Author: moepea

I like lilacs, mist and cold air.

Giants stay pat at the trade deadline, zero in on the Rockies

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photo: San Francisco Giants general manager Farhan Zaidi was dealing on Monday as the Giants acquired left hand pitcher Anthony Banda from the Tampa Bay Rays 

By Morris Phillips

The Giants won a road series for the first time in 2020, no small feat when you consider the physical and mental challenges involved with travel during the pandemic, along with trying to turn around 93 mph splitters.

The team picked to finish last in the last in the NL West is now a game behind third-place Colorado, and has won nine of 12 games. Baseball-Reference is feeling the Giants as well, saying they’re the (slight) favorite to overtake the Rockies for the last playoff spot in the National League’s expanded field of eight teams.

So the August 31 trade deadline must have been eventful for a club looking for reinforcements for the stretch run. Right?

The answer: not really.

The Giants acquired pitcher Anthony Banda, who had been placed on irrevocable waivers by the Rays. Dereck Rodriguez, who was designated for assignment by the Giants, got picked up by the Tigers. Two transactions, no trades for the Giants.

The message undoubtedly is that the front office likes this group, despite its flaws and bullpen deficiencies. But the greater point is–and this goes for all 30 teams–the 2020 deadline is no place for significant, and costly, player movement given the uncertainty for the rest of the season, and beyond with no framework for a new collective bargaining agreement in place for 2021 and beyond.

But for now, this point rings true: the Giants like this group, and more so, they like the significant improvement in their farm system and were reluctant to part with any prized assets.

“You can tell there’s a lot of belief within the group about what we can accomplish here down the stretch,” president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said on Monday after the 1pm deadline passed.

The Giants are offensively competent for the first time in years. From Mike Yastrzemski and Donovan Solano, who have appeared at the top of the NL’s offensive categories throughout the first half of the season, to Brandon Belt, Evan Longoria and Alex Dickerson, the Giants have capable hitters throughout their lineup. At home, the group has averaged six runs per game, making Oracle Park seem hitter friendly maybe for the first time ever.

The pitching and defense have improved as the season has progressed, despite injuries to Jeff Samardzija and Drew Smyly, and the failure of Trevor Gott to seize the closer’s role.

Johnny Cueto has anchored the staff with a string of quality starts, including Sunday at Arizona where he allowed a run in 6 2/3 innings of work. Moving Cueto at the trade deadline never came to pass as teams passed on the hefty remainder of his contract.

The Giants biggest advantage however, maybe their remaining schedule. They remain one of the few teams that hasn’t experienced any disruptions to its schedule–excepting last week’s postponement in protest of Jacob Blake’s shooting. Their next two road contests loom as their biggest as the Giants visit Colorado for games on Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon. Their last 10 contests all take place in the Bay Area: three at Oakland, followed by the final seven at Oracle Park.

The eight qualifiers for the playoffs will be the top two finishers in each division, plus the next two best records. Because no one is playing league games outside their division, and the interleague schedule hasn’t seen any teams compile a difference-making record, finishing third in the West is the goal for the Giants. The Dodgers and Padres appear to be too far in front, and the third place finisher in the West should qualify, while the fourth place finisher probably won’t qualify.

The Rockies upgraded at the trade deadline, ironically by acquiring Kevin Pillar from the Red Sox to give them greater flexibility in the outfield. Pillar revived his career with the Giants in 2019, only to not be offered a deal by the club for this season.

The Giants send Kevin Gausman to the mound on Tuesday to face Jon Gray. Logan Webb will pitch Wednesday versus Kyle Freeland.

 

A’s-Astros finale cancelled due to positive virus test

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By Morris Phillips

The finale of the A’s-Astros series at Minute Maid Park was cancelled when a member of the Oakland traveling party tested positive for the Coronavirus.

The A’s are quarantined in a Houston hotel where they will remain until Monday when the group will be subjected to a follow up round of tests to determine the full scope of the outbreak. The A’s were scheduled to fly to Seattle and resume their road trip against the Mariners on Tuesday.

Already on this road trip, the A’s have missed a game against the Rangers in protest of the Jacob Blake shooting, and cancelled a second contest that was scheduled for Friday night in Houston. That game was rescheduled as part of a doubleheader Saturday, where both games shortened to seven innings went to the Astros.

No information was released linking the positive test to a player, coach or another, non-uniformed member of the A’s traveling party.

The Astros were last tested on Friday, with all of the results negative. The team conducted a round of tests Sunday morning, the results of which were not available at press time. The Astros are hopeful of resuming their schedule on Tuesday with a home series against the Rangers. The team announced that the clubhouse occupied by the A’s, and designated for the Rangers, will undergo a rigorous cleaning above normal protocols.

The A’s-Astros cancellation is the 38th of the pandemic-truncated 2020 season and the first to affect AL West or NL West clubs. Saturday marked the first time all 30 MLB teams had played on the same day since July 26. Five Oakland-Houston matchups remain with the Astros visiting the Coliseum next week, providing an opportunity to reschedule Sunday’s game.

The A’s are 22-12 on the season, and maintain a 2 1/2 game lead on the Astros.

Dodgers drub Giants with doubleheader sweep, win 2-0 in the nightcap

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–The Giants’ impressive seven-game win streak ran into the Dodgers’ once-in-a-century streak of seven, consecutive division titles on Thursday and it wasn’t much of a battle.

In fact, it was a wipeout as the Dodgers swept, winning 7-0 in the opener and 2-0 in the nightcap. The Dodgers hadn’t posted shutouts in both games of a twin bill since 1971 against the Braves.

So consider the feat–49 years removed from its last occurrence–the halfway point between the two, aforementioned streaks and call it a day.

Manager Dave Roberts felt one shutout set up the other, referencing Clayton Kershaw’s dominant six innings in the opener.

“For Clayton to set the tone in Game 1 obviously gave us a lot of flexibility in Game 2,” Roberts said. “To regroup today, focus on baseball and win two baseball games against a division rival was good.”

The intensity for both clubs at the outset of the afternoon was obvious. Not only was the season series at stake with the rivals tied at four games a piece, the Giants were playing meaningful games late in a season for the first time since 2016. Then Clay Bellinger came up with a pair of highlight catches and Kershaw settled in.

During the second game, that obvious intensity disappeared as the Dodgers seamlessly replaced injured, scheduled starter Walker Buehler with opener Chris Ferguson and six, other relievers in a two-hit gem. Highlighting the Dodgers depth and overall talent, six of the seven pitchers entered the game with earned run averages 1.74 or better, and all six lowered their number as Brusdar Graterol and closer Kenley Jansen were the only two to allow hits, both singles to Belt.

The Dodgers only managed three hits, but one was Joc Pederson’s solo shot in the second, and another Will Smith’s RBI double that scored Pederson in the fourth.

Kevin Gausman enhanced his perceived trade deadline value by pitching into the fifth, allowing three hits, two walks and both Dodgers’ runs.

Mike Yastrzemski and Donovan Solano went hitless after collecting a hit a piece in the opener. The Giants’ MLB second-best runs per game average at home took a hit during the scoreless afternoon. The Giants were averaging 6 1/2 runs per game at Oracle Park coming in.

The Dodgers improved to 24-9 on the season, and increased their lead in the NL West over the Padres to five games. The Giants fell to fourth place at 15-18.

Dodgers, Kershaw bring Giants’ seven-game streak to a halt, win 7-0 in doubleheader opener

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Bookmark the Clayton Kershaw-Brandon Belt matchup as today’s barometer for success… or failure.

After the Dodgers and Giants took Tuesday night off in a historic and emotional occasion of social activism, pitching and hitting returned in a big way with the Giants trying to extend their seven-game, offense-fueled win streak against Kershaw, the most successful starting pitcher of the last decade, and by far, the guy the Giants and Belt least like to see on the mound.

Now the numbers available to both managers prior to the first game of the unique, seven-inning doubleheader.

Belt, in one of the finest, offensive showings in his career (9 plus seasons) had four hits, including two homers, a double in the Giants’ epic 10-8 win over the Dodgers in 11 innings on Tuesday.

Kershaw has owned Belt, allowing the slugger four hits and four walks, no home runs in 60 career at-bats, 29 of which concluded in a strikeout.

Manager Gabe Kapler didn’t flinch. He penciled Belt into the sixth spot in his lineup, a nod to Belt’s 16 hits and .571 batting average over his last nine games. Wilmer Flores, Kapler’s less edgy option to start at first base, found his way to lineup as well, playing second base and batting second.

Against Kershaw–rounding into form after a rough start against the Giants at Dodgers Stadium earlier in the month–none of Kapler’s lineup mechanics worked.

Kershaw gave up hard hit balls to both Belt and Flores in their initial at-bats only to see centerfielder Clay Bellinger come up with spectacular catches both times. From there, Kershaw cruised, pitching six, scoreless innings in a 7-0 shutout that left the assembled cutouts speechless.

Kershaw owns the Giants, winning for the 24th time in 49 starts, while his ERA against the Giants dropped to 1.76. Needing seven strikeouts to reach 2,500 in his career, Kershaw registered just four, evidence that as his velocity has decreased, his craftiness has expanded.

Belt finished 0 for 3 with a strikeout, and Flores was 1 for 3 as no Giants hitter was afforded more than three opportunities in a seven-inning game. Joey Bart was hitless as well, striking out all three times, the first time swinging on top of Kershaw’s slider, the second time frozen as the pitcher’s curve dropped in.

The Dodgers kept the fireworks to a minimum with their bats, pushing across a run in the first, and four more in the fourth. Austin Barnes came up with the biggest hit, a double chasing home Chris Taylor and Joc Pederson.

A.J. Pollock’s two-run shot in the seventh concluded the scoring.

Logan Webb suffered the loss as he was unable to replicate his strong start against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Webb pitched into the fourth inning, allowing four hits, two walks and five earned runs.

Behind the Dodgers and Giants joint decision to cancel Wednesday’s game

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–The momentum moving through the sports world Wednesday was swift and wide-ranging. In Lake Buena Vista, Florida, the Milwaukee Bucks decided not to take the floor for Game 5 of their NBA Playoff versus Orlando. The other four NBA teams on the schedule soon followed suit. Then the WNBA, MLS, tennis champion Naomi Osaka, the Milwaukee Brewers and three other MLB teams cancelled their scheduled games and events.

At Oracle Park, the conversations started with Mookie Betts texting family members who informed Betts that several teams and players were not playing in protest of the shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The Dodgers superstar was preparing to play in Wednesday night’s Dodgers-Giants game. After the texting, he changed his mind, informing his teammates and manager that he would be sitting out.

“I can’t play,” Betts said.

Clayton Kershaw, the team’s senior member and a vocal critic of inequality and police brutality, questioned whether the rest of the team should play without Betts. Kershaw, the scheduled starting pitcher Wednesday was soon in agreement with manager Dave Roberts, reliever Kenley Jansen and Betts: the Dodgers were not going to play.

“We made a collective group decision to not play tonight, to let our voices be heard for standing up for what we believe is right,” Kershaw said. “That’s what it comes down to.”

The Dodgers never took the field for batting practice. The Giants did, but the conversations were taking place, most importantly between team president Farhan Zaidi and manager Gabe Kapler. Last month, Kapler made headlines by being the first MLB manager to kneel during the playing of the national anthem.

Soon those talks included GM Scott Harris and team player rep Tony Watson. Other Giants warming up spoke in small groups. Batting practice was cut short and the team retreated to their clubhouse.

Shortly after 6pm an announcement was made: the Giants were in agreement. They also would not play Wednesday night.

“Some things I think are just bigger than sports, and I don’t think it should require athletes needing to boycott playoff games to remind us Black lives matter and that police brutality is unacceptable and that systemic racism needs to be eliminated,” Kapler said. “What I believe in most is speaking out and taking strong action based on your beliefs. I’m aware that the Bucks and now some other NBA teams are doing that, and I have the utmost respect for the players who are refusing to be silent about issues that are bigger than sports.”

Shortly before the scheduled first pitch at 6:45pm, the teams released a joint statement:

“Throughout our country’s history, sport has been a powerful vehicle towards change. The Dodgers and Giants proudly join our players in the shared goal for a more equitable and just society.”

Roberts, the first African-American manager in the history of the Dodgers also spoke about the postponement.

“Black athletes right now to make a stand and choose not to play tonight is one thing,” Roberts said. “But Black people been fighting this fight for centuries. And for the white brothers to come in and support the Black men in this game, it’s much more powerful.”

Betts is the only African-American player currently on either teams’ rosters, reinforcing the universal condemnation of the events in Wisconsin, and police brutality in its total scope, including the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.

In all, only the NHL completed its full schedule on Wednesday. Several MLB games went off as scheduled, but games involving the Reds and Brewers, and the Mariners and Padres were called off. Also several black players pulled out of games that were played. That list included the Cubs’ Jason Heyward, the Cardinals’ Dexter Fowler and the Rockies’ Matt Kemp.

The teams have announced they will make up the game on Thursday, as part of a doubleheader that starts at 1:05pm. Both games of the twin bill are scheduled for seven innings.

 

Led by Yaz the MVP candidate, Giants are contending at compressed season’s midpoint

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By Morris Phillips

A week ago, the Giants were on life support, victims of too many ninth inning collapses in a short period of time. The prognosis? Take your medicine and get healthy for 2021.

A week later, and the Giants are sitting pretty, tied for seventh in an expanded, eight-team post-season pool that’s heated and refreshing.

How’s that? Well, in a 60-game season things happen fast. Fast like six-game winning streak fast.

Ok then, are the Giants any good, or is this smoke and mirrors?

That answer’s complicated, but let’s take a look.

Through 30 games–half the pandemic-truncated season–the Giants are 14-16, just six days after they were 8-16 and stuck in last place. Their schedule, unique given the uneven, 7/3 and 6/4 home/away splits for their four NL West opponents along with the sequence of the 60 games, has been especially harsh.

How harsh? The Giants have played 14 home games thus far, compared to a combined 11 games at Dodgers Stadium and Coors Field, both notoriously rough venues for visitors.

Given that, their schedule eases considerably in the second half starting with 19 of their remaining 30 games at Oracle Park or the Oakland Coliseum, which means just 11 more dates attached to hotel rooms, COVID restrictions, and the heightened, antsy atmosphere of being on the road in 2020.

The final 10 games? All locally, starting with three in Oakland, then the final seven at Oracle Park against the Padres and Rockies.

The expanded playoff field will take the top two finishers in each division plus the teams with the two best remaining records in the National League. While the Giants are competing for those final spots with the Cardinals (who have only played 17 games), Marlins and Mets, they don’t play any of those three teams, all of whom have horribly backloaded schedules due to COVID cancelations. Instead, the Giants will see either the Padres, Rockies or Diamondbacks in 20 of their remaining 30 games, allowing them to focus on climbing within the NL West and finishing second or third, both of which appear to be playoff spots at the moment.

The Giants boast one of the NL’s best offenses averaging nearly five runs per game, and nearly seven runs per game at home. So if you’re trying to envision how the Giants can win games down the stretch, start with the bats. In fact, in a recent development (in the last week, really) the Giants have an eye-popping 92 extra-base hits, 18 above the National League average. They’re third in doubles, second in triples and fourth in home runs with 38.

(If those numbers aren’t mind-numbing for Giants’ fans still stuck in the Bruce Bochy torture era, no numbers are.)

The pitching staffs the Giants will face aren’t imposing outside of the Dodgers and A’s, who are first and fifth respectively in terms of fewest runs allowed. The other four, remaining opponents have staffs with numbers at or well below the major league average, including the Mariners and D’Backs, who have been especially generous. Those four opponents with standard to substandard pitching account for 24 of the final 30 Giants’ game dates.

Offensively, the Giants have stars who not only reside among the league leaders statistically, but in many cases, lead the league. Austin Slater, currently on the injured list (and without enough at-bats to qualify) has an NL-best OBP of .458. Donovan Solano, despite cooling off recently, is hitting .363 with 33 hits.

And the Major League’s top offensive performer at the half way point, the unlikely MVP candidate who’s 30-years old with just 137 big league games under his belt?

Mike Yastrzemski.

The unassuming Yaz has a 309/.429/.645 slashline with 28 runs scored, 34 hits and 22 RBIs in 30 games. But there’s more: he’s second among all MLB performers in walks, triples, runs scored and tied for second in extra-base hits. In the complicated Wins Above Replacement (WAR) category, Yastrzemski has one peer: the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts.

Did we mention Joey Bart?

Giants fans, there’s only one requirement: stay tuned.

A’s walk-off wonders once again in 5-4 win over the Angels

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By Morris Phillips

The A’s game notes made it very clear: the Angels weren’t likely to prevail despite being locked up with Oakland, tied 4-4 in the late innings on Sunday.

And all that statistical momentum built up by the first-place A’s didn’t even take account how poor the Angels have been in close games this season. Accordingly, Mark Canha’s sacrifice fly in the 10th inning chased home Franklin Barreto in the A’s 5-4 win at the Coliseum.

“We’ve lost that game five times this year, maybe six,” said Angels’ manager Joe Maddon. “We’ve had leads and gave them up. And I am not banging on the pitching. Overall, we pitched pretty well today. It sticks in my mind losing some games with leads late. We just have to be better at that.”

The A’s became the first American League team to 20 wins, and at 20-9, their 4 1/2 game lead over the Astros in the division looms large in a shortened, 60-game regular season. The visitors fell to 9-20, as 2020 is trending toward a major disappointment for the high-priced Angels.

The game notes produced by the perpetually tuned-in Mike Selleck before each A’s game are always filled with statistics, numerical trends and historical perspective. But when the A’s are cooking, as they are now with the second-best record in baseball, the notes can be downright intimidating for advance scouts and opposing managers.

The A’s are experiencing one of their five best starts to a season in their East Bay history, and late game proficiency and heroics are at the root of it all. The A’s are 5-0 in extra innings after Sunday, and they’ve hit 15 homers in the seventh inning or later, third best in MLB. Add to that, the Oakland bullpen, with the trio of Jake Diekman, Joakim Soria and Liam Hendriks leading the way, has 10 saves so far this month, already their largest total in August in the last 15 seasons.

Want more? The A’s are 13-4 in their home ballpark, and one of two teams (Braves) that haven’t lost this season on a Sunday, a record that improved to 5-0 on Sunday.

So when the A’s rid themselves of Angels’ starter Dylan Bundy, trailing just 4-3 in the sixth, things figured to get better in a hurry. Against the beleaguered Angels bullpen, they did.

Two pitches in, Stephen Piscotty’s RBI single off reliever Mike Mayers pulled the A’s even.

Earlier the Angels got a big three-run homer from Shohei Ohtani, who has struggled with his bat ever since he was shut down earlier this month from pitching due to forearm tightness. But their 4-2 lead would stagnant as Mike Trout, whom Angels beat writers tweeted hasn’t looked like himself lately, went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts while leadoff hitter David Fletcher and rookie number seven-hitter Jo Adell went 0 for 4 and 0 for 5 with three strikeouts respectively.

The A’s bullpen shut the door with 5 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Frankie Montas as J.B. Wendelken, followed by the previously mentioned trio, allowed just two singles.

Hendriks managed the greater degree of difficulty in the 10th, retiring Jason Castro, Andrelton Simmons and Fletcher without letting placed baserunner Adell advance.

“They keep shutting the door with that new extra-inning rule,” Canha said of the bullpen. “When you do that, it’s huge. Going into the bottom half just having to score one takes pressure off the offense and makes the job a little bit easier.”

The A’s won for the first time without the benefit of a home run. They had homered at least once in 23 of their first 28 games. Instead, they went small–and clutch–with four, two-out RBI and five knocks with a runner in scoring position.

The A’s open a four-game set in Texas on Monday, the first leg of a 10-game trip that continues through Houston and Seattle.

Bart’s debut a breeze, as the Giants cruise again, 10-5 over the Angels

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Joey Bart’s anticipated major league debut came with a pointed piece of advice from teammate Brandon Belt.

“Don’t mess it up.”

And Bart didn’t, contributing his first, major league hit–a double into the left field corner–after the Giants built a comfy 9-4 lead in the sixth.

The message to the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 Draft could have been worded a little less blunt, without changing the content: “Kid, we’ve got a good thing going. Just follow our lead.”

Even for someone talented enough to do damage immediately, taking the pressure off was a good deal. Bart got a first hand look at a hot lineup bashing and circling the bases–then jumped in after the major damage was done in the Giants’ 10-5 win over the Angels. Bart’s double was the Giants last of 12 hits on the evening, the third night in row of Giants on Angels violence that saw the home team score 31 runs in taking three of four.

Bart had been touted as the missing bat, but the Giants aren’t actually missing one right now. They scored five runs or better for the 15th time in 27 games, and their run scoring average at Oracle Park is nearing seven runs per game.

Directing the pitching staff as an everyday presence in the lineup was the expectation for Bart as soon as franchise legend Buster Posey opted out of 2020, but until now GM Farhan Zaidi maintained the Georgia Tech product wasn’t ready. Before Thursday’s game, Zaidi and manager Gabe Kapler summarized Bart’s role.

“It’s serendipitous timing that the offense has been scoring some runs. We’ve won a couple of games,” Zaidi said. “It’s certainly nice to call them up when there’s some positive momentum. I do think with any young player, you don’t want a guy to feel like he’s coming up and has to like carry the offensive load.”

The pitching staff, which has allowed the third most home runs in baseball, and just ended a franchise-record 21-game streak of allowing at least one home run, needs help. Kapler would be satisfied if Bart provides that help.

“We may have to just monitor his workload early on based on how much work he got in Sacramento,” Kapler said. “Catching nine innings is a stressor, catching nine innings in a major league season is more of a stressor than it is in a secondary camp. We need to be cognizant of all those things. However, the goal is to build him to be our everyday starting catcher.”

Tyler Heineman was optioned to the Sacramento camp to clear space, and Chadwick Tromp is expected to continue in his role of catching Johnny Cueto when the veteran pitcher’s turn in the rotation comes up.

Bart had no complaints about the timing of his callup, saying “my time is going to come, and when it is here, I’m going to make the most of it.”

Bart did that in the sixth, keeping his hands back and exploding through the baseball, on a slower than slow 78 mph slider from Julio Teheran. The exit speed for the liner was nearly 110 mph, the hardest hit baseball by any Giant this year that didn’t result in a home run.

Wilmer Flores had three hits for the Giants, homering for the second consecutive game. Austin Slater scored twice and had two hits to raise his average to .347. And Brandon Crawford homered in the fourth to make it 9-1 Giants. The home run was the 100th of the shortstop’s career.

The Giants have won three straight for the first time in 2020. They welcome the Diamondbacks to Oracle Park on Friday for the first of a three-game series. Robbie Ray will face the Giants’ Logan Webb in a 6:45pm start.

Giants have modest two-game win streak after thumping the Angels 7-2

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–It’s official: The Giants’ embarassing weekend is over.

After three days of being used like a doormat by the more talented A’s, the Giants have bounced back, winning a second straight over the Angels Wednesday night, 7-2.

Of course, the response against the struggling Angels won’t generate the headlines that getting embarrassed by the rival A’s did, but the Giants are back to their process. Just get better, one day at at a time.

Wilmer Flores came through with a two-strike, two-out, three-run homer, and Austin Slater hit a two-run shot to back Giants’ starter Johnny Cueto. The veteran pitcher won for the 128th time in his career, and moved to 2-0 on the season, pitching 5 2/3 innings, allowing four hits and two runs.

“Johnny pitched great and he was able to go deeper into the game for us,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “We asked a lot of him and he gave us a lot of pitches. We were able to hand the ball over to the bullpen and they did a nice job for us.”

While Kapler has walked on eggshells in regards to how he utilizes his pitching staff, penciling in his offensive lineup has been a comparative joy. Donovan Solano and Mike Yastrzemski have parked themselves among the league leaders in several offensive categories. The Giants are slighty above MLB average in home runs, triples and RBI. It’s a start for now, and it appears to be picking up steam. In the last eight games, the Giants have hit 13 homers while hitting .295 with runners in scoring position.

When Kapler was forming Wednesday’s lineup against left-hander Patrick Sandoval, Slater with his impressive numbers against lefties had to be penciled in as the DH batting leadoff. Flores or Belt at first base was a tougher call, but only because both are swinging the bat well. This time, Flores got the nod.

“You’re trying to give everyone an opportunity and stay sensitive to the fact that guys are making adjustments and trying to get better,” Kapler said. “This was one of those days. This was one of those lineups.”

Flores rewarded with two hits and four RBI while his batting average climbed to .301. Yastrzemski had a pair of knocks to lift his average to. 318. And Slater’s home run, single and a walk got his OBP to a team-best .453.

That’s progress for a club that at 10-16 is taking its lumps, but showing up everyday and playing for a new manager under unique circumstances.

Meanwhile, the Angels have had little go right in the last week outside of taking advantage of Trevor Gott on Monday for their only win of the stretch. At 8-17, they’re experiencing their worst 25-game start to a season in franchise history.

When the lineup, includes superstar Mike Trout, World Series MVP Anthony Rendon, high-priced import Shohei Ohtani, and future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols, that’s not pretty. Manager Joe Maddon, also in his first year, has been through plenty, but that doesn’t make it any easier.

“These are the moments when you just really, you do have to dig down deeply and you do have to fight through them and you do have to keep pushing to come out the other side,” Maddon said. “In our game, the thing that we have to do consistently well, and I’m not banging on the pitching, we just have to pitch more consistently.”

On Thursday, the Giants and starter Kevin Gausman will face lefty Jose Suarez in his season debut for the Angels.

Giants’ Bullpen Blues: SF collapses in the ninth again, lose 7-6 to the Angels

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San Francisco Giants left fielder Alex Dickerson, bottom, dives for a ball hit by Los Angeles Angels’ Tommy La Stella as third baseman Evan Longoria jumps out of the way during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Monday, Aug. 17, 2020 (AP News photo)

By Morris Phillips

After the seventh inning, the perfect ending had to have crossed manager Gabe Kapler’s mind.

Six consecutive outs and the Giants could end their four-game losing skid with Mike Trout standing in the on-deck circle unable to lift his Angels.

If only Kapler had the horses..

Instead Trevor Gott surrendered a game-ending, two-run homer to Tommy La Stella in a 7-6 Giants’ loss, their third via a ninth inning collapse in four games.

For Gott, his season has gone from delight to disaster: the reliever elevated to closer has allowed six, ninth inning home runs while his ERA has ballooned to 14.73.

“We’ll look for a softer landing spot for him. I think we’re going to need to figure out how to get his confidence back,” Kapler said of Gott.

For La Stella and the Angels, the win was the perfect tonic for ending a four-game skid in which they were overpowered by the A’s before getting swept by the Dodgers over the weekend. The win marked the first time in 11 games they had won after trailing initially. And yes, the game did end with Trout due up next, but the prospect of the Giants getting what they wanted, fueled La Stella.

“I just wanted to make sure I didn’t swing out of the zone, especially with Mike coming up next,” La Stella said.

Trout did his damage earlier with a solo shot in the third that tied the game, 2-2. The Angels’ superstar became the first slugger to reach 10 home runs this season, only to see San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr. homer twice in their game against Texas to take the Major League lead with 11.

For the Giants, Trout’s homer off starter Tyler Anderson marked an ominous milestone, the 20th consecutive game the team’s pitching staff has allowed at least one home run, an ongoing franchise record.

The Giants led 2-0 after Brandon Belt’s homer in the first, then after they trailed 5-3, a three-run rally in the sixth gave them the lead again. Mike Yastrzemski’s two-run double scored Brandon Crawford and Mauricio Dubon to make it 6-5 Giants in the sixth.

Relievers Jarlin Garcia, Tyler Rogers and Tony Watson each pitched scoreless innings to get the Giants to the ninth with the lead. But Gott couldn’t hold it, striking out Brian Goodwin on three pitches, and allowing David Fletcher a bloop single before La Stella ended it.

Dylan Bundy, in search of his fourth win, will start for the Angels on Tuesday, opposed by Trevor Cahill for the Giants. Cahill served as a starter and reliever in 2019, his one and only season as a member of the Angels.