East Coast trip another big test for banged-up club
ATLANTA » With 23 of their first 31 games against National LeagueWest foes and 19 of those 31 matchups featuring 2017 playoff teams, the Giants understand what could have happened.
“We could have got buried,” manager Bruce Bochy said.
They probably should have.
Ace Madison Bumgarner hasn’t thrown a pitch this season. New third basemanEvan Longoria recorded seven hits in his first 47 atbats. On May 1, new right fielder Andrew McCutchen was hitting .212.
Shortstop Brandon Crawford’s batting average dipped below .190 on the final day of April. Opening- day left fielderHunter Pence is trying to fend off Father Time and win his roster spot back during a rehab stintwith the Triple-ASacramentoRiver Cats.
Yet through it all, the Giants are 16-15 andwinners of four straight series.
“It easily could have got away from us,” Bochy said. “But they played with a lot of heart.”
After an extended slate of games against division opponents, the Giants are off to the East Coast. They will play 18 of their next 24 games on the road, including 10 in a row beginning Friday in Atlanta. All 18 road games come against clubswithwinning records.
But for the Giants, it hardly matters who sits in the opposite dugout. They must be focused on who’s left in theirs. With Bumgarner out, Johnny Cueto took over as the staff’s interimace and appeared poised to reprise his role as the 2016National League All-Star Game starting pitcher.
Cueto is now on the disabled listwith right elbowinflammation. There’s no timetable on his return, andwhile the Giants are playing the Braves this weekend, Cueto will meet with orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews.
With Crawford struggling, second baseman Joe Panik wielded a consistent bat. He willed the Giants to 1-0 wins in the first two games of the seasonwith solo home runs and set the tone for the lineup out of the leadoff slot.
Earlier this week, Panik had surgery to repair a torn UCL in his left thumb. He hopes to return bymid-June.
CloserMarkMelancon has yet to make an appearance this season and isn’t eligible to return from the disabled list until May 25. Bumgarner isn’t either, meaning his first start will likely wait until June.
Last season, injuries in April created a snowball effect. By the end of the year, the Giants were smothered by an avalanche. They never won more than three series in a row, and on the road, they took three series all season.
Twice this week, backup catcherNickHundley served as a catalyst inwins over San Diego. His game-winning single on Monday capped off a three-run ninth inning, and his four-hit day on Wednesdaywrapped up a 7-3 homestand.
Production, as the Giants have learned, is welcome from unlikely sources. Can they receive it from unproven ones?
“I think we’re in a really good position because our young guys are very talented,” Hundley said. “There’s a big difference between making it to the big leagues when you’re young and making it to the big leagues when you’re young and have a lot of talent.”
With their top two start- ers on the shelf, the Giants must rely on Chris Stratton, Ty Blach and rookie Andrew Suárez to regularly pitch six and seven innings. They need rookie relievers Pierce Johnson and ReyesMoronta to pump heat past the heart of an order. They will call on career backups Kelby Tomlinson and Alen Hanson to platoon at second base.
They’re forced to embrace a next-man-up mentality, all while the firstmen up watch from the dugout railing.
“Even the guys that are hurt, make them still feel like part of the team,” starter Derek Holland said. “Don’t let them walk around and feel like they’re a ghost.”
The Giants shouldn’t have too many ghosts floating around back at home. Bumgarner, Cueto, Melancon and Panik all joined the team on its flight to Atlanta. Outfielder Mac Williamson, who slugged three home runs after a call-up fromSacramento, could be out of concussion protocol and back on the field Saturday.
But even if the clubhouse remains full, a baseball roster is never whole. The Giants have used 35 players in their first 31 games, a number that will only grow in theweeksahead. Despite the presence of a revolving door leading from the field to the trainer’s room, the wins are adding up. If it continues in May — with road series in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Houston, Chicago and Denver — go ahead and give them a chance.
“It’s now starting to come together,” Longoria said. “Top to bottom, I thinkwe’re feelingmuchmore confident as a group. Themindset just has to be it doesn’t matter what jersey we’re playing against, just go out and try to win.”