SAN FRANCISCO — Before the Giants announced a trade for infielder Eduardo Nunez, Bobby Evans needed to have a conversation. Not with Bruce Bochy or even Nunez himself, instead it was the player Nunez will replace — at least in the short term.
Evans spoke with Matt Duffy, the injured third baseman battling a strained left Achilles. The Giants GM wanted to make clear that this was a move for depth and flexibility, not a bench sentencing for Duffy.
“Absolutely,” Duffy said when asked if he appreciated Evans’ gesture. “At the same time, we’re here to win ballgames. I’m not here to be petty about who plays where.
“My focus is to help the team win ballgames. If we can bring in a guy to help us do that, then I’m all for it.”
The Giants are in dire need of a spark plug. It was evident again in the team’s 10th loss in the last two weeks, a 4-2 defeat that the Giants finished 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Nunez is expected to report by Friday’s game, and the Giants hope he brings a hot bat with him. He’s hitting .296 with a career-high 12 home runs and 47 RBIs as the Twins’ primary leadoff hitter.
Bochy has been looking for any answer he can to solve his team’s offensive woes. He tried using Joe Panik as the fourth different No. 3 hitter in the last five games. Panik returned from the DL on Thursday but went 0-for-4. It’s not likely that’s where Nunez will hit in the lineup, but he’ll start frequently with the ability to play third base, shortstop and second base.
“We’re hoping that he’s going to help this offense,” manager Bruce Bochy said.
After the threatening with a handful of base runners in the ninth inning, the Giants cemented the same storyline with two bases-loaded strikeouts to end the game. Had they completed the comeback, Bochy hoped to use it as a launching pad. Instead it’s another sinkhole.
“We could’ve used a big hit there to really pick this club up,” Bochy said. “…Just couldn’t quite finish it there in the ninth. It would’ve done a lot for the club.”
The Giants are in a 2-10 hole that Panik can’t single-handedly dig the team out of in his return from injury. Nor can Hunter Pence, who could return by Saturday, or even Duffy, who won’t begin a rehab assignment until this week. Nunez will help, but he’s only one instrument in a 25-man orchestra.
Buster Posey said after Wednesday’s loss that if teams didn’t go through ruts like this, the Giants would be on pace to win 115 games. Relative to their record, the Giants are returning to normalcy. It’s just taken a lot of abnormal play to get there.
“A lot of it goes back to mentality,” Duffy said. “When you’re rolling, you’re coming in and you’re expecting to win and for things to go your way. When you’re not, it’s almost like you’re expecting the opposite.”
That’s what’s happening right now. The Giants will take something — anything — to break them out of the routine they’re in. That package arrives tomorrow in the form of Nunez.
“Something like that can jumpstart a team,” Duffy said. “Anything to mix things up is not a bad thing.”