Nothing is going right in long slide
San Francisco-era record established with 11th straight loss
SAN FRANCISCO >> The white flag went up, signaling surrender.
The Giants alerted their foes they meant no harm, having accepted their fate in late August. But the opposition, which comes in many forms in September, has yet to rest.
Twelve days ago, the Giants were a .500 club that had come to terms with the idea their season would end in disappointment. After suffering a 2-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, the Giants are in the midst of an 11game losing streak, the longest in the San Francisco era, which has quickly turned disappointment into disaster.
“It is really frustrating,” first baseman Brandon Belt said. “We’re coming to the field and we’re working our butts off every day, and we’re doing what we can to win ballgames.”
In Belt’s case, doing what he could meant extending out to nab a sinker from shortstop Brandon Crawford in the top of the ninth. Belt nudged his back foot up to the side of the first base bag, reaching his right arm forward to field Crawford’s throw before pinch hitter Tyler Flowers stepped on the base.
A successful stretch would have sent the Giants to the dugout with a chance to walk off as winners. But as Belt collected the throw, umpire Jeremie Rehak declared that Belt did not maintain con-
tact with the base as Crawford’s toss rattled into his glove.
“It looks like it’s on the bag,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “I just took a brief look, that’s why it’s one of those plays where the call on the field bears a lot of weight. They stood with it.”
A two-plus minute replay review could not confirm Rehak’s call, but it did uphold his initial ruling. Flowers was awarded an infield single and the game-winning RBI as former Giant Charlie Culberson crossed home plate.
“They feel like they’ve got to be 1,000 percent sure on it, and if they’re not, they don’t overturn it,” Belt said. “I had one of them describe it to me as they have to be able to bet their house on it.”
An overturned replay review would not have halted the Giants’ longest losing streak since April 19-29, 1951, the year Bobby Thomson hit the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World.” To do that, the club needed to muster a hit with a runner on third and just one out.
Three chances. Three missed opportunities.
“There’s bad luck, probably tough luck on the last call, but you make your luck,” manager Bruce Bochy said.
Veterans Crawford and Joe Panik both stepped up with the bases loaded and one out against Braves starter Aníbal Sánchez and both hit into inning-ending double plays.
In the seventh, Panik led off with a hit and advanced to third on an Alen Hanson single. But Hanson committed a costly mental mistake, turning inside the baseline at first instead of remaining in foul territory after reaching the bag.
“You know as a runner that you did that, you get back to first,” Bochy said. “That was probably the difference in the game.”
Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies tagged Hanson out and with one out and Panik standing on third, Belt struck out.
“I had a chance to win the game for us, and I didn’t get the job done,” Belt said.
Starter Derek Holland did his job, tossing six innings of one-run ball against a potent offense that’s pushed the Braves
to the top of the National League East.
Since June 4, Holland has posted a 2.58 ERA and proven he deserves a major league contract this offseason, an honor he didn’t receive after being released from a lowly White Sox team last September.
Though Holland has pitched like a starter deserving of a playoff spotlight, his improved numbers have gone to waste of late for a Giants club that hasn’t won since August.
“I’m never going to get down on my teammates or anything like that,” Holland said. “I know these guys are trying every single time and I know they’re doing what they can to try to get me the ‘W.’ ”
After Holland limited the Braves to one run, reliever Tony Watson entered with the bases loaded and no outs in the seventh and recorded a popout, strikeout and groundout to preserve a 1-1 tie. Watson’s performance looked like the gutsy effort that could propel the Giants toward a victory, but the offense appeared to take the white flag memo too seriously.
San Francisco finished 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position Wednesday and scored just one run for the third straight game. During the club’s 11-game losing streak, the Giants have scored a combined 26 runs.
“Your guys have got to come through,” Bochy said. “It’s pretty simple. This game is not that complicated. Somebody has got to knock in a run.”