The only analytic that matters

Giants 3, Padres 2

The Giants have not hit or pitched well in the opening 10 games.

Their 5.19 ERA is better than only five other teams. Their .653 OPS is 10th worst—or 20th best depending on your view of the glass.

But none of that mattered in the eighth inning Sunday, when the Giants vaulted atop the Luck rankings. That's all you can attribute to the game's most pivotal play.

Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim tagged Jorge Soler to complete an inning-ending double play, only to have the ball squirt out of his glove as it hit Soler's shoulder. The tying run scampered home, followed by the go-ahead run a moment later when Matt Chapman drove in Soler.

Call it luck, call it Peak Giants, call it whatever you want. The Giants need more of it.

Up next: Blake Snell (!) debuts this evening in San Francisco against Trevor Williams (1-0, 3.38 ERA) and the Nationals. Let’s see how this goes. First pitch at 6:45 p.m.