
The Chicago Cubs battle a team that ran the table in the National League for the better part of a decade in the San Francisco Giants. Now, though, the Giants are a struggling club and an example of things gone awry after winning it all.
This past offseason, one might have highlighted the upcoming series between the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park as a potential pivotal series for both clubs.
But that’s not the case – at least not for Bruce Bochy‘s ball club. The Cubs and Giants clashed during the 2016 NLDS, with Chicago coming out on top. These are the last two National League teams to win a World Series. Unfortunately from the Giants’ perspective, this August series is not pivotal at all.
San Francisco played themselves into a nice pattern; winning championships every other year in 2010, 2012 and 2014. Now, they’re lost, confused and injured – entering the series 36 games back in the National League West. In fact, they trail only the Philadelphia Phillies for the worst record in the league.
The collapse took hold quickly. The Giants made the playoffs last year and kept most of the roster intact – yet own the third-worst record in baseball. So what happened to the Giants? Can the Cubs learn from the their tumble from the top and steer away from post-championship struggles?