The Giants found a way to turn Wednesday night into one of those games you don’t shake off quickly.
It started almost immediately with Tony Vitello getting ejected in the first inning after arguing a call. The argument apparently wasn’t much out of line, but it was another example of an umpire going quick with the trigger on Vitello.
He showed more fire this time after getting tossed, and the moment fed into a larger issue that keeps hanging over him: respect. Umpires don’t seem to have much for Vitello, and there’s even been reason to wonder at times whether the Giants’ own players fully buy in, either.
That’s the backdrop. Then the offense finally woke up.
Rafael Devers kept his hot streak going by launching a ball into McCovey Cove. Drew Gilbert followed with a bases-clearing double in the bottom of the eighth after what seemed like an intentional pitch at him Tuesday night, and he added some words for the Reds’ dugout after the hit. Gilbert also turned in a strong series for San Francisco, which only helps his case to be a bigger part of next year’s team.
There were other bright spots too. Shay Whitcomb homered, and Turner Hill continued to look really solid.
And then came the collapse.
The Giants carried a 9-3 lead into the ninth inning. They had never lost a game in the ninth with a six-run lead, not in New York, not in San Francisco, never. But Spencer Bivens and Dylan Smith combined to give up seven runs, and the Reds walked out with a 10-9 win.
For a team already looking like a mess, it was the kind of ending that felt painfully on brand.
There was energy, there was some hope, and there was even a lead that looked safe. Instead, the Giants finished with a bullpen meltdown, sloppy play, and a sickening result. Logan Webb did his part and still got robbed of a win, because of course he did.
The whole night had the feel of a season that keeps finding new ways to embarrass itself. Vitello’s early ejection only sharpened the larger picture around him and this club, and the loss fit the same pattern: promise, then chaos, then ruin.
Wednesday was one more game worth writing about. Unfortunately for the Giants, it was for all the wrong reasons.
In Other News...
Giants Rotation Suddenly Has Another Problem Fans Feared
The Giants were already bracing for a rotation hit after Carson Whisenhunt was announced to need Tommy John surgery for a torn UCL, and then Adrian Houser left a game against the Reds after just 1.1 innings because of an apparent injury. It was the kind of sequence that can turn a pitching staffs margin for error into a week-to-week concern, especially for a club that has been forced to keep reshuffling arms.
San Francisco had already moved quickly by calling up Spencer Bivens to fill Whisenhunts roster spot, but Housers status now creates another question the Giants may have to answer sooner rather than later. If the injury proves serious, Tristan Beck and Matt Wilkinson look like logical names to step into the opening, even if the club would clearly prefer not to be making another rotation decision this soon. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Have Two Triple A Bats Facing A Tough Path Up
Bo Davidson and Scott Bandura have given the Giants something to think about in Triple-A, especially with the way both left-handed-hitting outfield prospects have handled themselves at the plate and on the bases. For a club that is always balancing present needs with future upside, that kind of production is the sort of thing that can quietly force its way into the conversation, even if the big league roster is already crowded.
The problem is the path above them is not exactly clear. San Francisco already has plenty of left-handed bats in the outfield mix, which can make it hard for either player to find steady playing time if a call-up comes, and a promotion may end up depending more on roster movement or an injury than on performance alone. For now, the Giants can keep letting both develop in Triple-A while waiting for the opening that makes the most sense. [Read more 🡒]
Willy Adames Just Put The Giants In A Tough Shortstop Spot
Willy Adames has given the Giants a late-season dilemma they would rather not have at shortstop. The veteran infield anchor is dealing with a moderate UCL sprain in his non-throwing arm, and because he plans to seek a second medical opinion, the club is still sorting through what comes next and how much it makes sense to push for a return.
For San Francisco, the question is no longer just about getting Adames back on the field, but whether there is enough time and enough benefit to justify it if the medical picture stays murky. If surgery ends up being the route, his first season in orange and black will close with a full workload of 121 games, leaving the Giants to weigh both his health and his place in the lineup as they look ahead. [Read more 🡒]