© D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
On Monday, San Francisco Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow appeared on the Murph & Mac Show to talk about the Giants’ struggle out of the gate this season, as well as his concerns for a certain San Francisco infielder.
Despite a good start to the season, Giants third-baseman Evan Longoria has seemingly fallen into a bit of a funk, recording only one hit in this last series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Krukow hopes Longoria’s form isn’t anything more than him shaking off the offseason cobwebs.
“I’m really concerned about it,” Krukow replied when asked about Longoria’s play over the weekend. “One thing we’ve learned about Longoria is that he’s an emotional guy, and this series with Tampa was a big series to him. He loved Tampa. That was his identity. He was the guy there, and we saw last year when he came over and saw how out of water he was the first month or two. He just wasn’t in the comfort zone, and we saw it again these last three games with Tampa.
“He had one hit,” Krukow went on, “and I think the team, all his friends, and what that city meant to him became a distraction for him this weekend. I’m hoping he can get beyond that today when the Padres get into town, but they need to have some production from the three-four-five guys, and right now they’re not getting enough.
Longoria’s recent slump has been emblematic of the entire team’s woes at the plate, and Krukow – a former All-Star pitcher – knows that pitchers aren’t afraid of the Giants right now.
“When you aren’t hitting as a team, that opposing pitcher who’s facing you that day, he knows that,” Krukow said. “The way that it affects him is that he doesn’t nibble with you, he goes right after you. If you have an offense that’s really hot, like right now the Dodgers are extremely hot; when you’re pitching against an offense like that, you’re nibbling.
“(The Giants) aren’t scaring anybody right now. They’re not getting the walks to compliment the hits that they get, so they’re not keeping the line moving. They’re basically having to score by way of three hits. Until somebody gets hot, start scoring some runs, and they get a little more intimidation factor, it’s going to be a grind.”
You can listen to the entire interview HERE: