San Francisco Giants As Favorite Betting Trend

The Giants' struggles as favorites stem from a fundamental mismatch between public perception and actual performance capabilities. San Francisco has historically been a team that thrives as underdogs, playing loose and aggressive baseball when expectations are low. When installed as favorites, the psychological pressure shifts dramatically, and their approach becomes more conservative and tentative. This pattern reflects deeper organizational tendencies around roster construction and game management. The Giants have consistently fielded teams built around veteran leadership and situational baseball rather than overwhelming talent. These characteristics work beautifully when grinding out wins as underdogs, but create vulnerabilities when expected to dominate. Their pitching staff, often reliant on command and guile rather than overpowering stuff, becomes more hittable when opposing teams approach them with confidence rather than caution. The franchise's even-year championship magic from 2010-2014 created inflated public expectations that persisted well beyond those teams' expiration dates. Bettors continued backing San Francisco based on recent memory rather than current roster quality, creating consistent line value on their opponents. This trend carries the most weight in divisional games and series where the Giants are substantial home favorites, particularly against teams they're expected to handle easily.