Kurtenbach: The SF Giants’ comeback kids spark hope into season [3 Up, 3 Down]

Who needs a drink?

The Giants’ series win over the Pittsburgh Pirates was unquestionably the wildest three-game set this team has played all season and is well in the running ot the most ridiculous over the last few seasons.

A massive choke job followed by two absurd comebacks — it’s enough to give you whiplash.

But a series win is a series win, and the Giants are in no position to worry about style points.

Let’s go over what’s clicking and what’s rattling with the Giants:

Up: The Kiddos

Last week, I said that the Giants’ downright absurd string of injuries could end up being the best thing for the team. Ready or not, the youth movement for the Giants’ roster was coming.

It’s far, far, far too early to take any sort of a victory lap on that take, but we can all see that the early returns have been positive.

Collectively, the under-25 contingent of the Giants’ roster — Luis Matos, Heliot Ramos, Marco Luciano, Brett Wisely, and Patrick Bailey are hitting .341 with 20 (!!!) RBI over the Giants’ last six games.

I can’t tell you if it is sustainable. Baseball is a cruel and fickle game.

But what we have seen is a team that has a spirit to it and a lineup that feels threatening, even if it will probably never be elite.

That’s a massive upgrade.

And as long as it continues, there’s reason to have some hope not just about the 2024 Giants making something of this season, but the organization in years to come, as well.

Down: The Giants are, umm, out of pitchers

Even with three-batter minimums and a league-wide hitter depression, teams are churning through pitchers.

And the Giants must be at the top of that list.

How many times this season have the Giants found themselves down to their final pitcher in a game?

Off the top of my head, Thursday’s win over the Pirates was the fourth time. It could be far more — this is hardly something you can find on FanGraphs.

I don’t blame manager Bob Melvin for this problem — no modern manager stands a chance in the battle between trying to win games and not having your pitchers’ arms explode from overuse.

And it’s not as if the Giants lack quality arms in the bullpen. That’s the team’s path to victory most nights.

I won’t even blame this issue on Farhan Zaidi.

No, the onus falls on the Giants’ starting pitchers and the baseball gods.

Simply put, the Giants’ starters haven’t been getting the job done. Logan Webb is giving the team six, but everyone else is a crapshoot. Blake Snell has been a disaster. Kyle Harrison is a cherry bomb — but at least he’s young. Jordan Hicks is showing signs that he’s fading, but the Giants are so taxed they needed him to throw five innings in his last start after he spent the morning puking. And Mason Black was never going to be anything more than a short-term stopgap (he lacks big-league stuff and doesn’t have the control to counter that fact) and he hasn’t even shown he can be that, as evidenced by the Giants turning his “start” into a bullpen game Thursday.

We have to presume Alex Cobb isn’t coming back anytime soon. Robbie Ray’s Giants debut isn’t around the corner. Keaton Winn has to be handled with kid gloves given the precariousness of his injury (and poor performance leading into his injured list stint).

Again, the Giants’ bullpen is strong, but the current state of starting pitching puts that status in danger.

Sean Hjelle, with the help of an improved cutter, has finally found a role at the big-league level: long reliever.

Is it time to test fate and move him into the rotation?

Because it’s not time to call up top pitching prospect Carson Whisenhunt (6.37 ERA with Triple-A Sacramento), and Harden Birdsong is yet to reach Triple-A. After those two, the Giants could return to Landen Roupp (again) or take a chance on Carson Seymour, and neither option is terribly appealing at the moment.

Snell pitching like a top-half-of-the-rotation pitcher, much less an ace and two-time Cy Young winner would considerably shore things up, but even after back-to-back series wins and a justified burst of optimism, the Giants find themselves facing a glaring issue without clear-cut solutions.

Up: Matt Chapman

When I declared that Chapman was a player with MVP upside upon his signing with the Giants, this is what I meant.

One of baseball’s streakiest hitters is, in the parlance of the times, on one.

Against Pittsburgh, he went 5-for-13 with a homer in all three games and a steady diet of truly spectacular plays at third base.

Isn’t it interesting how when Chapman plays well, the Giants look like a team that’s something more than average?

Enjoy the ride while it’s rolling. You don’t know how long it will last — could be days, weeks, or months. But while Chapman is locked in, the Giants have one of the finest players in baseball.

Down: Giants’ defense

Chapman is out-of-this-world and Ramos looks the part in left field, so let me be specific about this: The drop-off from Nick Ahmed to Luciano and Jung Hoo-Lee to Matos is stark.

And while trading a bit of defense for the kids’ positive hitting is a deal I’ll make time and time again, both youngsters’ play at the two most important positions in the field makes you long for the perfect routes of Lee and steady hands and decision-making skills of the veteran Ahmed.

So long as both keep making loud contact, we’re good, but I don’t need to tell you to keep an eye on this space: It’s impossible to miss.

Up: Randy Rodriguez

Rodriguez more than “stands a chance” of being an impact arm for the Giants. I think he’s one today.

And with Luke Jackson’s struggles, I wouldn’t at all be surprised if Rodriguez and his 100-mile-per-hour fastball takes over that “sixth-inning” role in the coming days.

Down: The competition

I’m not going to pretend anyone should be gung-ho about these Giants, even with the positive week of play.

The realist take is that this team is treading water. Given that the seas are choppy, that’s an accomplishment.

And looking around the National League, a lot of other teams have started to go underwater this month.

Pittsburgh is one of those teams — you just saw that.

Washington is sliding. The Reds are a mess. The Mets are out of it.

In the race for the No. 3 wild card, I feel comfortable saying only four teams remain as we approach Memorial Day: The Cardinals (who are holding on by a thread), and the three other competent National League West teams.

All the Giants need to do is just stick around .500 for as long as they possibly can. Keep treading water.