Someplace in the middle of the San Francisco Giants 3-0 gain the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday,  I had a realization of kinds. I'll admit that it took me longer ahead to this realization than it need to have,  considered that the Giants now have a 10-game road winning streak,  are 28-11 in their last 39 video games,  and conveniently have the ideal document in baseball given that April 22,  a portion of dates that spans virtually specifically three-quarters of the period to date. I recognized just how excited I am to see the Giants pair up with a great baseball group,  which the Blue Jays significantly are. Baseball is a funny sport and I do not need to describe that to you. I don't require to advise you that even when the worst team plays the finest team when traveling,  they're still likely to win at the very least once in that collection. Negative teams beat great groups,  however also when they're beating them,  it's not constantly affordable. I don't recognize how to describe it,  however you can see it. You can feel it. I am going to punish myself for making this sad analogy,  yet it's the most effective one I can think about: it resembles late-career Tim Lincecum. He would certainly have the periodic scoreless five-inning begin,  or one-run,  six-inning beginning,  and you would certainly attempt to persuade on your own of something based on what his age mored than his last 3 video games if you eliminate the first two innings. But inside,  you understood. And you compare that to his negative starts when he was a Cy Youthful quality player,  and it was generously clear that the far better pitcher was,  even when the single-game outcomes really did not show it.I thought the Giants could be excellent this year,  even prior to the year began. I certainly presumed it when they first warmed up. And that uncertainty of goodness has actually been replaced by both a confirmation of goodness and an uncertainty of success over the last couple of weeks,  yet it didn't really occur to me until today the solitary point that,  for me,  defines that goodness-bordering-on-greatness: an outright joy in seeing them play various other excellent or wonderful teams. Due to the fact that,  win or lose,  it's clear that the Giants have a seat at the table,  and the outcome is usually a premium baseball video game that's simply a reward to enjoy. Tuesday was a top quality baseball game. A truly high-grade baseball video game. The kind that advises followers of both groups why they love the sport,  even if the Blue Jays followers were additionally advised of why every ball park markets beer every 12 feet. The kind that makes you stand and applaud even when it's with a groan,  such as when Whit Merrifield made this catch,  which really illustrated what it indicates to place an infielder in the outfield. Need a WR1 for the dream football period? WhitMerrifield's your person Toronto Blue Jays June 28,  2023The first inning began with looks from 2 former excellent Giants gamers,  and it established the tone for the entire video game. In the top fifty percent of the inning,  Kevin Gausman in strong opinion for the Cy Youthful,  and showing off some wonderful locks nowadays struck out all three batters he faced. In the bottom fifty percent of the inning,  opener Ryan Walker got involved in instantaneous trouble against Toronto's harmful lineup. Heaven Jays don't require any type of assistance,  yet they obtained it when George Springer hit a leadoff double that had actually an anticipated batting standard of.040. Bo Bichette,  who has even more hits this year than any kind of gamer not called Luis Arraez,  followed it up with a solitary,  and there were joggers at the corners without outs. It was danger time for young Walker,  that paced around the mound prior to encountering none apart from the child giraffe: Brandon Belt. Walker started out Belt. Then he struck out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. After that he struck out Matt Chapman. And somehow he had actually run away uninjured. And that was exactly how it went for a while. Gausman maintained the Giants hitless through four innings while striking out 8 batters. Alex Wood took control of for the second and was utterly magnificent,  getting Belt to ground into an inning-ending out with a runner on second in the 3rd inning,  only to have the inning reactivated after a late balk was called,  just to set out Belt on the next pitch. He would later obtain our dear old good friend to fly out with a runner on in the sixth. Wood charmed his means through 5 innings of work,  assisted by an amazing throw from Patrick Bailey to snatch Merrifield attempting to steal second. Bailey,  you my every little thing,  you all I ever wantedWe can do it real big,  bigger than you ever done it SFGiants June 27,  2023Through four innings it was a scoreless pitcher's duel,  specified by Walker and Timber working their method out of situations Blue Jays Store,  and Gausman simply refusing to enter Thairo Estrada put him in one. The very first step in the direction of winning a baseball game is to not get no-hit,  and Estrada did that with one out in the 5th,  finding the smallest space in the best side of the infield for a solitary. He stole second base. He took 3rd on a balk,  and all of a sudden the door was open for Bailey to continue the tiny round rally with a sacrifice fly,  a productive groundout,  or possibly even another safety and security ,  he roped a dual into the edge which,  in knowledge,  was probably the smarter decision. Just hold onnn,  you're going home SFGiants June 28,  2023The rally finished there,  and there was a sensation that one run simply was not nearly enough. The Blue Jays,  nevertheless,  are a top-10 group in batting average,  on-base portion,  and slugging portion,  a top-five group in wRC+,  and were playing at a pleased park. Yet the Giants bottles kept silencing the bats,  even when placed in tight spots. Timber,  with five tidy innings to his name,  came out to start the 7th with the intention of simply encountering one batter,  lefty Daulton Varsho. In fairness to Varsho,  he smoked the baseball,  yet he did so in such a fashion that Michael Conforto must have captured it. He didn't,  and Timber walked off the pile with a jogger on 2nd and no runner relocated to third on a Tyler Rogers-induced groundout,  and unexpectedly the linking run was 90 feet from home with simply one out. Rogers,  not really understood for his strikeouts,  slaughtered Danny Jansen and Cavan Biggio. An inning later on,  Rogers was on the various other end of it. After 2 more strikeouts,  he faced Belt,  that roped one more catchable sphere to appropriate area that Conforto misplayed. This time around it was Rogers strolling off the mound,  instead of onto it,  with the connecting run on Doval went into for the four-out save,  and four pitches later,  obtained Guerrero to fly out. Currently there was more confidence. The Giants had made it to the last inning. They 'd made it to their soon-to-be All-Star better. One run simply could be sufficient however. there's a reason all of us invest hundreds of dollars a month on various forms of insurance. What does America's busted privatized insurance coverage model have to do with a baseball game? Good inquiry. We'll address that later on,  when my publication,  Exactly how to Discuss Baseball in a Means That Pisses Off All the Old-Timers appears. When Joc Pederson led off the 9th with a stroll,  and J.D. Davis adhered to with a single,  you desired for those insurance coverage runs. And when Conforto and Blake Sabol weakly hit the sphere airborne,  you tailored up for a torturous final inning. You might have even stood up to obtain the beer out of your system and obtain some more of it into your system. If you did,  you missed out on Estrada pounding a ball right into the limbo wall surface to offer the Giants a 3-0 lead. Runnin' via the 6 with my brothers  SFGiants June 28,  2023Doval returned out with a little defense where none was needed.