The San Francisco Giants had a great opportunity to get greedy against the D-backs after winning the first two games of the series and turning to Carlos Rodón and Logan Webb in the last two. But the bullpen wasted a late-inning lead on Wednesday night and Webb got hit around on Thursday, and this feel-good stretch of baseball for the Giants turned into something far uglier. Yes, indeed, the SF Giants are who we thought they were. They are what their record says they are: a .500 team.
The ugliness was on full display in the losses. There was bad defense, with Joc Pederson committing a crucial error and Mike Yastrzemski making an ill-advised throw from the outfield. There was bad baserunning, with Yastrzemski, who had entered as a pinch runner, getting picked off in a big situation. There were more bullpen woes for a Giants team that led the majors in ERA last season, as Dom Leone continued his miserable month-plus. Tommy La Stella continued to be ineffective at the plate.
The Giants' present and future is discussed. The Giants are old and slow. Evan Longoria and Brandon Belt can't move well, and it has cost them numerous times this season. Neither is guaranteed a spot on next year's team. Belt has been a big disappointment in 2022 after emerging as the "Captain" last season. He bunted foul for a strikeout down by five runs with two on, two out, and two strikes late in the game. In other news, Luis González was optioned and Zack Littell was added. They were always going to get back to 13 pitchers and González was one of the few guys with options and had been struggling mightily.
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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.
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