PHOENIX — Before Monday night’s series opener here with the Diamondbacks, Giants manager Gabe Kapler was asked if there was any added significance to these games, coming on the heels of a four-game sweep in Los Angeles and with so little time before the Aug. 2 trade deadline.
“Wherever you are in the baseball calendar, the goal is to win,” Kapler said. “Leading up to (Aug. 2), April 1 to April 10, September 1 to September 30, it’s always win as many games as possible. Should we put more emphasis on the Diamondbacks series than the Dodgers series? Or the Brewers series before that? Or the Cubs series after it? They all have an elevated level of significance, for any number of reasons and at any given time.”
Nevertheless, the Giants’ next seven games against losing opponents (three at 42-53 Arizona; four vs. 38-57 Chicago) will likely dictate the decisions of president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi leading up to the deadline.
