San Francisco Giants bullpen to spark second-half push

Following an offseason that led many fans to question the franchise's direction, the San Francisco Giants find themselves in the playoff mix. They currently hold a 49-41 record, which would put them in the final wild-card spot in the National League. Their play has surprised most baseball fans, as the Giants do not have the same talent as their division rivals San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers. 

In order to hold their own in a wild west, San Francisco's younger team will look to build off the success of the first half of the season while fighting for a spot in the playoff picture. If they want to stay in the hunt, they need their bullpen to stay consistent in the second half.

So far, the Giants bullpen has been dominant to close out games both on the road and at home. As a unit, their team ERA comes in at 3.80, which is third best in the National League according to ESPN. Their success this season is seen as opposing teams struggle to score runs against them in the later innings. 

Leaders so far in the pen include the Rogers twins, Taylor and Tyler. Tyler, who lowered his ERA from 3.57 in 2022 to 2.17 this season, has been the perfect set-up man. His sidearm delivery remains maybe the most unique pitching style in the league and consistently throws off batters who normally face pitchers with conventional windups. Although his velocity is not overpowering, he understands how to use his unique delivery to get hitters out.

As for Taylor, in his first season in San Francisco, he has found his groove following a tough start to the season. Since May 1, Rogers has allowed only four runs in 23 games. Unlike his brother, Taylor relies more on his fastball and has a much higher strikeout rate having struck out 31 hitters in 21 innings. Taylor, like the Giants, found rhythm and momentum in the month of May.

However, their biggest success in the bullpen has been the hard-throwing, electric closer Camilo Doval. Doval, who earned his first All-Star selection for his performance this season, has an argument for being the best closer in baseball right now. His average fastball clocks in at 100.4 MPH. His fastball along with his hard-breaking slider has made him almost unhittable this season.