After their loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this week, the defending champion San Francisco Giants were mathematically eliminated from the MLB postseason, meaning that they've effectively come to end of the road in their 2015 season. As we've done with each eliminated team this season, we'll now give them a send-off that would make Boyz II Men proud.*
We'll look at the high and lows of their season, what bright spots their future might hold and what questions need answering as they prepare for 2016.
HIGH POINT: They Giants, even though they had been marred by injuries early in the season, killed it in May. They went 13-2 from May 15 to May 29 and found themselves ever so briefly in first place at the end of the month. Beyond that, just the fact that the Giants stayed in it until the final week of the season was impressive. Especially considering they lost Hunter Pence for a good chunk of the year, Matt Cain didn't pitch as well they hoped in his return and Tim Hudson and Jake Peavy both battled injury.
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LOW POINT: Like we said, the Giants stuck around and for a while they looked like they might be able to unseat the Dodgers if they could put together another magical September. But then, on Aug. 29, when they were just 2.5 behind L.A., they sunk into a seven-game losing streak that ultimately doomed their season. Three of those losses were to the Dodgers, as their lead widened to 7.5 games by Sept. 4. The Giants didn't fold entirely after that, but they never were able to get closer than five-games back.
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BEST HIGHLIGHT:*How about the most unlikely no-hitter of the season? Rookie Chris Heston — who none of us had heard of back in June — threw the first no-hitter of the MLB season and the fourth for the Giants in the past four years. Impressive.
HOPE FOR THE FUTURE: Well, it's an even year next season, if you believe in that sort of thing. They won the World Series in 2010, 2012 and 2014, so some fans certainly do, and not just as a joke. But the Giants do return the shell of a win-now team in 2016. With Madison Bumgarner, Buster Posey and Hunter Pence around, the G-Men should always have a chance. Matt Duffy showed this season he's a more than suitable replacment for Pablo Sandoval. Brandon Crawford took a big step forward and Joe Panik is still getting better. Rookie Kelby Tomlinson showed promise too. They'll need to avoid injuries and bolster their starting rotation in the offseason. If they add a solid bat or two, they could be right back in the postseason next year.
[Elsewhere:*The cast of "Full House" is out here sabotaging Dodgers pitchers.*]
QUESTION THAT NEEDS ANSWERING: Will they be more aggressive this offseason? Continuing the point above, the Giants need to make a few moves to improve the rotation and the lineup. They don't need to be the biggest spenders (though, David Price would be nice, wouldn't he?). Rather they need some value and production in their rotation and in their outfield. Mike Leake, who they traded for in July, is a pending free agent and has been pegged as someone who might want to return to S.F. Last winter, they didn't do much, but looking at how tough the NL figures to be next season and beyond, the Giants can't sit idly again and just hope for a better result next season.
Previously in this series:*Phillies,*Braves,*Reds,*Rockies,*Marlins,*Brewers,*Padres,*Diamondbacks,*

Athletics,*White Sox,*Tigers,*Nationals,*Rays,*Mariners,*Red Sox, Orioles and Indians
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz