It wasn't always pretty, but SF Giants sweep Pirates, rise in standings

It wasn't always pretty, but the San Francisco Giants swept the Pittsburgh Pirates and continued to rise in the standings. The Giants' offense was at times overmatched by inferior pitching—again—but they found a way to win all three games against the Pirates while many of their opponents in the division and wild card races had rough series. Michael Conforto, Patrick Bailey, Alex Cobb, Alex Wood, Tristan Beck, Taylor Rogers, and many others contributed to the Giants' sweep.

The SF Giants leapfrogged the D-backs and Marlins, and are now just 1.5 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West. They're also now the No. 1 wild card team, but the race remains tight. The Giants' odds of making the playoffs are close to 75%, according to FanGraphs. The Giants' odds of winning the NL West are over 20%.

Are the Giants chasing more, or making contact less? It seems that way, but their chase rate remains solid. They've been making less contact, but their strikeout rate oddly doesn't reflect that. On the season, the Giants' strikeout rate is one of the highest in MLB, but it's actually been significantly lower over the last two weeks, even though it doesn't feel that way. The San Francisco Giants' bats have a big chance to wake up as the team heads to Cincinnati, where the Great American Ballpark is the most homer-prone in the majors. It's a huge series for both the Giants and the Reds, and Logan Webb takes the ball for the Giants tonight.

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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.

Follow Ben Kaspick on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the San Francisco Giants and talking with fans.

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenKaspick

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