So, now you show up

Giants 2, Royals 0

So, who are these guys? Who are these Giants, who've swung a wrecking ball through the AL playoff picture in the last six days?

They took two of three from the Orioles, putting the AL East out of reach for Baltimore. Then they swept the Royals, nearly leaving them out of playoff position entirely.

What's frustrating is that these Giants were supposed to be the Giants. A pitching-first team that hit enough to string series wins together. Instead they're staring down the end of the season without a winning streak longer than four.

Taking these games and series is better than the alternative, to be sure. But it does leave you wondering what could have been.

Next up: The Giants head to Arizona to play a DBacks team tied with the Mets in the wild card race. We’ll see if the Giants can shake up the standings in their own league. It’ll be Hayden Birdsong (4-5, 4.74 ERA) against Eduardo Rodriguez (3-3, 5.09 ERA).