On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick talks about the San Francisco Giants' devastating loss to the Angels. Once again, the Giants had a 9th-inning lead. Once again, Gabe Kapler elected to use Trevor Gott. And once again, Gott gave up a big home run that stunned the Giants. It was the third straight game in which the Giants lost after having a lead in the 9th inning. On Friday they blew a five-run 9th-inning lead; on Saturday they blew a three-run 9th-inning lead; and yesterday, it was a one-run 9th-inning lead. All three times, Trevor Gott was on the mound. Kapler's decision to use Gott on Monday was deservedly criticized. On the one hand, he was showing faith and confidence in a struggling reliever. On the other, he entrusted a one-run lead to someone who was likely struggling with confidence and the ability to get hitters out. Gott has now allowed 11 earned runs and five home runs over his last 1.1 innings pitched.
On the bright side, the Giants keep having late leads. Once again, the offense was strong as it tallied six runs. Mike Yastrzemski continued his MVP-like season with a big two-out, two-strike, two-run double in the 6th inning that gave the Giants a 6-5 lead. Earlier in the game Brandon Belt hit a two-run home run in the first inning. Tyler Anderson started for the Giants and pitched better than his final line. He struck out eight batters in five innings and issued just one walk, but he did allow a home run to Mike Trout and ultimately allowed five earned runs in those five innings. Regardless, the Giants' rotation has been pretty good as of late, and the offense has been solid all season. The Giants' bullpen has been extremely bad and has cost them numerous victories. If Gott hadn't blown leads in his last three appearances, the Giants would be 11-13. The Giants have had leads in 11 of their 16 losses. They could easily be a .500 team or even better. Instead, they're 8-16 and could be done and buried in pandemic-shortened 60-game season.
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