Why the San Francisco Giants Keep Struggling Against the Diamondbacks
Why the San Francisco Giants Keep Struggling Against the Diamondbacks
The San Francisco Giants just haven't seemed to have the Arizona Diamondbacks' numbers in 2026, but is there a reason behind the madness?Dominic Minchella|
In this story:
San Francisco GiantsTaking the road after winning back-to-back home series against the Athletics and the Atlanta Braves gave the San Francisco Giants some momentum ahead of facing the Arizona Diamondbacks. But just as every other game between these two franchises has gone this season, the Giants lost the series opener.
The Giants are now 0-7 when taking on their division rivals this season, but what's the cause? Is it because of poor pitching? Poor defense? Not enough clutch hitting? Or do the Diamondbacks just have San Francisco's number? To answer that, we have to take a look at the entire season series to this point.
A Series Review: SF vs ARZ
San Francisco took on Arizona for the first time back in May, away from home, at Chase Field. At that point, the Giants held a 20-27 record before any game between these two franchises took place. In the three-game series, the Giants would allow 23 runs, sparking the start of frustration.
In that first series of the season, San Francisco scored eight runs total. With a brief break in between, as the Giants took on the Chicago White Sox the following series, winning two out of three games, they would host the Diamondbacks at Oracle Park, looking for a better result.
In three games at home, the Giants allowed 16 runs to the Diamondbacks, as San Francisco scored nine. For the beginning portion of the season for this rivalry matchup, it was clear that the Giants' pitching staff was taking the majority of the blame, having allowed 39 runs in six games.
Fast forward to Monday night at Chase Field, the Giants finally put up a close fight against Arizona, yet still dropped the game 5-4. The offense fought back, scoring three runs in the final two innings, but it wasn't enough, as another tough start from Tyler Mahle was too hard to overcome.
Overall, it seems like the Diamondbacks' offense has the Giants' pitching staff's number. Arizona holds the 23rd-best team average in Major League Baseball as of the end of June (.238), while the Giants hold the fourth-best team average in baseball (.256).
In the clutch, the Giants need to perform better than they have before, especially when hitting against the Diamondbacks. On Monday night, San Francisco was 1-6 with runners in scoring position compared to Arizona's 2-4. In the overall series between the two, the Giants are 7-45 with runners in scoring position (.156).
Published 35 minutes ago
DOMINIC MINCHELLADominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.
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‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Season 2 Debuts With 8.7 Million Views in Four Days, Down 59% From Season 1
Season 2 of Netflix‘s live-action adaptation of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” debuted with 8.7 million views in four days. That total took it to the No. 2 position on the streamer’s weekly English-language TV rankings, but represented a large drop from Season 1: In 2024, the series debuted with 21.2 million views, meaning the new installation fell by 59%.
Still, the release of the new season brought about renewed interest in Season 1, which returned to the chart in third place with 3 million views.
Both “Avatar” seasons came behind “I Will Find You,” which had its second week as the most-watched title on Netflix. After debuting with 24 million views in four days last week, the Harlan Coben series leapt to 34.1 million views in its first full week of availability.
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How to Watch France vs. Sweden on TV, Live Stream—World Cup
How to Watch France vs. Sweden on TV, Live Stream—World Cup
Two-time world champions France look good to go all the way at this summer’s tournament.James Cormack|
France has certainly laid a marker at the start of the World Cup, securing comfortable progression into the knockout stages by winning its three group games for the first time since 1998.
Its early success is ominous for the rest, especially when you consider the difficulty of Group I. France still has more gears to move through, yet its attacking might has already been flexed. If Kylian Mbappé or Michael Olise don’t get you, then Ousmane Dembélé or Désiré Doué will.
Strong contenders to add a third star to its iconic jersey France most certainly is, and few are backing them to succumb to a banana skin at MetLife Stadium on Tuesday.
Sweden is a baffling outfit. It’s been on both sides of harsh 5–1 drubbings, and played its part in a forgettable draw with Japan, albeit one that sent them through to the round of 32.
Here’s how you can watch this knockout tie unfold.
What Time Does France vs. Sweden Kick Off?
- Location: East Rutherford, N.J.
- Stadium: MetLife Stadium
- Date: Tuesday, June 29
- Kick-off Time: 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT / 10 p.m BST
- Referee: Danny Makkelie (NED)
How to Watch France vs. Sweden on TV, Live Stream
It’s Fox or fuboTV for those in the United States seeking an English-language broadcast. Those wanting to catch the action in Spanish can pivot to Telemundo.
In Canada, an array of TSN channels are showing the round of 32 clash, in addition to RDS. ViX is the only streaming avenue for audiences in Mexico.
ITV1 is broadcasting the knockout clash on free-to-air TV in the United Kingdom, with ITVX streaming the game for those tuning in on a device. Scots can access the fixture on STV.
Country | Broadcaster(s) |
|---|---|
United States | Fox Network, fuboTV, Telemundo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Fox One |
Canada | TSN+, TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, TSN5, RDS, RDS App |
Mexico | ViX Mexico |
United Kingdom | ITV1, ITVX, STV, STV Player |
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What’s Next for France, Sweden?
The winners of Tuesday’s clash will move on to the round of 16, where Paraguay awaits in Philadelphia on July 4 after it stunned Germany in the first knockout round.
Co-hosts Canada is potential quarterfinal opponents, as are Morocco—this quarterfinal is scheduled for July 9 at Gillette Stadium. Spain, Portugal, USMNT and Belgium are also on France and Sweden’s side of the bracket.
READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC
Published 37 seconds ago | Modified 37 seconds ago
JAMES CORMACKJames Cormack is a freelancer soccer writer for Sports Illustrated FC. An expert on Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, he follows Italian and German soccer, taking particular interest in the work of Antonio Conte & Julian Nagelsmann.
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What Luka Dončić Had to Say After LeBron James's Decision to Leave Lakers
What Luka Dončić Had to Say After LeBron James's Decision to Leave Lakers
Brigid Kennedy|
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Los Angeles LakersIt's the end of LeEra in Los Angeles.
After eight seasons in Southern California, LeBron James has informed the Lakers that he will be leaving the team for the 2026-27 campaign, ESPN's Shams Charania reported Tuesday.
It's a huge piece of news—the near-decade James spent with the Lakers is the longest single period he has remained with a team in his 23-season career. Moreover, the bombshell also confirms that the four-time title winner will return for yet another year in the league, thereby delaying his forthcoming retirement a little bit longer.
LeBron James Free Agency: Three Destinations That Make Sense After Superstar Chose to Leave Lakers
With James gone, Luka Dončić will become the face of the Lakers franchise, as was the plan when the Lakers traded for him back at the February 2025 trade deadline. The future Hall of Famers have had a great working relationship during their time in the Purple and Gold, often praising one another before and after games and hyping one another up. That mutual respect was again made clear on Tuesday, when Dončić commented on James's decision after it was made public.
"An honor to play with and learn from you," the Slovenian guard wrote on his Instagram story, alongside a photo of him and James.
Take a look at that below:
Dončić and James didn't have all that long together in L.A. They were teammates for just about a season and a half, and lost valuable playing time when James began the 2025-26 on the sideline (he was dealing with a difficult bout of sciatica; it can be easy to forget that he is 41).
They didn't reach incredibly great heights, either. The Lakers lost in the first round of the 2024-25 postseason—their first with Dončić—then exited in the second round this spring. That's not to say things couldn't have been different if they had more time. But James's choice to round out his career with another squad (Golden State? Cleveland?) is probably the right decision for everybody involved.
That the pair—two of the brightest stars in the NBA—are parting on such good terms is incredibly notable. This league is known for big personalities and contentious rivalries; it is not uncommon for players to be beefing with guys both on and off their rosters. Plus, when Dončić came to L.A., it was as part of a deal that sent James's close friend Anthony Davis to Dallas. It would not be hard to imagine a world where their relationship began with resentment or animosity.
But it never got there, at least not publicly.
In fact, while speaking at his introductory press conference in Februrary 2025, Dončić said that James called him immediately after the trade was announced.
"It's like a dream come true, I've always looked up to him," he added of the opportunity to play with LeBron. "There's so many things I can learn from him and I'm just excited, you know. Just to learn everything and I get to play with him. So it's an amazing feeling."
In a world of messy basketball breakups, we're happy these two kept it clean. And now, it's Luka's turn to lead the Lakers to a title.
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Published 4 minutes ago | Modified 4 minutes ago
BRIGID KENNEDYBrigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.
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