Giants take stock at halfway point: 'There's better baseball in us' 

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants’ bullpen bore the brunt of the workload in this four-game series against the Cubs, but the taxed unit showed some cracks in Thursday afternoon’s finale at Oracle Park.

Luke Jackson surrendered a go-ahead, two-run home run to Ian Happ in the top of the 10th inning that sent San Francisco to a 5-3 loss and denied its first four-game sweep of the North Siders since 2022.

The Giants erased a 3-0 deficit by scoring three runs off left-hander Shota Imanaga in the sixth, but the Cubs countered with the decisive rally in extra innings.

With back-end arms Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval unavailable after pitching in back-to-back games, manager Bob Melvin turned to Jackson to preserve a 3-3 tie in the 10th. But the veteran reliever hung a first-pitch slider to Happ, who crushed it out to the Cubs’ bullpen in right-center-field to put Chicago ahead for good.

The Giants threatened in the bottom of the 10th after Brett Wisely reached on a leadoff single that deflected off shortstop Dansby Swanson’s glove, but they came up empty-handed after Porter Hodge retired Austin Slater, Heliot Ramos and Wilmer Flores to end the game.

At 39-43, the Giants aren’t where they want to be after crossing the halfway point of the 2024 campaign, but they remain 3 1/2 games out of the final National League Wild Card spot and are confident that their best baseball is still ahead of them.

“We’ve been all over the place,” Melvin said. “We’ve been good at times, we’ve been bad at times. … We’d like to be in a better position than we are right now, but I still think if we get a few key guys back, there’s better baseball, and more consistent baseball, in us.”

The Giants will certainly need to find the best version of themselves as they prepare to enter a challenging stretch that will include nine straight games against the Dodgers (51-31), Braves (44-35) and Guardians (51-27).

“I think we’re just worried about L.A.,” Melvin said. “We’re not worried about who’s after that. They’re obviously a lot to handle. I think the Giant-Dodger rivalry can inspire you as well. It’s always pretty festive here when we play the Dodgers.

“It’s a tough assignment, but our guys are feeling good. We won three in a row before this last game.”

Logan Webb will get the ball in Friday’s series opener, but the Giants have not announced starters for Saturday and Sunday, which has become commonplace as they attempt to get by with a starting rotation that has been hampered by injuries.

Webb, newly promoted pitching prospect Hayden Birdsong and Jordan Hicks, who gave up three runs over five innings on Thursday, are the only three starters in the rotation, forcing San Francisco’s bullpen to fill in the gaps until Blake Snell, Kyle Harrison, Robbie Ray, Alex Cobb and Keaton Winn return from the injured list.

The Giants won back-to-back bullpen games on Monday and Tuesday, but the heavy usage has a compounding effect and ultimately limited Melvin’s options on Thursday. San Francisco’s relievers lead the Majors in innings (338 2/3), with Rogers, Ryan Walker and Erik Miller each among the top 10 in appearances.

“It’s a lot,” Melvin said. “Depending on where we are in the game, we’re trying to keep guys available, trying to keep guys available for the next day. Have length one day, have some length the next day.

“Other than Webby, we’re getting some short starts right now, so it’s a little bit of a mix and match every day to make sure you have enough guys to cover nine innings.”

The Giants have also had their struggles on the offensive end, as they lost top free-agent addition Jung Hoo Lee to season-ending shoulder surgery in May and have received inconsistent production from veteran bats like Matt Chapman (.708 OPS), Jorge Soler (.688 OPS), Michael Conforto (.697 OPS) and Thairo Estrada (.640 OPS).

Heliot Ramos (.871 OPS) has carried the offense in June, but the lineup should get a major boost from the return of LaMonte Wade Jr., who is expected to return from the IL on Friday after missing a month with a left hamstring strain.

“I like our team,” Hicks said. “I think we’re a little unhealthy right now overall, but if we can stay around .500 as we work some guys back in, I think we’re in a good spot. Obviously, we’re fighting out there, grinding. I think the effort is there. I think everything will come around soon.

"As you start adding the pieces to the puzzle, we’ll see what the finishing piece looks like.”