comparison to the .909 he has against right-handed pitchers but is much better than what San Francisco has done collectively this year.

Giants have been pitiful against left-handed pitching

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Entering play on Aug. 13, the Giants were dead last in the MLB with an OPS of .611 against left-handed pitching. The drop off in production from Heliot Ramos, who had an OPS of 1.189 in 2024 against lefties, with only American League MVP Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees being better at 1.240, has hurt.

The slugging left fielder has seen his OPS drop to .766 in 2025. That is a solid number for sure, but a massive drop from what he produced last year. And the decrease has been felt even more because his teammates aren’t stepping up around him.

As shared by Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic (subscription required), no one is performing against left-handed pitching. Catcher Patrick Bailey, a switch-hitter, has a .188 batting average against southpaws.

The reverse splits that shortstop Willy Adames has owned in his career have continued with a .165 batting average. Third baseman Matt Chapman hasn’t hit a home run off a lefty since April 17 when he hit one against NL Cy Young contender Cristopher Sanchez of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Jung Hoo Lee has respectable numbers against lefties with a .276 batting average and .748 OPS, but he hasn’t recorded an extra-base hit against one since June 10. His production overall has cooled considerably from his hot start.

It is something to keep an eye on this offseason, with Posey having a clear-cut need of what he needs to do. Diversifying the roster and finding more flexibility and capable producers against southpaws is going to be near the top of his priority list this offseason.