Giants 30/1 Following Ace’s Injury
The San Francisco Giants’ World Series odds surprisingly did not change despite a recent injury to ace Madison Bumgarner.
According to oddsmakers from online sports book YouWager, the Giants are 30/1 to win the 2018 World Series. They were 30/1 to win the World Series before Bumgarner suffered a fracture to his left pinkie finger. Given the limited depth San Francisco has in its starting rotation, it’s surprising that oddsmakers didn’t make the Giants a bigger long-shot to win this year’s Fall Classic.
Bumgarner suffered the fracture on his left hand after being hit by a comebacker in Friday’s Cactus League game. The lefty departed the game after being struck on the hand by a sharp line drive off the bat of Royals’ Whit Merrifield. Bumgarner attempted to field the ball after being hit but was unable to pick it up.
Bumgarner underwent successful surgery to repair the fracture on Saturday. He had three pins inserted into his hand to stabilize the finger. The initial estimate has him sidelined for 6-to-8 weeks. At that point he will be reevaluated.
Making matters worse for the Giants is that Jeff Samardzija is also banged-up. He had an MRI taken on his shoulder this past Thursday and was diagnosed with a strained pectoral muscle. He will open the season on the disabled list and could miss a big chunk of April. Without Samardzija or Bumgarner, the Giants are down to Johnny Cueto, back-end starters Chris Stratton, Ty Blach and Tyler Beede, as well as the horrendous Derek Holland, who finished 2017 with a 6.20 ERA.
If San Francisco can tread water in April and May, then the return of Bumgarner and Samardzjia could give this team a boost the rest of the way. But this team’s margin of error was thin even with a healthy pitching staff. It’s much more likely that the Giants just saw their season end before it even began.