On Monday, the Giants led baseball in runs scored per game. Since then, they have scored five runs in four games. They’re outside of the top-third in MLB in runs per game heading into the weekend.
Against the Cardinals, San Francisco finally surpassed its one-run threshold — but just barely — on Friday night in Oracle Park. In the past four games, the Giants have left 28 on base and have gone 2-for-21 with runners in scoring position.
The Giants (14-12) pulled out all the stops to manufacture two runs on Friday night, pinch-hitting in consecutive spots in the fifth inning. The effort was successful but also showed just how hard runs have been to come by recently. Darin Ruf’s two-run single in San Francisco’s kitchen-sink fifth inning amounted to the club’s only scoring in a 3-2 loss — the Giants’ seventh loss in their past eight games.
In spite of another modest offensive effort, the Giants were competitive for all nine innings because of a somewhat unlikely source: starter Alex Cobb.
Cobb entered Friday with an alarming 5.40 ERA, but a 1.80 FIP. The latter, which separates what pitchers can control from what they can’t, was sixth best among all starters with at least 10 innings pitched. The discrepancy meant that Cobb was getting unlucky.
Cobb retired the first nine Cardinals he faced. One outing after failing to get out of the first inning, partly due to fielding mishaps, he — and his dirty split-fingered fastball — didn’t leave anything to chance.
The veteran only needed 36 pitches to get through three frames, throwing 28 of them for strikes. He struck out four and three others tapped out right back to him with soft comebackers.
He finally allowed a base runner in the fourth inning, then faced real trouble after Nolan Arenado’s double put Cardinals on second and third with one out. But Cobb dispatched Tyler O’Neill in three pitches (curve-splitter-splitter) and then Juan Yepez in as many (splitter-sinker-splitter).
Cobb’s splitter looked as lively as Kevin Gausman’s did at its best last year. Like Gausman’s specialty often did, it got Pitching Ninja’s attention.
The Giants’ starter was dealing. Cobb earned 19 whiffs on 74 total pitches. But were the Giants ever going to break out of their funk and support him?
In their previous three games, the Giants had scored three runs. They left 22 on base and went 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position.
Those ugly numbers grew to 24 left on base and 1-for-17 three innings into Cobb’s start. Then in the bottom of the fourth, Brandon Crawford reached on a double when Harrison Bader and Paul DeJong collided in center field. Was this the break the Giants needed?
The Oracle Park crowd was so antsy, they jumped out of their seats when Thairo Estrada made contact. But Jordan Hicks’ pitch went off the end of his bat and hardly escaped the infield grass for an inning-ending groundout. Giants fans were clamoring for any offense. Instead: 23 LOB, 1-for-16 RISP.
Then, 4.1 innings into the game, Cobb finally gave up a dangerous knock. Harrison Bader turned on an inside splitter, sending it just over the left field wall for a two-run home run in the fifth inning. As he rounded second base, Bader threw his right hand in the rockstar formation — thumb out, pinky and pointer up — to the misty sky. When he crossed home, he double rockered it.
Bader had reason to celebrate. Given how San Francisco’s offense has been producing, his two-run homer would probably hold. Two runs would’ve been enough to beat SF in each of its past three games.
It wasn’t enough Friday because San Francisco pulled out all their tricks in the bottom half of the fifth. SF put runners on the corner with a walk and single, bringing LaMonte Wade Jr. up. The threat of Wade’s lefty bat ended Jordan Hicks’ night after 68 pitches. St. Louis went to its bullpen but still didn’t gain an advantage, because the Giants pinch-hit Wade for Austin Slater.
Although Slater dribbled out, the Giants worked the same tactic the next at-bat with two outs. Darin Ruf tagged in for Mike Yastrzemski against STL’s left-handed reliever and finally found a gap. The slugger whose misfortunes have slowed his production tied the game with a two-run, inside-out swing single.
In a tie ballgame, John Brebbia worked a 1-2-3 inning — continuing his revelatory season. Sean Hjelle made his MLB debut and retired the side. Tyler Rogers followed him, forming as funky as a 1-2 reliever punch imaginable.
Closer Camilo Doval cleaned up Rogers’ messy eighth, but couldn’t vacuum up the ninth. Dylan Carlson hit the go-ahead single as a pinch-hitter, scoring pinch-runner Brendan Donovan from second. STL out-smallballed the Giants and their closer.
The Giants have faced stout pitching recently. When looking at film of the past three games, manager Gabe Kapler said the offense isn’t lifting enough of their hard-hit balls into the air. To work on that, the coaching staff wants everyone to ramp up their high-intensity training on the field and in the batting cages, Kapler said.
“But that’s more of a result thing, and it’s not as much of a thing where you just turn a key because you talk about it and it’s fixed,” Kapler said.
Baseball offenses are complicated. They’re more like a combination safe than a lock-and-key door. There won’t be one simple solution for the Giants’ floundering offense.
Getting Brandon Belt back will help. LaMonte Wade Jr., even if just by providing depth, helps. Evan Longoria and Tommy La Stella should help. But this stretch is concerning. Tried-to-pick-the-lock-too-many-times-the-alarm’s-blaring concerning.
