Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
A team that entered Wednesday with a major league-worst .224 batting average cannot afford careless errors.
Because if the Giants spoil potential runs, they will lose.
That’s what happened in a 6-3 defeat to the Rockies on Wednesday afternoon at Oracle Park in front of 33,765 fans, San Francisco dropping the series and several Giants dropping their heads in a game that exemplified how little margin for error they have.
Especially when they play David Dahl. The Rockies center fielder hit a third-inning grand slam off Jeff Samardzija, part of his five-RBI day, and it was enough in a game the Giants outhit the Rockies (8-7), but the Giants’ bats disappeared after the third inning. Arizona visits for the next four as the Giants’ 34-45 season grinds on until the trade deadline.
Wednesday started promisingly for San Francisco, four straight Giants reached base in the first, Alex Dickerson and Pablo Sandoval hitting back-to-back doubles and going up, 2-0. The Giants’ Little League trick backfired to close the inning, though, with Stephen Vogt allegedly trying to steal second with Dickerson on third with two outs and Brandon Crawford up. Once catcher Tony Wolters released, Dickerson took off. The Rockies had it snuffed out, and the heavy-footed Dickerson was gunned down at the plate.
Two innings later, more heads were scratched with the Giants on the basepaths. Mike Yastrzemski, who led off the fifth with a double to right, was gunned down at third with one out and the team’s hottest hitter, Alex Dickerson, up. It’s possible he believed Nolan Arenado was too far off the base to cover. If so, he was wrong, Wolters easily throwing him out and any threat being extinguished.
For Samardzija, it was a promising outing that went south quickly and almost accidentally. A walk, infield single and walk loaded the bases for Dahl in the third, who turned on a 94-mph fastball and the ball just kept traveling, 398 feet. It was the sixth grand slam hit against the Giants this year, the most in the majors.
Samardzija allowed a run the following inning, but largely pitched well apart from his brief and costly implosion. He was pulled after allowing five runs in five innings while striking out six on three hits and two walks. His ERA over his past four starts is 7.17, and with much of the staff pitching better, Samardzija is lagging behind.
After Samardzija was pulled, Derek Holland threw a scoreless inning, Mark Melancon gave up one run in the seventh, and Dereck Rodriguez allowed just one single in two innings, the Giants’ medley of losing relievers pitching well.