Oh how quickly expectations change. Had I told you before the season started that the San Francisco Giants would split an eight-game road trip, you would have considered that quite the win. But right now it would feel a little bit lackluster — not a total disappointment, but a mild disappointment. You hoped for better.
You might get better. The Giants can finish the two-city, eight-game trip with a 5-3 record — or hell, even a 6-2 record. But to do so they’ll need to win a four-game series against the Cincinnati Reds, after a pair of disappointing losses led to splitting a series with the bottom dwellers of the NL Central, the Pittsburgh Pirates.