At the All-Star break, the Giants were 57-33. Since then, they have gone 17-32 and are barely clinging to a playoff spot. What in the world happened?
Two months ago, the Giants entered the All-Star break on a high note. They had just recovered from a brief losing streak by winning five of their last six games. At 57-33, they had a firm grasp on the best record in baseball. Everything was looking up for the Giants as they tried to continue their streak of World Series championships in even-numbered years.
During the first half of the season, San Francisco rattled off wins like Joey Chestnut eats hot dogs on the Fourth of July, winning 13 out of 14 and then 12 out of 13 games on separate occasions.