By Morris Phillips

A better win percentage than the Giants had in last season’s 107-win campaign? Weren’t they supposed to experience some measure of dropoff?

Yes, of course. A baseball team’s not supposed to better its best season in over 110 seasons. But so far, the Giants–purely by measure of wins and losses–are better.

And better despite two sidelined starting pitchers–Alex Cobb and Anthony DeSclafani–and fewer healthy outfielders than unhealthy ones. Yeah, they’ve taken advantage of a couple of downtrodden opponents but they’ve squeezed teams like the Nats and the Guardians for all they were worth.

The Giants led baseball in one significant category: fewest runs allowed, a real testament to the depth of quality arms, starting and relieving, they have. Offensively, they’ve been spotty, and overall good, but notably they don’t appear to be a threat to lead all teams in home runs like last season even if it’s just because they haven’t gotten off to a flying start.

The missing pieces–Mike Yastrzemski, Lamont Wade Jr., Austin Slater and now early pacesetter Joc Pedersen–are troubling, but none are expected to miss huge chunks of time. Other guys like Brandon Belt and Darin Ruf are on pace for better campaigns than last which really helps compensate for the absences.

Nothing speaks to the team’s success better than their different methods to win ballgames starting with their calling card: winning close games with big hits late. But they also score early, add on and frustrate opponents through the lopsided scores. They win low scoring ballgames with pitching and defense, and they concede the lead and rally soon there after to win.

The starting rotation isn’t among the National League’s best as some trumpeted, but three fifths of the rotation has been stellar with Logan Webb as the ace, Carlos Rodon and Alex Wood as the best supporting arms. Webb simply hasn’t shown much let up and that’s after factoring in that he finally dropped a home game at Oracle Park.

Rodon established a new franchise record for strikeouts to start a season, and his focus and success immediately after signing a hefty, two-year deal speaks of his professionalism.