Posey shows displeasure over pitch into his back
Madison Bumgarner spilling his dirt bike, Pablo Sandoval wearing a San Francisco uniform again, Hunter Strickland going after Bryce Harper to start a brawl, Michael Morse’s career probably ending when he slammed heads with Jeff Samardzija, 56 losses by the All-Star break.
You have to hand it to the Giants, who were officially eliminated from National League West contention with Sunday’s 5-2 loss to the Phillies. They have not been boring.
Not even catcher Buster Posey, who usually prides
himself on his blandness but took another tack after the Giants’ 76th loss left them 39 games behind the Dodgers. Posey accused Philadelphia closer Hector Neris of deliberately drilling him in the back with two outs and two on in the eighth inning of a 4-2 game. Posey’s theory on why was even more surprising.
“I’m pretty certain he hit me on purpose,” Posey said. “It’s just a shame because I wanted to compete in that at-bat. I guess he didn’t feel like he could get me out.”
Understand how unusual Posey’s statement was. In his nine major-league seasons, he gone out of his way to be uncontroversial. If he announced he was switching from black coffee to cream and sugar, it would be one of the most revealing stories of his career.
Maybe frustration is seeping through. The Giants’ 2017 season has been a star-spangled failure despite Posey’sexceptional performance. His left thumb probably was still aching from being bent back on a
“I’m pretty certain he hit me on purpose. ... I guess he didn’t feel like he could get me out.” Buster Posey, on being hit by a pitch by Philadelphia’s Hector Neris
tag play at home in the top of the eighth.
Perhaps Posey was tired of being a human pincushion. He was hit for the eighth time this year, matching a career high, and attributed Neris’ intent to the pitch nearly going behind him.
Posey was concussed in the home opener when he was hit in the helmet. In the fourth inning Sunday, he dodged a head-high offering from starter Ben Lively before hitting an RBI single on the next pitch.
Maybe Posey was still steamed from the top of the eighth, when Hunter Strickland allowed five consecutive singles to turn a 2-1 Giants lead into a 4-2 deficit.
Nothing had happened during the seven-game season series (which the Phillies won) to warrant Neris drilling Posey on purpose. Asked if he could recall anything, Posey responded, “Can you?”
Neris had a measured response to Posey’s comments, even the part about the righthander’s supposed lack of confidence that he could retire Posey in a critical situation.
“No chance,” Neris said. “I don’t want to put the game on the line. I’m going to attack the hitter. … I don’t want to hit anybody in that situation.”
Nobody would, although Neris had a much easier time against Pablo Sandoval than he would have had with Posey. With the bases loaded, Neris struck out Sandoval on the way to a four-out save.
If Posey was trying to light a fire under a team that has to play the final six weeks with the scarlet “E” for elimination next to its name in the standings, manager Bruce Bochy might say that was unnecessary.
Although disappointed to split a home series against the majors’ worst team, Bochy has been happy with the team’s fight.
The Brewers come to AT&T Park on Monday night to start the first of seven remaining series that should impact playoff races. Bochy did not think the Philadelphia series was any less important.
“Our job was to come out here and beat the Phillies,” he said. “The last thing we want to happen is end up at the bottom” of the major-league standings.
Madison Bumgarner, who broke a 1-1 tie with a single in the fifth and allowed one run in six innings, said he could not have treated Sunday’s game any differently than his next start against the Diamondbacks, a wild-card contender.
“It’s a battle you’ve got to be conscious of, not to go out there and go through the motions,” Bumgarner said. “As soon as you do that, the game can go sideways pretty quickly.”