If a team can invent new ways to lose games, consider the 2017 San Francisco Giants baseball’s version of Thomas Edison.
Edison was both practical and prolific as an innovator, and this season, the Giants have seemingly matched Edison’s originality, saving their most creative defeat of the year for their series-opener against the first place Colorado Rockies on Thursday evening.
After falling behind 9-1 by the end of the third inning at Coors Field, San Francisco was well on its way to its 42nd defeat of the season, but behind home runs from Buster Posey, Nick Hundley and Brandon Crawford, and a pinch-hit RBI from pitcher Ty Blach (Yes, that happened), the Giants staged an eight-run comeback to tie the game 9-9.
But in the bottom of the ninth, Rockies’ right fielder Raimel Tapia punched a walk-off single through the right side of the infield off of Giants’ reliever, Hunter Strickland, the team’s sixth pitcher of the night.
The fact Strickland was pitching is a story in and of itself, but the fact he was the Giants’ sixth pitcher of the night spells trouble for a club that’s future is now more uncertain than ever.
With the game tied 9-9, Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy inserted Strickland into the game for the third day in a row, in part because of an impending suspension, and in part because San Francisco was out of viable options.
After an appeal hearing regarding Strickland’s six-game suspension on Tuesday, the Giants expected to lose Strickland for their weekend series against the Rockies. However, Major League Baseball has yet to reach a verdict on Strickland’s appeal, leaving Bochy and the Giants in limbo at the wrong time.
“The Strickland situation is playing a part in this because we’re going to be a player short and we really can’t go down another pitcher,” Bochy said Wednesday, when asked about potential roster moves heading into the weekend. “Can’t go down another position player so we’re in the box a little bit right now.”
During the Giants’ two-game series against the Kansas City Royals earlier this week, a set in which they were outscored 15-3, Bochy was frustrated that Strickland’s upcoming suspension would limit the team’s roster flexibility. The Giants’ skipper said not to expect any players to be called up or optioned this weekend, but after Thursday’s loss, Bochy may not have a choice.
Right as a struggling squad needed a starting pitcher to eat innings, left-hander Matt Moore lasted just three frames on Thursday, as the Rockies’ offense gobbled him up to the tune of 11 hits and eight earned runs.
Moore became the third consecutive Giants’ starter to allow 10 or more hits, and San Francisco now leads all of Major League Baseball with eight games in which their pitchers have allowed a double-digit hit total.
Moore entered Thursday evening with a 12.34 career earned run average at Coors Field, and an hour into the game, his numbers were worse.
After the Rockies used the early innings as extended batting practice, Moore’s outing gave way to George Kontos, Cory Gearrin, Josh Osich, Bryan Morris and ultimately Strickland. Bochy spared Derek Law, who worked in Wednesday’s loss, Sam Dyson, who pitched in back-to-back games earlier this week, and closer Mark Melancon, who has made two appearances in June and likely isn’t fully healthy after returning from the disabled list a month ago.
Against a Rockies club with the fourth-best offense in baseball, the Giants enter the weekend at a lively Coors Field with their pitching staff being held together by a couple of pieces of Scotch tape and a safety pin.
Thursday’s loss dropped the Giants 16.5 games back of the Rockies in the National League-West, and now puts them 1.5 games behind the lowly San Diego Padres for fourth place. As I wrote Thursday night, if this season has been a bad dream for the Giants, their 10-9 loss at Coors Field was their worst nightmare.
But it doesn’t have to stay that way.
After Moore’s night came to a premature conclusion, the Giants’ AAA affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats, elected to throw Dusten Knight instead of scheduled starter Joan Gregorio, a member of San Francisco’s 40-man roster and one of the top prospects in the team’s system.
The 6-foot-7 Gregorio has a 3.26 ERA over 12 starts with the River Cats this season, and should make his big league debut at some point during the 2017 season. Even though Bochy indicated no roster moves were imminent, a short start from Jeff Samardzija on Friday, Matt Cain on Saturday or Blach on Sunday could land Gregorio at Coors Field by the end of the weekend or in Atlanta by the time Strickland finishes up serving his suspension.
If not Gregorio, Bochy and the Giants could add a reliever, Kyle Crick, who has a sub-3.00 ERA and is also a member of the 40-man roster already.
Another alternative Giants’ fans are hopeful the team pursues is promoting the franchise’s No. 1 overall prospect, Tyler Beede, who hasn’t been nearly as sharp as Gregorio or Crick at AAA this season. Calling up Beede would also require the Giants to clear a space on their 40-man roster, but Dan Slania was just demoted from AAA to AA and could be a logical candidate to clear.
Ultimately, Moore’s short stint on the mound at Coors Field leaves the Giants a step shy of the edge of a cliff.
If Samardzija turns the series around on Friday and Strickland can begin serving his suspension immediately, perhaps the Giants can weather the storm while holding off on a youth movement for one more week.
But at this point, there’s not much left to wait for.