Once upon a time, the San Francisco Giants were in the throes of a hot streak and a long-shot playoff run. That was a few weeks ago. It's mid-September now, and the Giants are sitting with a 69-75 record, 8.5 games back of the second wild-card spot. Their playoff odds, once as high as 8.8%, have sunk to a definitive 0.0% according to Fangraphs.
There is no tension remaining in this 2019 Giants season. There are, potentially, the last few Madison Bumgarner starts, and an opportunity to reflect on a decade of excellence. There are the promising young guys — Mauricio Dubon, Jaylin Davis, Chris Shaw — who one can visualize carving out a spot on next year's roster.