Chris Mezzavilla/KNBR
Gabe Kapler is looking for reasons to stay positive about his season and his bullpen. On the surface, it seems like he should need a telescope to find them.
The Giants have lost four straight, plunging to 8-15. The past three have been uniquely painful, two surreal blown saves and one utter beatdown. The bullpen has been the common link, a unit whose depth has inspired hope but whose results have inspired losses.
The latest, a 15-3 destruction as the A’s swept their way out of San Francisco, leaves the Giants headed to Southern California for a two-game set with the Angels (before two in San Francisco), a plane trip that will not be enjoyable.
“Very similar to a hitter that’s struggling through 0-for-10, 0-for-15, a rough stretch of at-bats,” Gabe Kapler said of how the Giants must proceed. “You can’t try to collect a bunch of hits in one at-bat and you can’t try to collect a bunch of wins in one game. So let’s step right in front of us and get ready for the Angels tomorrow.”
While the Giants try the next step, their relievers are retreating. By WAR, they’re the worst unit in the game. By the eye test, they’re the worst unit in the game. They have allowed a majors-worst 24 long balls through 23 games, including three more Sunday that turned a tied game into an all-out destruction.
Trevor Gott collapsed in monumental fashion two days straight. Wandy Peralta and Dereck Rodriguez were the latest punching bags, though Sam Selman got hit, too. They have prioritized the sheer number of arms, hoping some will emerge. More have come forward as not being trustworthy.
“We knew that the early part of the season was going to be an exploration in learning about our relievers, particularly the ones that haven’t had much if any major league experience,” Kapler said of a unit that entered play with a 5.70 ERA. “We knew that was going to come with some growing pains. That doesn’t take away the sting of not having success early in the season.”
Peralta came in during the fifth inning and turned a 2-2 game into a laugher, facing five hitters and getting none out. A Chad Pinder homer and Mark Canha triple were the first blows, but they would keep raining upon Rodriguez.
Peralta has been one of the better southpaws for much of the season, but now carries a 9.35 ERA.
“Just missed down to somebody that likes the ball down,” Tyler Heineman, his catcher and later succeeding pitcher, said of the long ball to Pinder. “He just didn’t really have too much command of his offspeed in the zone, like he usually does. … He’ll bounce back.”
Kapler tried to identify the bright spots of the bullpen thus far, praising Tony Watson’s work, the most veteran among them also the best. He called Caleb Baragar, who has been up and down, “interesting.” He pointed to “weak contact” that Tyler Rogers has been burned from.
Gott and Selman were mentioned, too, even if the most recent results have been discouraging.
The Giants will keep cycling through because what else can they do? Perhaps a Sacramento arm will step up. Perhaps it won’t matter much because a team that struggles to hit typically does not have too many leads to protect.
“What makes a consistent major league reliever is the ability to be dependable and go out there and do it day in and day out,” said Kapler, who has found one — Watson — but no others through 23 games.
Kapler announced Tyler Anderson and Trevor Cahill, in that order, will start the next two days in Los Angeles against the Angels.
Abiatal Avelino cleared waivers and was outrighted to the Giants’ alternate site.