Injuries, COVID put Giants in a bind.
SAN FRANCISCO >> With the first-place team in the National League Central, the Milwaukee Brewers, in town and the Dodgers coming in next, the Giants’ most difficult homestand of the season is compounded by the fact that they are playing 16 consecutive games without a break,
The degree of difficulty has only increased this week.
Alex Wood, the team’s scheduled starter Tuesday, tested positive for COVID-19 and was symptomatic. The club’s starter for Monday’s series opener, Johnny Cueto, tested negative, but was placed on the COVID-19 injured list for a day because he felt ill.
At a moment’s notice Monday, the Giants found out they’d have to chase innings with their bullpen while the Brewers would send National League Cy Young candidate, Corbin Burnes, to the mound at Oracle Park.
The Giants’ bullpen pitched well, but a struggling offense was overmatched against Burnes and Milwaukee’s top three relievers in a 3-1 loss. Tuesday was no better — worse, in fact. Cueto took the mound and gave up six runs in 3 2/3 innings in a 6-2 loss. Wednesday, he went on the 10day injured list with a right elbow strain.
Throughout the 2021 season, the Giants have touted their depth as the No. 1 reason why they’ve enjoyed unexpected success and maintained a three-month hold of first place. But as their depth, particularly on the pitching side, is stressed again, it’s fair to say the team is in a serious bind.
Two of the team’s active starting pitchers, Kevin Gausman and Anthony DeSclafani, are dealing with ailments that could hinder their effectiveness. Gausman aggravated a hip issue while covering first base in Atlanta over the weekend while DeSclafani was placed on the injured list twice in August, once with right shoulder fatigue and once with right ankle discomfort.
DeSclafani has acknowledged he may deal with the ankle injury for the remainder of the season. That’s a concern for a team that doesn’t have any starting pitching prospects ready for a September promotion.
The Giants’ bullpen has been outstanding this season and was once again impressive on Monday and Tuesday night, but determining how to cover innings has become a major issue and the bind has come at the most critical juncture of the club’s schedule.
Concerns surrounding the Giants’ pitching depth are also appearing at a time when the team’s lineup is facing some of the National League’s top arms and has struggled to prove it can manufacture runs with a sound situational approach. A consistent ability to hit home runs has kept the Giants in first place, but against pitchers such as A’s starter Frankie Montas, Mets right-hander Marcus Stroman and now Burnes and Milwaukee’s other Cy Young candidate Brandon Woodruff, the Giants have seen how difficult it is to rely so heavily on the long ball.
Over little more than a week, Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford, Kris Bryant and Curt Casali have left games with injury concerns while Tommy La Stella was scratched from Monday’s lineup and didn’t play on Tuesday due to side tightness. Infielder Donovan Solano was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Thursday after testing positive despite being fully vaccinated while third baseman Evan Longoria hasn’t played since Aug. 18 due to a right hand contusion.
Are the Giants falling apart? At this stage of a season, that question can be asked of most teams. A realistic evaluation of the Giants suggests they aren’t hitting a wall — the Giants have had only three three-game losing streaks all season — but are instead dealing with a compromised roster at the same time they’re facing their stiffest competition.
The same realistic evaluation would also highlight the fact that in professional sports, injuries and a tough schedule aren’t an excuse. While the Giants may have an extremely difficult time keeping a grip on the NL West lead they’ve held for three months, they’ll still have a month of games left to play after this week’s homestand.
It’s entirely possible the Brewers and Dodgers spend the week beating up on a Giants team that hasn’t yet endured a significant rough patch. It’s also true that with 24 games left to play after Sunday’s series finale, failing to bounce back against lesser opponents could do a lot more damage to the Giants’ chances of winning the NL West than an uneven week against two teams capable of exposing even minor weaknesses.
Despite going 19-9 in August, the Giants are in a bind. Coming out on the other side of it may take a little more time than fans have been accustomed to this season.
• With Cueto headed to the injured list on the same day rosters expanded from 26 to 28 players, the Giants activated a pair of relief pitchers and infielder Thairo Estrada. Left-hander Caleb Baragar and right-hander John Brebbia joined the team’s bullpen Wednesday while Estrada was recalled to provide depth in the infield.
Brebbia pitched a scoreless inning of relief in the Giants’ 3-1 loss on Monday and impressed the coaching staff by blowing a 96-mile per hour fastball past former National League MVP Christian Yelich to notch a strikeout.
Baragar owns a 0.49 ERA for the Giants this season, but hasn’t pitched in the majors since he earned a save in Game 2 of a doubleheader against the Washington Nationals on June 12. The southpaw was a key member of San Francisco’s bullpen in 2020, but has only made 22 appearances for the club this season.
During his time at TripleA Sacramento, Baragar has struggled with command issues as he’s posted a 9.37 ERA and walked 17 batters in 16 1/3 innings.