The San Francisco Giants played according to the script of their front office on Monday night. Chris Stratton, who is quickly establishing himself as a reliable force in the rotation, threw well against the Nationals, and there was some power, this time from Mac Williamson, who clubbed a baseball to a spot right-handed hitters almost never reach in AT&T Park.
But if there are not a lot more good days for the Giants before the July 31 trade deadline -- if they drift out of contention in the National League West -- then the team should do everything it can to steer around the abyss that swallowed the Phillies in recent seasons.