Cody Glenn-USA TODAY Sports
There has not been a moment Mauricio Dubon has looked uncomfortable.
There have been several for Jaylin Davis, but his worst came Thursday through no fault of his own.
Dubon showed off his glove and his brain while Davis’ left hand/wrist area is now a concern, getting drilled and leaving the game in the Giants’ 4-2 loss to the Pirates at Oracle Park.
In a season that has taken a turn away from the playoffs and toward next season, evaluating is virtually all that matters. Davis, who swatted 35 home runs in the minors this year, was set to be a big part of that, making his major league debut, admitting he’s been pressing and going 3-for-21 in his first week. The Giants hope it won’t be his last week of the season.
With two outs in the sixth, Pittsburgh’s Yacksel Rios delivered a second-pitch, 97-mph fastball that just kept moving in. Davis immediately bent over and was checked on by trainer Dave Groeschner for several minutes before they walked off the field together. Joey Rickard took Davis’ lineup spot and moved to left as Mike Yastrzemski shifted to right.
The Giants (70-77), who have lost four of five, did not have any update on the promising slugger.
In a lightly attended (30,918) matinee finale of a series in which the Giants dropped three of four, there was little to take consolation in. Bruce Bochy will not get his 2,000th win on this homestand and likely not at home at all, as he remained stuck on 1,996 with a three-game set against the Marlins on tap. The offense, a day after managing three hits, engineered eight but converted that into just two runs, both courtesy an Evan Longoria home run. But for the few Giants fans on hand, there was Dubon to watch.
Dubon was called up shortly before Davis, the two arriving at Triple-A Sacramento at the trade deadline together and linked as potential future pieces as the Giants rebuild. For Dubon, his bat has been solid. Everything else has been extraordinary.
Dubon made one of the smarter plays you’ll see in the fifth. Adam Frazier took off as Jeff Samardzija (6 1/3 innings, four runs) pitched to Bryan Reynolds, who hit a bouncer to Dubon at second.
The 25-year-old watched Reynolds the whole way, seeing Reynolds peek at third and see a shifted-over Longoria in the shortstop hole. So Reynolds kept running. And Dubon never threw to first.
Instead, he pivoted, leading Longoria perfectly, who slapped the tag on Reynolds to get the lead runner.
Not. On. Buster's. Watch.
#SFGiants pic.twitter.com/w7T4oMqUSB— SFGiants (@SFGiants) September 12, 2019
Having proven his brain, his glove and quickness were flaunted next. With two outs in the sixth, Kevin Kramer tried to get into scoring position for a bigger Pirates cushion. He had a good jump and Buster Posey hesitated out of his crouch and then threw down, bringing Dubon a step toward first on the throw. But Dubon, in his best Javy Baez impersonation, caught the throw and dropped his glove right on Kramer’s cleat a split-second before Kramer’s hand reached the bag.
The Giants mounted a ninth-inning comeback against star Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez, getting runners on the corners with none out before Austin Slater and Yastrzemski struck out and Posey bounced out.
It concluded a disappointing series in a disappointing season, which became even more disappointing after Davis’ plunking. Dubon’s smile has not faded, though.
