Photo Credit: AP News
by
Greek Giant
If you want to see a bad team at work, watch the San Francisco Giants in last night’s game at Pittsburgh, a winnable game they lost 5-4 when the Pirates scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to break our hearts. If you want to see a team refuse to win a game the opponent practically begs you to take, watch this one. If you want to see why the Giants are a long ways from being a legit World Series contender, watch this one.
In the Giants 5-4 loss to the Pirates in Pittsburgh last night there were a comedy, a litany of errors committed. Once again, this reflects poorly on Manager Bob Melvin and the entire coaching staff. I will get to them later but let’s start with the mistakes before we get to the positives. In the top of the first inning the Giants had the bases loaded, nobody out and a pitcher in Johan Oviedo who was making his first Major League appearance of the season and first start in Pittsburgh since 2023 after a long re-hab back from injury. Oviedo was, to put it mildly a train wreck of nerves. He had just surrendered a leadoff single to Ramos and two walks, and was ripe for first inning implosion. He was nowhere in the strike zone and was visibly coming undone. The Giants needed to sense this, find ways to put balls in play on selective pitches or simply let Oviedo fall apart. It is something a good team would have been able to capitalize on. Instead, bad things happened because, this is the 2025 Giants. The Giants had Matt Chapman up with that bases loaded, nobody out situation and he struck out on three straight fastballs. The next batter, Dominic Smith singled in a run to leave the bases loaded and one out. Casey Schmitt then walked to bring in another run. That makes three walks and a hit and a strikeout for the first five batters. The next batter, Jung Hoo Lee, strikes out. The same happens to Patrick Bailey. Oviedo got his second wind and the Giants were powerless to take advantage of the moment and the game.
Threat over, Giants get two when they coulda, shoulda, woulda had much more and probably put the game away in the first inning.
Instead, the Pirates get life, take back momentum and then come back to win the game in the bottom of the ninth inning when Joey Bart, of course, singles in the tying run. The winning run scored one batter later when Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s grounder to a drawn-in first baseman, Rafael Devers, could not be turned into an out. That’s because Devers’s throw was a bit too high and Bailey’s tag a tad too late to make the play and save the game. The runner, Jack “Giant-Killer” Suwinski, just beat the throw.
Game Over.
Suwinski also hit a two-run homer off Carson Seymour in the seventh inning. The runner on base who scored with Suwinski reached via a walk.
In the bottom of the ninth inning Randy Rodriguez, who was un-hittable in the first half of the season, began the inning with the aforementioned walk to Andrew McCutchen. He then hit Suwinsky with a pitch after striking out Brian Reynolds. So, you have a one-run game and your new closer starts the ninth off with a walk and later, a hit batsman.
Things got worse from there.
There was also a key defensive miscue that cost the Giants, and Justin Verlander, badly. In the bottom of the first inning Spencer Horwitz singled to left center. Heliot Ramos ran hard to his left to field it. If he fields it cleanly and throws to second Horwitz remains at first with a single. But the Giant left fielder mishandled the ball and it got away far enough from him that Horwitz advanced to second. It was a huge free base given, another costly error by Ramos.
It may be time to re-think the Giants outfield.
The next batter grounded out to Adames, who made a nice play, but that still meant Horwitz advanced to third. Had Horwitz been on first base with a single the Giants would have had a chance at a double play. At worst Horwitz is on second and the out is made at first. Instead he advanced to third and would score on the sacrifice fly to deep right by Nick Gonzales. Just like that the Pirates made it a 2-1 game and Verlander could not get that shutdown, bottom of the first inning that is so crucial on the road.
So, if you are keeping score at home: We went from the Giants having a chance to blow the game wide open with three or four runs, or more, in the bottom of the first inning to the Giants gifting the Pirates a run to make it 2-1 with the home team re-taking the initiative and momentum, two very real dynamics in sports.
Speaking of Verlander, He may be regretting the fact he was not traded. This was another strong start (Five innings, three hits, one unearned run, one walk, three strikeouts, and a fastball at 98MPH!) that did not equal a win. It was perhaps Verlander’s best game as a Giant and it really stinks that he did not get the win. I must say that I stand corrected and I was wrong to write in May that Verlander should be released. It turns out he is one of the Giants top three starters now. My oh my how things can change and my oh my Buster Posey and the Giants were right to be patient with the veteran.
“That might have been the best stuff of his year. Seeing that we’re in August and he’s throwing 98 mph, he’s obviously found something mechanically, he’s found his second wind.”
-Bob Melvin
By my count that’s four leads and wins the Giants have coughed up with Verlander pitching this season, not counting the other games where he received little or zero run support.
For me this game was a real stinker, an absolutely winnable game the Giants gave away and another sign that something is wrong with the coaching staff and the Manager. Ramos’s mistakes are piling up and costing too many runs and wins. It’s time to bench him or put him in the DH role. Devers’s inexperience at first base is hurting the Giants terribly. You simply cannot plug in an inexperienced player to a position in the Major Leagues and expect to get away with it with no problems, particularly first base, a position where, like the catcher, you handle the ball so many times. It’s just too important a position. There was another play, a hard smash that Matt Chapman corralled but his throw, a change-up, bounced in front of Devers who could not make the scoop. It’s not on Devers but a better first baseman might have a better chance to make that play.
This Giants team is far too inconsistent and far too poor on fundamentals to be a serious playoff contender. If I am the Giants I revamp the entire outfield for next season. This one is not working. This Giants outfield has the lowest OPS in the Major Leagues and does not have the defensive proficiency to make up for the lack of production.
On the plus side, well, Ramos had three hits. Verlander, as I stated, was very good. That’s It!
I really hated this game.
Buster Posey has his work cut out for him.
Tonight’s Game
It will be Webb versus Burrows in game two of the series in Pittsburgh. Game time is 6:40 PM.
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