Author: moepea

I like lilacs, mist and cold air.

You Be The Judge: Should the Giants pursue the Yankees slugger in free agency?

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

The Giants have been down this road before. In need of a focal point offensively, and wanting to get younger and usher in a new era, they signed 28-year old Barry Bonds as a free agent in 1993.

That move worked out tremendously.

The initial outlay was $43.75 million over six years, then the highest priced contract in total, and average value per year in the game. The Giants enjoyed a decade of success, and moved into their new downtown ballpark during that run. Bonds went on to be the biggest name in baseball with the records and accomplishments to match.

The 2022 Giants, coming off a 107-win season in 2021, have faltered and are on the verge of turning the page, and likely moving on from their most established stars and several pricey contracts.

The Yankees and slugger Aaron Judge have failed to consummate a contract extension, and the 30-year old is poised to hit the free agent market in the off-season as the game’s biggest prize.

Should the Giants be interested? Would the $200 million cost be a shrewd investment or a boondoggle? Let’s look.

In seven Major League seasons, Judge has showcased his trademark power, hitting 206 home runs to date. His high strikeout numbers and injury history have tempered the buzz surrounding his 6’7″ frame with his 2018 through 2020 seasons truncated due to injury.

But in the last two seasons, Judge has put it all together with 48 home runs and a .297 batting average to date, and attempting to register one of the biggest offensive seasons in the last 25 years. Judge is slugging at .663 clip with 1.056 OPS that leads all of MLB along with his home runs and RBI (105).

What players have put up a full season of comparable numbers? The list is short: Bonds, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth.

Adding to the Judge aura: He’s cut down on his strikeouts, lifted his batting average to a career-best, and he’s a credible base stealer, successful on 14 of 15 attempts.

So why would the Giants be in play? Here’s where it gets interesting. Barring a triumphant run to the World Series, the Yankees and Judge may consider parting ways. Their contract negotiations have been contentious and eventually stalled prior to this season’s start exacerbated by the labor strife that pitted the player’s union against the 30 team owners.

The quiet and private Judge may have grown tired of New York City, and might be amenable to a change of scenery. His childhood home of Linden, California outside of Stockton would be nearby if he chose San Francisco.

And here’s the biggest reason the Giants and Judge might be a fit. The limited market for Judge’s services point toward the Giants as several other teams have made free agent moves in recent seasons while the Giants have swung and missed on Giancarlo Stanton, Bryce Harper, Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto.

And this time a superior trade package won’t Trump the Giants. Money and a belief that Judge can maintain is superstar status throughout a five or six-year deal will be all that’s needed.

Would you pull the trigger on such a move? You and the Giants are on the clock.

Untangling A Webb: Tigers chase Giants’ ace in decisive fifth inning, and win 6-1

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

On the day of MLB’s 2023 interleague-heavy schedule release, the Giants ironically found themselves in a strange ballpark. Like a scary movie, things seemed normal at first, then veered wildly toward strange.

Logan Webb cruised into the fifth inning with a no-hitter, and retired 13 of the first 15 batters he faced, with the exception of two walks he issued. Then the downtown Detroit skyline became eerie, and figuratively, the roof caved in.

Jeimer Candelario broke up the no-no with a one out single, and Tucker Barnhart, hitting .208, followed with a double to put two runners in scoring position. Akil Baddoo, hitting ninth with a .190 batting average, drew a walk to load the bases. Then Brandon Crawford misjudged Riley Greene’s hard-hit ground ball up the middle against a shift. Crawford was in position, but watched the ball kick up and over his glove on its way to center field. That gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead, and we segue for some analysis from manager Gabe Kapler.

I think when Logan is ahead in the count he’s getting more swings and misses,” Kapler said. “So there was some contact in that inning. Some of it was unfortunate, some of it was hard. I think if Logan could have that inning back, he’d probably get ahead of the bottom of the lineup.”

Webb started the next two batters–Kody Clemens (Roger Clemens’ son) and Harold Castro–with strikes, but it mattered little. Both produced RBI singles. Down 4-0 with a pair of runners aboard, Webb’s afternoon was finished.

 “I can’t really explain it,” Webb said. It just wasn’t very good.”

Thomas Szapucki was Kapler’s choice to end the Tigers’ rally, but Willi Castro sent his fifth pitch into the left field gap, scoring two more runs. Szapucki, acquired from the Mets in the Darin Ruf-J.D. Davis swap, tried to retire Castro with a low-80’s curve ball, but he had seen it three times in the four previous pitches, and he was ready for it.

Down 6-0, the Giants’ attempts to rally didn’t amount to much. Mike Yastrzemski, Joey Bart and Tommy LaStella strung together two out hits in the seventh to get the Giants on the board, but Lamonte Wade Jr. struck out to end that inning. The Giants realized baserunners in the eighth and ninth, but couldn’t bring them around in either frame.

The Giants finished 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position.

Along with Webb, Wade’s afternoon was especially rocky. He finished 0 for 4 with a strikeout, and saw his smash to centerfield go 415 feet only to be caught by Greene, who provided an impressive jump to settle underneath the fly out in front of the 420 foot sign. Wade won’t cherish this August; he’s hitting .175 with just seven hits, none of them singles (two doubles, five home runs). He’s 0 for his last 13 across the most recent five games.

The other piece of adversity for the Giants surrounds Brandon Belt, who was put on the 10-day list with chronic knee issues. Speculation is that this injury could short circuit the remainder of Belt’s career, but the 35-year old said he chooses not to ponder that conclusion at this juncture.

The Giants won’t have a winning record to take to Minneapolis, falling to 61-62, but they will encounter a struggling Twins team without the injured Byron Buxton. The Twins have lost nine of 14 and are losing tonight in Houston at press time, 5-1.

The Giants will have Alex Wood on the mound Friday night in their first visit to Target Field. The Twins have not announced a starter.

More irony: the schedule reveal for next season has the Giants revisiting Detroit and Minnesota and opening the season in the Bronx against the Yankees, as all major league teams will see their interleague schedule go from 20 to 46 games, and see them play one three-game series against all 15 American League clubs with the only home-and-home against the A’s (two games at home, two games in Oakland).

Giant Wish: Can SF get hot, catch the Brewers and either the Phillies or Padres?

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

What the Giants need to happen, didn’t happen tonight.

At Citizen’s Bank, Nick Castellanos and Bryson Stott hit majestic home runs and Noah Syndergaard improved to 3-0 following his trade to Philadelphia as the Phillies beat the Reds, 4-1.

That means the Giants will take the field in Detroit on Tuesday needing to make up 6 1/2 games on either the Phillies or the Padres, and 5 games on the Brewers in their final 41 games to qualify for the post-season.

After winning on Sunday against the Rockies, 9-8 in 11 innings, they seem up for the challenge.

“There are still signs of life in here,” said Evan Longoria, after his grand slam and game-ending catch and tag play highlighted his best performance of the season.

“We’ve been really streaky. We win five, we lose five, you know what I mean?” Jakob Junis said. “Anyway to shorten those losing streaks and get back on track… I think going into the off day, especially, losing this game would’ve been really tough. Thankfully we pulled it out.”

The Giants (60-61) were headed in the right direction with five straight wins, but followed them with four, consecutive losses. Rollercoaster rhythm won’t close the gap.

The biggest positive for the Giants is the three clubs they’re chasing haven’t run and hid, and they only have to catch two of them. There aren’t any other moving parts. For a wild card chase, the small number of contending clubs is rare.

With the NL playoffs incorporating six teams for the first time, we’ll say 87 wins is the mininum the Giants need to have a realistic chance. But it’s never just that, it’s posting a dominant record in the head-to-head match-ups, and there are 11 of those.

That points us to the home stand beginning a week from tonight: three against the Padres (68-56), followed by the three against the Phillies (67-55). The Giants also visit Milwaukee for two on September 8, an oddly-placed doubleheader that is preceded by a series in Los Angeles and followed by a trip to Chicago with no travel days.

Survive all that and just maybe the Giants remain mathematically alive for the season’s final series: three with the Padres at Oracle Park.

Daunting? You bet. This theoretical challenge requires a 27-14 finish, and it’s got to be the right 27 wins against the critical opponents.

Baseball-reference numbers don’t usually favor unlikelihoods. That’s the case here, the baseball historical and statistical website says the Giants have just a 3.2 percent chance of running this gauntlet.

What aspects provide hope for the Giants? The Phillies lost seven of 10 before beating the Reds on Monday. The Padres have nine games remaining with the Dodgers, who have their foot on the gas despite an insurmountable 18 game lead in the NL West. And the Brewers (65-56) have a weird spirit enveloping them in the wake of the unpopular trade of closer Josh Hader to San Diego.

Carlos Rodon is nearing career bests in starts (24 so far, 28 his personal best), wins (11,13), innings pitched (140.1, 165) and of course, strikeouts (179, 185). The strikeout mark could be eclipsed Tuesday night at Comerica Park in Rodon’s matchup with the Tigers’ Drew Hutchison.

What’s Your Mindset? A’s keep their spirits positive, beat the Mariners, 6-5

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND–The A’s came to the park loosey goosey, ready to swing the bats, then bear down to get some critical outs.

The contending Mariners admittedly were tight, overthinking things and probably burdened by the longest post-season drought any of us have ever seen.

The unlikely result? The youthful and hopeful A’s built on the momentum they gained Saturday night, and booted the Mariners in a 6-5 win on Sunday that captured the series, and highlighted the team’s promise and hopeful approach.

JP Sears outpitched Seattle’s higher-profile in-season acquisition, Luis Castillo, and the A’s built a 4-1 lead after five innings. The Mariners drew closer with two runs in the seventh, but were stymied in the eighth with runners in scoring position. Shea Langeliers tripled home an insurance run in the bottom of that inning and the A’s held on.

Afterwards, the Mariners expressed frustration with their play, and blowing an opportunity to boost their standing in the AL Wild Card hunt by not taking advantage of the league’s worst team.

“We know how important these games are and what they mean,” said Ty France, who hit into a third inning double play that spoiled a potential, big inning for Seattle. “I think sometimes we are trying too hard and trying to make things happen instead of just playing our style of baseball. We are trying to force things when he don’t have to. Usually, when we go out there and play our game, we are in a good spot.”

Conversely, the A’s clearly enjoyed their 4-3 extra-inning walk-off win Saturday night (on a FOX Network national broadcast as well) and walked into their clubhouse Sunday morning with improved posture. Their aggressive approach at the plate was noticeable in Sean Murphy’s first inning RBI double, Langeliers’ double in the left field gap that initiated a rally in the second inning and Nick Allen’s RBI single that put the A’s up 3-0.

“Luis has been awesome for us since we acquired him,” manager Scott Servais said. “Maybe left a few balls in the middle of the plate, but they were super aggressive. They were hunting they fastballs and didn’t miss them.”

Sears had just one hiccup, a home run allowed to Mitch Haniger in the third. He went five innings and scattered six hits with one walk issued. He worked seamlessly with Langeliers behind the plate, showing chemistry that was built off one outing the pair had earlier this month at Triple-A Las Vegas.

“He’s one of the most poised young catchers I’ve ever seen,” Sears said of Langeliers.

Six A’s relievers followed with Sam Moll and Domingo Acevedo the only two entrusted to get as many as three outs. Moll came up the biggest by retiring J.P. Crawford and Dylan Moore with runners at the corners in the seventh.

Giants display unconventional tactics to no avail in 5-0 loss to the Diamondbacks and Zac Gallen

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Over the weekend, the Giants’ bunting seemed like a smart tactic, a way to lift their collective, moribund batting averages, and put pressure on the opponent’s defense.

On Thursday, bunting drew the boo birds.

The story begins and progresses to a decisive juncture with Zac Gallen, Arizona’s starter in the finale of the four-game series. Gallen was as good as it gets, shutting out the Giants into the eighth inning while striking out 12.

“I felt like I was ahead early and I felt like I was able to put them away after one or two pitches,” Gallen said.

If that simple statement sounds cocky, it matters not. Gallen dealt to the degree that this may have been the best start of his career. He didn’t walk anyone, he allowed three singles and a double to Evan Longoria, and he started the first 21 batters he faced with strike one. Gallen finished with an amazing 23 of 25 first pitch strikes. Combine that with the effectiveness of his four pitches, and know that in the latter stages of the outing the Giants were flailing, and made to guess.

“He was feeling it and it was a lot of fun for all of us to watch,” manager Torey Lovullo said.

With two on, two strikes and two out in the seventh, Brandon Belt attempted to bunt his way on, squaring at the last second and not getting enough of the bat on the ball, leaving little momentum as it went foul 10 feet from the plate. That ended the team’s most promising rally with a dud. Gallen appeared confounded by the move, and the crowd responded with boos. Neither conventional or effective, Belt was left to explain after the game.

“(Gallen) didn’t miss a whole lot and I wasn’t doing much with it,” Belt said. “From my point of view I’ve been struggling a little bit. He was tough all day. He didn’t have a whole lot of misses high and inside with his fastball. I took the best route that I thought would keep the inning going. I’m not saying I’m right about that, but that was the decision I made.”

After a pair of exhilarating wins to start the series, and Brandon Crawford’s come-from-behind, walk-off homer on Tuesday, the Giants ended up with a split with the Diamondbacks. Despite winning five straight, the Giants are back to square one. With 44 games remaining, they’re 59-59 and trailing the Padres by six games in the wild card chase. Needless to say, they can’t afford many more afternoons like this one.

Logan Webb started for the hosts and ran into difficulties in the third inning. The Giants’ ace wouldn’t survive the fifth after allowing nine hits and three walks along with having to account for Joc Pederson’s fielding error in the fifth. Pederson’s gaffe helped the Diamondbacks score twice, increasing their lead to 5-0.

The Giants open a three-city trip in Denver on Friday, facing the Rockies and starter Jose Urena, who’s won just once in eight starts since being acquired from Milwaukee. Alex Wood will start for the Giants.

D’Backs Strike Back: Arizona’s heroics stand up in 3-2 win over the Giants

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–The Giants got bailed out by their rock on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the Diamondbacks relied on their Stone.

Stone Garrett picked his first Major League game as the occasion to knock in a tying run and later score the go-ahead run in a 3-2 win over the Giants. The Giants saw their five-game win streak snapped as they couldn’t back another impressive start from Carlos Rodon.

Garrett, 26, spent eight seasons in the minors despite being an eighth round pick, but he failed to put up eye-catching stats until this season at Triple-A Reno were he hit 28 home runs and knocked in 95 runs in 103 games.

“I wanted it bad so I just persevered and said ‘keep going, keep going, never lose faith,'” he said. “I knew if I put in the work I would eventually get here.”

His parent flew in from sweltering North Texas upon word of his call up. Predictably and comically, Garrett’s father Greg wasn’t dressed appropriately and had to hit the concession stands for a sweatshirt.

“I knew he was going to come without a long-sleeve shirt,” Garrett said. “That was just funny to see.”

The Giants brought the heat first with Lamonte Wade Jr.’s third inning home run and J.D. Davis’ blast in the sixth. The Homer’s gave the Giants 1-0 and 2-1 leads.

Garrett’s RBI double tied in the fourth, and Garrett and Christian Walker were aboard ahead of pinch-hitter Jake McCarthy’s two-run single in the eighth.

Rodon was seeking a fourth win in the same number of starts, and he was on his game. Rodon lasted six innings, and allowed one run on two hits while fanning 11. Dominic Leone, the Giants’ second reliever brought into the game, allowed McCarthy’s single and took the loss.

“He was unable to execute his slider where he wanted to go, as a result two guys put good swings on him,” Kapler said of Leone.

The Giants took the first five games of their homestand before Wednesday’s loss. Now they’ll focus on capturing the finale on Thursday afternoon for a 6-1 stretch. Logan Webb (11-5, 3.00 ERA) will face Zach Gallen (8-2, 2.94).

Bum Bashed: Giants take advantage of their Series hero in 6-1 win over Arizona

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Madison Bumgarner competed “mad” as always, but he didn’t have the substance to match his familiar style.

The Giants did, winning 6-1 over the Diamondbacks and wearing down Bumgarner in the process.

The 2014 World Series hero cruised through the first three innings but ran into adversity in the fourth when J.D. Davis doubled and Evan Longoria homered for a 2-0 Giants’ lead.

Joey Bart, swinging a hot bat for the first time in his big league career, doubled in the fifth ahead of Austin Slater’s RBI single. That increased the lead to 3-0 and the Giants added three more in the sixth to chase Bumgarner, who exited to extended applause.

Bart’s two-run single highlighted the final rally, and stood as the biggest piece of his three-hit night. The young catcher has a seven-game hit streak for the first time, and after his hitting struggles needed to be rectified at Triple-A Sacramento.

“What it means is we have a threat at the bottom of the lineup, somebody that can drive the baseball, keep the line moving and is really grinding out at-bats right now,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “Not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but now it’s starting to get a little consistent. It’s very encouraging.”

Alex Cobb survived a lengthy first inning by striking out Carson Kelly with the bases loaded. Cobb went on to throw six innings, winning for the fourth time with a Christian Walker home run as his only blemish.

The Padres were blanked in Miami allowing the Giants to gain ground in the wild card chase. With 47 games remaining, the Giants are 5 1/2 games behind San Diego, and 3 1/2 behind Milwaukee. The Brewers were shut out at home by the Dodgers on Monday.

On Tuesday, the Giants face 10-game winner Merrill Kelly, who already has a win over them this season. Jakob Junis will start for the Giants, another chance for Junis to regain his early-season form.

Late To The Party: A’s stymied through six innings, lose 6-3 to the Astros

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

On Sunday, the A’s didn’t throw up, they threw their hands up.

The visitors’ weekend visit to Houston highlighted how competitive they’ve been with the division leaders in splitting the first 12 meetings. That thin veneer of big league equality got wiped out at Minute Maid Park as the Astros completed a three-game sweep on Sunday, winning 6-3.

Cristian Javier had gone since July 1 without a win, recording an 0-5 record over six starts. His issue–including a loss to the A’s in Oakland on July 27–was allowing walks (12) and home runs (8) in numbers too inflated to give himself a chance to win. That wasn’t the case on Sunday however. Javier allowed one hit, no runs and three walks that alone didn’t harm him.

Consequently, the A’s had to wait their turn… the one that materialized after manager Dusty Baker lifted his starter after six innings.

“Once he came out of the game, we had some good at-bats and put some hits together and gave (ourselves) a chance,” manager Mark Kotsay said of the A’s offense.

The A’s are challenged offensively, everyone with a bean counter knows that. But they’re also battlers and gamers, a testament to the atmosphere Kotsay has instilled in his clubhouse. So given an opportunity to rally, they did, it just came too little, too late to interrupt their eighth, consecutive loss.

Nick Allen homered in the eighth, and Noah Bride contributed an RBI groundout in the ninth in front of Tony Kemp’s run-scoring single that cut a 6-0 deficit to 6-3. Reliever Rafael Montero’s task was to finish the game, and give closer Ryan Pressly a day off, but that plan failed when he walked Cal Stevenson, forcing Baker to summon Pressly.

With two on and one out, and the A’s trailing 6-2, Pressly allowed Kemp’s RBI single but retired Vimael Machin to end the game, picking up his 22nd save.

Cole Irvin’s been fantastic as the top starter for a team on pace to lose 100 games that doesn’t hit much, but he’s shown wear in his last three starts, culminating on Sunday. Irvin’s lost all three, and allowed a home run in each. Besides Bregman’s blast, Jose Altuve’s two-run double stung the most, leaving Irvin in a 4-0 hole after two innings.

“Sometimes you tip your cap, a combination of just some good hitting and maybe some bad luck with placement of the balls,” Kotsay said of Irvin’s outing.

On Saturday, Skye Bolt went viral with his upset stomach and the resulting projectile celebration. Amazingly, he stayed in the game. On Sunday, a Ramon Laureano swing caused an ache, and the outfielder did depart in the fourth inning with soreness in his ribcage area. Both are day-to-day and any negative change would require a roster move to address a shortage of outfielders.

The A’s travel to North Texas and will meet the struggling Rangers on Monday. James Kaprelian will start opposed by the Rangers’ Glenn Otto. Texas has lost 14 of 22 since the All-Star break.

What Happened to the Giants? No One Got Better

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Step into the world of Wins Above Replacement with me. This is the world where the elite Major League players are quantified and recognized. In 2021, the Giants’ out-of-nowhere season of 107 wins and an NL West Championship, this is where the majority of the roster lived.

In 2022, almost the entirety of the Giants’ roster has moved out. So have the wins, the adulation and the postseason aspirations.

The two biggest standouts from 2021 in regards to WAR–Brandon Crawford and Kevin Gausman–have fallen off dramatically. Crawford’s 6.1 WAR of 2021 symbolized his stature as an MVP candidate, and a daily force defensively and offensively. Outside of the now-retired Buster Posey, Crawford was the team’s MVP who regularly supplied big hits and shut down opponents with game-altering defensive plays.

This season, Crawford hasn’t participated in 45 of the team’s 121 games thus far, and his defense has slipped. At age 35 and relied upon to be a daily presence at shortstop, the game’s most demanding defensive position, Crawford has seen an increase in his errors. After a career season, that would be expected, but for the Giants’ needs, his decline has been more dramatic than expected.

Gausman moved on, lured by similar dollars and a lengthier deal than the Giants would offer. For the Blue Jays, Gausman’s been good with similar peripheral numbers to what he posted last season, but he hasn’t won as much. Last season, Gausman was 14-6 for the Giants, this season he’s 8-8 for Toronto.

In Gausman’s place, Carlos Rodon has been nearly as good. Signed as a free agent after a 13-5 season for the White Sox, Rodon’s been healthier than he was last season while winning 10 times to date. Surely, the Giants are satisfied with the transition from Gausman to Rodon.

Similarly, Logan Webb was outstanding last season, and again this season. The difference between the two seasons for Webb aren’t much, maybe just that he’s suffered a loss at home after going without a single loss at Oracle Park last season.

Along the lines of the Rodon acquisition, Jakob Junis has pitched well for the Giants in a position of need, in the absence of injured starter Anthony DeSclafani. Thought to be a spot starter/opener, Junis has spent half this season, taking regular turns in the rotation and pitching deeper in games than expected. But that’s not the entire story: Junis has declined dramatically since he was injured in June. In six starts since, he’s failed to pitch five innings in any of those appearances.

Here’s the Giants’ Top 12 WAR performers in 2021 and 2022

2021:

  1. Brandon Crawford (6.1 WAR) 1. Carlos Rodon (4.0)
  2. Kevin Gausman (5.3) 2. Logan Webb (3.9)
  3. Logan Webb (4.0) 3. Jakob Junis (1.6)
  4. Anthony DeSclafani (4.0) 4. John Brebbia (1.6)
  5. Buster Posey (3.5) 5. Mike Yastrzemski (1.4)
  6. Darin Ruf (2.9) 6. Alex Wood (1.4)
  7. Brandon Belt (2.7) 7. Thairo Estrada (1.3)
  8. Mike Yastrzemski (2.5) 8. Wilmer Flores (1.3)
  9. Tyler Rogers (2.5) 9. Curt Casali (1.1)
  10. Steven Duggar (2.2) 10. Luis Gonzales (1.0)
  11. Evan Longoria (1.8) 11. Austin Slater (1.0)
  12. Wilmer Flores (1.7) 12. Camilo Doval (1.0)

The prevailing theme of the two lists is the decline in the WAR numbers across the board. Only two of this season’s Giants would even qualify for last season’s top 12. That’s dramatic, and indicative of a team that’s already lost more games than they did all of last season.

Of those listed for 2021, Gausman, Ruf and Duggar have signed elsewhere or been traded, and DeSclafani is out for the season due to injury. So if we don’t move beyond the two lists, only one player who was on the team this season and last has improved: John Brebbia.

That’s probably not enough.

On Friday, the Giants welcome the Pirates to Oracle Park with Bryse Wilson facing Carlos Rodon. Wilson’s just 2-6 on the season, but the Pirates have won three of his previous four starts.

Bullpen Blues: Giants can’t get off the field twice in rough 13-7 loss to the Padres

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

Twice on Wednesday afternoon, the Giants needed “shut down” innings. Instead they got beat down by the potent Padres’ lineup. The result was a 13-7 loss that once again has the team confronting its reality on the outside of the postseason chase.

And the even-more troubling aside? The beefed-up Padres, who figure to be a menace within the NL West for years to come, are gaining their stride as witnessed by newly-acquired Juan Soto’s swagger-filled summation of the afternoon.

“We showed it today,” Juan Soto said. “We’re coming back from everything.”

Soto’s overanxious path to Austin Slater’s single in the third inning allowed the ball to get by him, resulting in Slater taking third base and two runs scoring. That was the highlight of the Giants’ four-run inning that, briefly, had them in control.

But in the bottom of the inning, the first seven Padres reached base in a six-run answer that chased Giants’ starter Jakob Junis and gave San Diego a 6-4 lead. Soto singled as the inning’s third batter to load the bases. That would set the stage for a gaudy, four-hit afternoon for the hosts with the bases loaded.

Junis’ line for the afternoon was six runs allowed with only seven outs recorded. Since returning from his hamstring injury in June, he hasn’t regained his stride. That’s especially frustrating since he outgrew expectations that he would be a short-stint opener, and instead blossomed into a full-fledged starter. Now he’s saddled with a five-game stretch of appearances that haven’t gone as many as five innings.

“I just wanted to go out there and try to give the team a chance to win and I didn’t do that,” Junis said. “The offense came back and took the lead. Just as a pitching staff we couldn’t do it today.”

After recording the first out of the inning, Junis gave way to Alex Young, who gave up an RBI single and a RBI groundout to Austin Nola that scored Chris Drury.

After Young stabilized things in the fourth and fifth innings, the Giants answered in the sixth with three runs. Austin Wynns and Joc Pederson came up with RBI hits in that frame that allowed the Giants to regain the lead, 7-6.

But for the second time, the Giants couldn’t back their offense and the Padres came up with a second, massive rally. First, Yunior Marte allowed a three-run homer to Drury, and the Padres regained the lead, 9-7. But Marte remained in the game, and two batters later, he also allowed an RBI double to Ha-Seong Kim. Brandon Belt’s throwing error stained Jarlin Garcia’s entrance, then Garcia became his own worst enemy by allowing Nola’s two-run homer to cap a seven-run rally.

“You don’t see too many six spots and seven spots in the same game,” manager Bob Melvin said of his Padres.

The Giants have Thursday off, and they open a three-game set against the Pirates on Friday night. With 51 games remaining, they’re 7 1/2 games behind the Brewers, the prerequisite hurdle to attempting to catch the Padres for a wild-card spot.