Offense again fails to deliver hits in clutch
SAN DIEGO — What’s a manager to do when his lineup isn’t working? Change it? Exercise patience? Wait for everyone to come around? Pick names out of his hat?
Giants manager Bruce Bochy has stuck with his game plan, and it was good enough to split the first 12 games entering Friday night, but a .500 record might not last long if the Giants continue hitting poorly with runners in scoring position.
The lineup sputtered again in a 5-1 loss to the Padres, and pitcher Ty Blach was chased in the sixth inning after giving up four runs on seven hits.
“If we have to juggle things, that’s what we have to do,” Bochy said. “We’re not very deep into the season. We have to stay somewhat consistent
with our lineup. If somebody gets really hot, then you move him. That’s not really the case right now.”
For the seventh time in the young season, the Giants scored fewer than two runs. They were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, dropping them to 17-for-101 (.168) this season.
“That’s what we’re missing, that one hit to keep this thing going,” Bochy said. “We’ve got to pick it up with men in scoring position. It’s a pretty simple game. We got ’em out there. We got 10 hits. When you leave men on base and score only one run, it’s going to be a tough night.”
The night lacked any kind of rhythm. The first two hitters, Joe Panik and Brandon Belt, reached base six times, and neither crossed the plate — or even got as far as third base. That’s because the 3-4-5 hitters went 0-for-12.
Additionally, sixth-hitter Brandon Crawford went 3-for-4 and never budged from first base. That’s because the 7-8 hitters didn’t move him over.
The same lineup worked well enough in Thursday’s opener for a 7-0 victory, though four of those runs were unearned.
Nobody’s struggling more than Evan Longoria, who had another hitless game and struck out three times. The other big hitter added in the offseason, Andrew McCutchen, walked to the plate three straight at-bats with runners in scoring position and made outs every time, including a doubleplay grounder to end the seventh.
McCutchen is 3-for-21 with RISP (with two walk-off hits), while Longoria is 1-for-10. Buster Posey, one of the few Giants who has been hitting, saw his 10-game hit streak come to an end. Those are the 3-4-5 hitters.
Through it all, McCutchen said the vibe in the dugout remains positive.
“We’re grown men, man,” McCutchen said. “We’re not down. We’re not kicking ourselves. We all have some mileage on us, man. We understand. We’ve all struggled, all had ups and downs. It’s all about how you handle it and move on. The dugout’s been fine. The guys have been great.
“Regardless of what the score is, there’s a feeling we’re going to get a big hit and we’re back in the game. We’ve had the opportunities, just haven’t been able to come through. No one has sad faces. Everyone realizes we’re this close to being more consistent, putting runs on the board and being the team we know we can be.”
Perhaps Longoria would be better served if he were dropped in the lineup. Crawford hit line drives around the field all night — but was stranded by Hunter Pence and Gregor Blanco — and could be moved up. But the Giants traded for McCutchen and Longoria to boost the offense and protect Posey, so the preference is for them to become more consistent forces.
“I don’t know,” Bochy said when asked if Longoria would benefit hitting lower in the lineup. “Obviously, these are things we’re talking about, what is the best way to go. It’s not one guy, really. It’s more guys still trying to find it here in the early go.”
The Giants’ only run came on Joe Panik’s single in the seventh. Bochy will tweak the lineup Saturday and Sunday if only because the Padres start left-handers. Austin Jackson, who has had a groin ailment, is expected to return to the lineup.
The game was scoreless until the fifth inning, when the Padres loaded the bases and pitcher Tyson Ross lined a single to right off Blach. Jose Pirela singled home the second run. Blach gave up hits to the first three batters in the sixth and was removed. Franchy Cordero
homered off Sam Dyson in the seventh.
John Shea is The San Francisco Chronicle’s national baseball writer. Email: jshea@ sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JohnSheaHey