Giants lose 10th straight as injury news gets worse
SAN FRANCISCO (TNS) – The injuries mount. So do the defeats. And the Giants offense appears to have vanished completely.
For the second night in a row, the Giants went down with barely a whimper, losing to the Atlanta Braves 4-1 before an announced crowd of 35,285 at AT&T Park. It was the 10th loss in a row for the Giants, marking the longest such streak since 1996. They have never lost 11 in a row in San Francisco.
On the other side, Atlanta increased its lead in the NL East to 6½ games over the faltering Philadelphia Phillies, who dropped a doubleheader on Tuesday to the Washington Nationals.
It was bad news and worse news for the Giants on Tuesday.
In addition to another punchless defeat, manager Bruce Bochy announced before the game that Brandon Belt was a scratch against Braves right-hander Mike Foltynewicz because of a sore right knee. He did appear as a pinch hitter and struck out.
A short time later, Bochy dropped the news that postseason surgery is a possibility for Belt.
“That’s what they’re talking about right now,” Bochy said. “He has some meniscus issues.”
Whether or not Belt undergoes the knife, he will finish out the season even if it means he only plays part time. The Giants have 16 games left.
Austin Slater played first in place of Belt against Atlanta. He was 0 for 4 with an error.
Bochy wants Belt to play out the season for a couple of reasons. The manager wants the Giants to finish as strongly as possible. Also, he wants Belt in the lineup to provide leadership for some of the young players now on the expanded September roster.
Shortstop Brandon Crawford also is bothered by a sore.knee. However, the injury isn’t as serious as Belt’s, and Bochy sounded confident that Crawford won’t need surgery.
Ryder Jones will have surgery today to repair his left patella tendon, which he injured last weekend in Milwaukee. He is expected to be ready for spring training.
Andrew Suarez (6-11) allowed three runs on six hits in six innings to take the loss on Tuesday.