Bob Melvin & Giants Hit With Bitter Reality Check After Mets Revive Wild Card Dreams

Once upon a time, as of June 12 to be exact, the Mets were sitting at a top position in the NL East with a record of 45-24 with a 5½-game lead in that division. However, everything changed on that same day with Kodai Senga’s hamstring injury. Despite deadline bullpen reinforcements, Juan Soto, along with some rookie stars, the season for the team unraveled. Then, NYM entered Sunday with an eight-game losing streak with a shaky hope of ruling the division and the Wild Card race. Saw what unfolded next?

A ray of hope. Pete Alonso delivered three runs in a walk-off against the Texas Rangers, and it not just snapped the losing skid from the Mets but also synced up flawlessly with losses from other rivals like the Phillies and Giants. Such a combination kept Carlos Mendoza’s team alive and gave them time to reestablish their power in the Wild Card battle. With the Phillies’ division crown all but secured, the Mets’ target has now been restricted to October survival, a 1 ½-game lead over the Giants.

This is where Bob Melvin and the Giants’ concerns begin.

For weeks, the Giants were ready to cross the stumbling Mets in the wild-card race. However, Alonso’s clutch homer changed everything and left Bob Melvin with a reality check. The race will not fall into their lap; the Giants will need to fight. As per Ken Rosenthal, “The Giants were 61-68 on Aug. 22, only a half-game ahead of the Marlins and 7 1/2 games back in their quest for the third wild card, with three teams in front of them. They then went on one of their hot streaks, winning 11 of 12 to move into quasi-contention. Since then, they’ve dropped seven of 10.” Bob Melvin also acknowledged the team’s decline. 

“The issues we’ve had this year have been the ups and downs and they’ve been pretty severe.”

And it is not just the losing streaks that sting, it is the timing, too.

With the Mets pulling themselves back together, the scope for error is thin for the Giants. For a team in such a tough position, it is vital to be ready with elite pitching and defense, and neither of them is good for the Giants. Injuries and roster gaps have only worsened the situation.

Rosenthal summed up the situation by reporting, “The inclusion of Kyle Harrison in the Rafael Devers trade, stalled development of Hayden Birdsong, and injuries to Landen Roupp and Carson Whisenhunt left the team with only three quality starters. The Giants traded two of their top relievers, Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval. Erik Miller, after emerging as one of the top left-handed specialists last season, has been out since July 2 with a sprained left elbow. All-Star Randy Rodriguez, out since Aug. 22, is headed for Tommy John surgery.”

In fact, The Athletic’s Grant Brisbee echoed the sentiment. “This is not a postseason bullpen.” So, where does this leave Bob Melvin?

Stuck between flashes of power and harsh reminders of their flaws. The Giants’ lack of consistency, weak bullpen, and unreliable defense have pushed the team back to the fringe of the playoff picture. And the team’s bitter reality check does not end with standings pressure; it cuts deeper on the field.

Giants’ bullpen collapses as offense turns silent

The most painful truth for the Giants is not just their standings; it is the unraveling of the team’s roster at the worst possible time. The bullpen, once a reliable safety net, has been shredded, specifically after losing Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval at the deadline. Then, injuries to Erik Miller and Randy Rodríguez pushed the relief corps to the brink. Over the last three games, that weakness has been glaring, with the team’s relievers surrendering 19 earned runs in just 14 innings. For the team clinging to October hopes, that is a nightmare stat line.

And as if the bullpen woes were not enough, the rotation is not keeping in place either.

Landen Roupp’s bone bruise and Carson Whisenhunt’s back strain have left the staff paper-thin, forcing patchwork starts from Tristan Beck and innings limits for Kai-Wei Teng. That is why Trevor McDonald’s call-up became necessary, even though the newcomer has yet to pitch in the majors this season. Bob Melvin applauded McDonald’s recent progress, streamlining to a sinker-slider-changeup mix.

But relying on untested arms in September shows just how desperate the Giants’ situation has become.

Then comes San Francisco’s offense, which once carried them during hot streaks. Since September 5, the Giants have been hitting just .189 as a team with a paltry .606 OPS, struggling to score more than three runs in most games. That drop-off has erased any margin of error for their battered pitching staff. Melvin summed it up bluntly: “We need to hit to win. That’s what’s kind of got us over the hump as far as going through a bad stretch.” But right now, the bats are not heeding the call.

Now, what makes the timing worse is the contrast with the Mets’ revival. The Mets have their stars heating up at just the right time, while the Giants are going in reverse. In a race where momentum is everything, the Giants are losing games and confidence.