SAN FRANCISCO — When things are going right, as they were for the Giants in the not-so-distant past, a team finds different ways to win seemingly every day. When things are going wrong, oh so very wrong, as they are for the Giants right now, the team finds different ways to lose seemingly every day. The latest chapter in this extended skid was a three-game sweep at the hands of the Pirates and each loss came with a unique brand of crushing disappointment and frustration.
Coming off a heartbreaking loss in Sunday’s series finale with the Orioles, in which Santiago Casilla blew a save chance, the Giants watched their prized trade deadline acquisition Matt Moore get outdueled by 39-year-old former Giant Ryan Vogelsong. (Andrew McCutchen’s catch deserves a mention, too.) On Tuesday, they allowed a go-ahead home run in the 8th, then blew a great opportunity to respond in the 9th. And in Wednesday’s matinee series finale, the Giants found a new way to torture their fans, coughing up a four-run lead before mounting a rally in the 9th, only to have their face of the franchise in Buster Posey ground into a double play with the bases loaded. After watching first base umpire Mike Winters call him out, Posey doubled over in pain, frustration or a combination of the two.
The way things are looking right now, the Giants need Posey to put the team on his back. One problem: Posey’s back is injured. It’s obvious on every swing and it’s even more evident when he’s running the bases in a manner that makes Bengie Molina look like Usain Bolt. And even if Posey were healthy, which he’s clearly not, he’s not the type of hitter that can single-handedly carry an offense. The Giants were successful earlier this season because they kept the line moving. They created a potent offense despite the noticeable absence of a true 25-homer threat. Those days are long gone.
But even when the offense shows up and offers a little run support, the Giants still can’t buy a win. They’re either getting a lackluster performance from a starter or watching a reliever crumble in a game-changing situation. That’s the recipe for a 9-21 skid. That’s the recipe for blowing an eight-game division lead. That’s the recipe for a complete collapse. That’s why it’s no longer sensational to claim the sky is falling on the 2016 San Francisco Giants.
Unless the Giants call up Christian Arroyo — which should be under consideration when Ehire Adrianza is getting crucial late-game at bats — there’s no help on the way. It’s up to the core players — Posey, Hunter Pence, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, Joe Panik, Denard Span, Jeff Samardzija and Casilla to name a few (or a third of the roster) — to salvage this season. Without some of those players returning to form, this team is dead in the water.
Even Bruce Bochy, whose deft handling of the rotation and bullpen through three World Series titles has made him mostly bulletproof to criticism, admitted a mistake in leaving Cain in too long on Wednesday. But this is not a managerial issue as much as it’s a performance issue. The Giants don’t lack talent, but for whatever reason they can’t play a complete game to save their season.
That’s not what we’ve come to expect from this team over the last six years. Yes, the Giants have had similarly rough stretches in seasons past, including in 2014 before they went on to win the World Series. But something about this season feels different. The ways in which the Giants are losing are more torturous than before. And in the failed post-title seasons of 2011, 2013 and 2015, the Giants had more obvious flaws that helped provide context for their struggles. This team, however, should be better. And not just on paper — we saw how good this team can be in May and June. Granted, their regression to the mean isn’t wholly unexpected; it’s just shocking to witness how drastic the drop-off has been.
With all the gloom and doom out of the way, the Giants are still 66-54 and just a game out of first place in the NL West. There’s still time to right the ship. But not much. If this slide continues much longer, it’s going to take an equally unfathomable hot streak in September to balance things out.
Of the Giants’ 54 losses, these last four count the same as any other. But that doesn’t factor in the mental toll on the players and coaches. The vibe at AT&T Park is starting to feel different and it starts in the home team’s dugout. Players can say all the right things to reporters about blocking out distractions and not dwelling on tough losses, but it’s hard to believe there aren’t corners of the clubhouse where players are starting to ask themselves ‘How are we going to find a way to lose the next game?’