Even before Tuesday night’s game began, things felt a little different for the San Francisco Giants as they kicked off a final home-stand before the All-Star break. While they couldn’t really say it publicly, the Giants have been overtly built on a simple — if fragile — premise: survive in the first half of the season, then excel in the second half.
That’s not to excuse their borderline-pathetic play in April. And it’s not to put an elegant bow and some Chanel perfume on a few months of play that have featured a disappointing record.
But it is an accurate explanation of their playbook.