The San Francisco Giants’ bullpen has spent all year making life miserable, and Wednesday night pushed things into ugly territory.
In a loss to the Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco blew a six-run lead in the ninth inning, a collapse so extreme it was the first time in franchise history the club had lost after leading by that margin in the final frame. The Giants had been in that exact situation more than 2,200 times before without letting it slip away.
The result only added to the growing national spotlight on a relief corps that has become one of the worst in baseball at finishing games. Cincinnati entered the night with a 63-71 record, but the Reds treated the Giants’ bullpen like a mismatch, piling on offense, including a grand slam, and turning a bad night into a full-blown embarrassment for San Francisco.
Afterward, Giants general manager Zak Minasian tried to put a better face on the numbers, leaning on a split that makes the bullpen look far less damaged if the ninth inning is removed.
"Something I was looking at the other day," Minasian stated on Thursday, according to NBC Sports Bay Area. "The ninth inning obviously has been a huge issue. Our bullpen ERA, when you take out the ninth inning -- I think the last time I looked was a couple of days ago -- sixth in baseball."
That framing doesn’t change the larger picture: the Giants’ relief mix needs a serious overhaul. Minasian, like his boss Buster Posey, is reluctant to use the word rebuild, but the bullpen clearly needs to be retooled at the very least. San Francisco still needs someone who can lock down the ninth, and injuries plus a depleted roster have kept the club from finding that answer as it gets ready for the 2027 season.
"There's talent there," Minasian concluded. "One thing I will say is, I know as a front office we don't feel comfortable, obviously, resting on what we have.
You always want more talent. I don't necessarily want to take away from some of the guys that we have that I think can be a part of a really good bullpen."
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