This time, McGee can’t save the Giants
Of all the transactions Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi made during his first two-plus years on the job, few have looked as instantly brilliant as his decision to sign left-handed reliever Jake McGee.
The veteran lefty eliminated any ninth-inning drama during the first two weeks of the season, recording six saves and eight scoreless appearances while allowing just one hit to opposing batters.
Even the best relievers have a bad day here and there and Saturday’s was clearly it for McGee. After the Giants rallied for five runs in the seventh inning, McGee blew his first save of the year and gave up two runs in the ninth inning in a game that eventually ended with in the bottom of the 10th on a walk-off two run double from Marlins catcher Jorge Alfaro.
Lefty Jarlín García took the loss after blowing a 10th-inning save opportunity against his former club, but the most surprising element of Saturday’s 7-6 loss for the Giants took place in the ninth, when McGee
struggled to contain the Marlins’ offense.
Opposing hitters entered the game 1 for 23 against the Giants closer on the season, but the first three Marlins hitters singled against McGee, who still had a chance to finish the job when h gave up a game-tying RBI single with two outs to center fielder Starling Marte.
Saturday’s outing stretched McGee to the limit, as he needed 35 pitches to record three outs after failing to protect a 5-3 advantage.
“Even at the end, when he was up north of 30 pitches, there was still life on his fastball, the location was just a little bit off,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said.
First baseman Brandon Belt delivered a go-ahead double with two outs in the top of the 10th inning, but the Giants were unable to capitalize on it as García battled command issues in the bottom of the frame before laying a 1-0 slider down the middle to Alfaro, who crushed the offering down the left field line to send the Marlins home with a win.
The Giants likely could have added an extra run on Belt’s double, but Friday’s starting pitcher, Anthony DeSclafani, was held up at third base. With the bench emptied out by the end of the ninth inning, DeSclafani was chosen to hit earlier in the inning as the pitcher’s spot in the Giants lineup had come up. Despite laying down a good bunt, DeSclafani’s sacrifice attempt was unsuccessful as Alfaro was able to retrieve the ball and get a force out at second base on Donovan Solano.
Belt entered Saturday’s game with a .154 average and a .560 OPS that ranked him among the least productive players in the majors, but he broke out of a slump with a solo home run to kick off a five-run seventh inning and delivered the Giants’ most important hit of the game with two outs in the top of the 10th against Marlins righty Yimi García.
After the Giants mustered just three singles in six innings against Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara, Belt ripped a 400-foot home run into the right center field bleachers to open the team’s best inning of the season. Base hits from Evan Longoria and Brandon Crawford coupled with a 90-. mile per hour changeup that plunked Buster Posey’s left elbow forced Marlins manager Don Mattingly to remove Alcantara, but Giants manager Gabe Kapler was ready for Miami’s next move.
With left-hander Richard Bleier entering to face center fielder Steven Duggar, Kapler countered by sending Austin Slater --who posted a 1.127 OPS against lefties last year-- to the plate instead. The pinch-hitter blasted a 421-foot home run to straight away center field to give the Giants a 5-3 lead that allowed them to turn the game over to their most reliable relievers.
Righty Tyler Rogers cleaned up a bases loaded mess in the seventh and held Miami scoreless in the eighth, so the Giants felt confident about their chances of pulling even against Miami with McGee taking the hill.
POSEY UPDATE >> Posey exited Saturday’s game in the bottom of the seventh inning after running the bases following the hit by pitch from Alcantara. Kapler said postgame that Posey was diagnosed with a left elbow contusion and XRays were negative, but it’s too soon to know if he’ll be available today.