Dodgers 2019 NL West Outlook: San Francisco Giants

2018 Results

In 2018 the Giants, as I mentioned earlier, were bit by the injury bug. Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, and Jeff Samardzija, three of their most expensive players from last year, all spent significant time on the DL and Cueto will miss the majority of 2019 due to Tommy John surgery. In the bullpen, Hunter Strickland and Mark Melancon, two of the men trusted to get saves for the Giants, spent time on the DL as well.

Position players weren’t immune either. Only eight hitters played more than 100 games in 2018 for the Giants, and only one, Brandon Crawford, played in more than 150 games (151).  Last season, in the Dodgers vs. Giants head-to-head matchups, the Dodgers won 10 of 19, not the best record for a division champion against a bottom feeder, but a winning record nonetheless.

In the upcoming section, we’ll look into the “Dodger Killers,” or players who helped keep the Dodgers from more thoroughly defeating their biggest rivals.