Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Harness

The San Francisco Giants have an uphill battle on their hands as they attempt to make their way to the playoffs after missing out last season. Their quest to win the National League West, however, just got a little tougher.

The Giants enter the second half the season only four games behind the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers and sporting a record of 50-48.

However, they have two immediate obstacles to overcome as play resumes Friday night. The Giants will head to the other side of the bay to face the A’s, who took two of three from them when the two teams saw each other at AT&T Park this past weekend, for a three-game set at the Coliseum.

Also, the Dodgers made a big move on Wednesday, trading for All-Star third baseman Manny Machado.

Now the question remains, will the Giants make a big splash before the trading deadline, or will they stand pat?

The last time the Giants made a big trade before the deadline was in 2012, when they made a move to get outfielder Hunter Pence, which helped ignite the Giants on their way to a World Series title. Ironically, Pence has been the talk of some trade rumors lately.

There are two factors that will likely prevent pence from being traded this year: Even though he is entering the final year of his contract, he has a full no-trade clause, and he also remains a fan favorite although his playing time has diminished significantly.

After their series with the A’s concludes, the Giants will head to Seattle to face the Mariners for a two-game series before going back home for a four-game set versus the Brew