Things get ugly in St. Louis
Club uses 20 players (nine rookies) in loss that highlights 2019 theme
ST. LOUIS » When pitchers and catchers reported to spring training on a crisp, sunny day in Scottsdale, Arizona back in February, dreams were big and external expectations were low.
The Giants had lost 187 games in their previous two seasons and their top free agent signees were pitchers Derek Holland and Drew Pomeranz.
Regardless of the hope that springs eternal in camp, results like Thursday’s 10- 0 blowout loss to the Cardinals in St. Louis were supposed to be the norm.
“Rough day for the club in general,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “I don’t know what we did right. It was just an all- around ugly game for us.”
First-year president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi insisted the Giants wanted to play meaningful baseball as deep into the season as possible. Contending, however, was not a popular nor frequent topic of discussion.
The Giants expected to devote the 2019 season to auditioning their major league ready prospects and cycling through inexperienced players who never received an extended shot elsewhere.
It’s a strategy that won over fans when the team found keepers such as rookie outfielder Mike Yastrzemski and Padres castoff Alex Dickerson. It’s also a master plan that’s frustrated ticket buyers who would prefer not to learn the names of a new cast of characters on a monthly basis
he auditions haven’t just continued into the month of September, they’ve expanded in a way that’s difficult for casual fans to keep up with. Many have heard the name of Thursday starter Logan Webb because he was the organization’s top pitching prospect entering the season, but those flipping on the television for a matinee in St. Louis may not have been able to pick out players such as starting third baseman Corban Joseph or reliever Burch Smith, who were recently added on waiver claims.
The Giants wound up using 14 position players and six pitchers in Thursday’s loss. Of the 20 players who appeared against the Cardinals, only three — Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford and Evan Longoria — were on the team’s Opening Day roster. Eight of the 20 opened spring training with other teams.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re playing young players or not, it’s all about playing good baseball,” Bochy said.
Webb was one of four rookies who started and nine who appeared in the Giants’ series finale in St. Louis, in a game that highlighted the growing pains that often come when teams trot out unproven talent.
The Giants believe Webb has the makeup and pitch mix to be a future front- ofthe-rotation starter, but in his fourth big league outing, the 22-year- old righthander struggled. Webb was charged with seven earned runs against the first-place Cardinals and failed to finish three innings.
The Cardinals whiffed at only one of Webb’s 40 fastballs, and shortstop Paul DeJong put the Giants in an early hole by slugging a 0-1 heater left out over the middle of the plate for a tworun homer to dead center field in the bottom of the first.
“We were trying to go up, and I didn’t throw it up enough,” Webb said. “That’s what happened.”
Webb’s day ended in the bottom of the third, shortly after the pitcher didn’t cover first base in time on an infield single hit to fellow rookie, second baseman Mauricio Dubón. An out would have helped Webb escape the inning with a 5- 0 deficit, but he walked the No. 8 hitter and gave up a two-run single to opposing starter Dakota Hudson before being lifted in favor of Smith.
A solid outing for Webb may not have mattered in another game in which the Giants failed to challenge an opposing starter. Michael Wacha lasted just two innings in a hybrid opener role in Wednesday’s game, but in this week’s fourgame series, San Francisco recorded eight hits and didn’t score a run in 23 innings against St. Louis starters.
Outside of an offensive outburst against the Cardinals bullpen on Wednesday, the Giants’ core veterans and their inexperienced newcomers have struggled equally during a 10-game stretch in which the club has lost eight games.
Even if the Giants understood a postseason push was unlikely back in the spring, a constantly evolving roster still found ways to make the season compelling. A 17- 4 stretch in July salvaged a miserable first half and in the final three weeks of the year, the Giants can still make up for some of the disappointment that’s resulted from their recent play.
Bochy needs seven wins in the team’s final 22 games to reach. the 2,000-victory milestone. For all the farewell presents Bochy has received from other franchises, one last gift from his own team might make all the frustration he’s dealt with of late a bit easier to handle.
“It’s about winning games, but not just winning games, it’s about playing good baseball,” Bochy said. “I’ll go with that. Competitive baseball. And it just wasn’t there.”