Another storm to weather after rout in the rain
Roster now down to single catcher
PHILADELPHIA — A troubling road trip took a bad turn under sheets of rain at Citizens Bank Park.
A night after losing Patrick Bailey for at least seven days with a concussion, the San Francisco Giants will likely lose their backup catcher Tom Murphy for a significant amount of time after he felt his left knee “pop” while trying to block a pitch in the second inning of Saturday night’s 14-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Murphy, 33, threw his catching gear against the dugout walls in frustration after exiting the game. He was to get an MRI on Sunday, manager Bob Melvin said, and the concern level is high for the player signed to a two-year, $8.25 million contract.
A continuous rainfall that only let up slightly after the third inning created wet field conditions that Murphy said contributed “big time” to his injury. Asked if he thought the game should have been played after a one-hour, 10minute delay with no apparent change in the weather, Murphy said “probably not.”
Murphy’s injury and Bailey’s concussion send the Giants’ catching situation into disarray. Blake Sabol, who was called that morning and entered the game for Murphy, is the only other catcher on the 40-man roster. In the interim, the Giants will likely need another catcher on the active roster, which means they’ll need to clear a spot on the 40-man first. Triple-A Sacramento River Cats catcher Jakson Reetz was a nonroster invitee in spring training and may be considered.
Reetz, 28, has two big-league games under his belt with the Washington Nationals in 2021 and is slashing .217/.357/.435 with a .792 OPS in 15 games this season.
Though the Giants hope Bailey can return soon after the designated seven days, they’ll need reinforcements in the meantime and especially if Murphy’s injury is serious.
“We’ll see tomorrow,” Melvin said. “But we’re definitely getting tested there.”
The rain hindered the Giants’ attempt to even this four-game series with the Phillies. Keaton Winn was fighting sinus headaches and had trouble gripping his go-to splitter, resulting in a disastrous first inning in which he allowed five runs on four hits and two walks while only lasting two outs before he was pulled for Mitch White.
“Mainly just on the splits,” Winn said. “Overcorrecting to pitch the splits, so that’s what I ended up doing a lot tonight.”
An unexpected bullpen game turned into a damp disaster as the Giants went through five pitchers — position player Tyler Fitzgerald pitched the last inning — and surrendered nine more runs after Winn’s departure. White shouldered four runs and Erik Miller gave up a home run.
In the game’s rubble, Randy Rodriguez shined in his big-league debut, filling the strike zone and hitting 100 mph on a fastball to Bryce Harper for his first career strikeout.
“When I first got here I thought to myself, ‘What if Bryce Harper is my first strikeout,’ ” Rodriguez said in Spanish through interpreter Erwin Higueros. “When I had him with the strikes, I thought to myself, ‘You know what? I better concentrate and maybe I can get it.’ And I got it.”
Luke Jackson, in relief, couldn’t hold the runners Rodriguez left on base with Matt Chapman’s error at third base a contributing factor. Rodriguez was tagged for four runs, but only one was earned.
The hope was that Logan Webb can go deep in his start on Sunday, but uncertain pitching plans on Monday paired with the usage on Saturday may prompt the Giants to add another fresh arm in the coming days.
Down nine runs after two innings, the Giants didn’t have enough at the plate against Pitcher of the Month Ranger Suárez. Nick Ahmed’s third-inning double led to a Thairo Estrada RBI single to put a run on the board. The Giants loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth inning, but Fitzgerald struck out and Ahmed grounded into a double play on the first pitch to leave all three stranded.
Wilmer Flores hit a tworun homer in the fifth inning, his first of the season.