Let’s see:

• The Giants have won 5 straight series
• They a wept a team for the first time in nearly a calendar year
• Have a winning record at home AND on the road
• Have a positive run differential again (+1!)
• Only need to go 2-5 this week to have a .500 record on a 10 day east coast road trip
• Are 19-15 and sit 4 games back in the NL West

Not all news this week is good news though:

Source confirms Johnny Cueto has an elbow sprain. Surgery was not recommended, which is good news. He’s expected to miss 6-8 weeks. @JonHeyman was first with update.

— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) May 7, 2018

Now, that is actually good news you’re seeing up there because the rumor earlier in the week was imminent Tommy John surgery which was going to mean curtains for Cueto in 2018.

IF you had of told me the Giants would lose Bumgarner and Cueto for 2 months of the season, I’d have said they would challenge the 98 loses of 2017.

Why does this feel different?

Well, the Giants actually did a good job this offseason of adding depth. Derek Holland, Gregor Blanco, Tony Watson, Alen Hanson, and of course the bigger additions of McCutchen, Longoria, and Jackson, have all paid significant dividends. None of those names has been a difference maker the way tha,t say, Giancarlo Stanton would have been, but collectively they are allowing the Giants to not only tread water, but gain momentum.

The Giants obviously have a long way to go, and they can’t really afford to lose anyone else at the moment, but it’s been amazing to watch the reinforcements arrive and, in many cases, make the team better.

Two shout outs:

• I really liked the Giants bench (Hundley, Panda, Kelby, Blanco, and Hernandez) heading into the season, but I never imagined it would be this good. Each of those guys has contributed significantly in their own ways to the solid start. In addition, the next wave of players (Mac Williamson and Alen Hanson) have been more than solid, they’ve been spectacular at times (get well Mac!).
• The Giants would probably like to run these 5 guys out, once everyone is healthy: Bumgarner, Cueto, Samardzija, Stratton, and Suarez. In that scenario Blach would go the bullpen and take over for Pierce Johnson. Derek Holland would be the odd man out. But right now, they need all of them, and Andrew Suarez, specifically, has been a breath of cool, fresh air. That kid is soooo relaxed. Which is exactly what you want a rookie pitcher to be. I don’t know what his ceiling is, it’s probably not an all-star, but if he can be a solid 3rd starter that would be a huge blessing to this organization.

The rough road trip continue: 3 in Philadelphia and 4 in Pittsburg (aka: Andrew McCutchen home-coming weekend). The sweep of the Braves is house money at this point. If the Giants win the series in Philly and split in Pittsburg, they’d finish the trip 7-3 which is unreal. But that’s what we’ll be looking for this week!