Bay Area Baseball Is Dominating
(Photo courtesy of AP Photo/Jeff Chiu via sandiegouniontribune)
For the first time in what feels like ages, the two Northern California MLB teams are good, and not just good; they are absolutely dominating. The Giants have the best record in the National League at 22-14 and the A’s have the second best record in the American League at 23-15. The last time the teams made the playoffs in the same year was 2014 when the Giants won the World Series, so it’s been a long time since both teams have been good at the same time. The question is will it last and I think there’s reason to believe it will.
Let’s start with the A’s. When everyone thinks of the A’s, we immediately think of Billy Beane and the film Moneyball, which I will admit is a great film. The A’s have a great roster top to bottom and it starts with pitching (usually the case anyway). The A’s have three starters with sub-four ERA’s, which is pretty good. Sean Manea almost had a no-hitter the other day, which would have been the second of his career. Their bullpen is also fantastic with three sub-four ERA’s, and relief pitcher Yusmeiro Petit has an absurd ERA of 0.83. Petit, as Giants fans will remember, was one out away from a perfect game in 2013 and was a stalwart in the postseason for the Giants in 2014.
They have great defensive players like Matt Chapman and they traded for Elvis Andrus, who was the Rangers shortstop for a little over a decade. Second basemen Jed Lowrie and Tony Kemp have combined for three errors all season and right fielder Stephen Piscotty has no errors on the season. The offense is solid as well with Jed Lowrie leading in batting average, hits, doubles, and RBI’s. It’s an all around good roster, which is why they’re in the position they are today.
The Giant’s have a similar playstyle to the A’s: Great pitching, Great fielding, and a solid offense. Their pitching is actually better than the A’s. They have two starting pitchers in Kevin Gausman and Alex Wood that have sub-two ERA’s, which is stupid good. They have three starters with sub-four ERA’s and even Logan Webb who has the highest ERA at 4.74 has been solid. As a team, they’ve only committed nine errors, which is impressive to say the least.
The team is young overall, but the veteran presence is making a difference. Buster Posey has been injured, but has been a huge contributor when he’s healthy with a .385 batting average in 23 games played. Brandon Crawford, who’s been on the team since 2011 is second on the team in RBI’s and has made no errors on the season (hope this isn’t a jinx). Brandon Belt, who has also been on the team since 2011, is leading the team in RBI’s. The veterans are making a difference and are a main reason the Giants are doing so well
Both the A’s and Giant’s are doing well because of their all around games and they’re playing just as well as the best teams in the league. This is great for Northern California and if both teams continue to trend up, it’s possible that we could get a Bay Bridge World Series. It’s a long shot, but I’ve learned that I should never doubt these teams because when doubt seeps in, they seem to play better, which is trouble for the other 28 teams in the league.