Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
The trumpet blasts in Miami’s park were heard throughout and were far louder than the Giants’ bats.
It was a Marlins blast that ultimately led to the Giants’ downfall.
Wandy Peralta watched Starling Marte crush a three-run home run that was 107.6 mph off the bat, the big hit in a day without many during a 4-1 loss at loanDepot Park on Friday, just the Giants’ second defeat in their last eight games.
Peralta, who has had a good start to his season, was trying to keep the game knotted at 1-1 in the eighth, but his straight-down-the-middle fastball to the veteran Marte was crushed to deep left.
The lefty Peralta was a problem on the day but not the problem for the Giants (8-5), whose supposed strength has yet to be a strength this year.
Their offense exploded for seven runs on Tuesday, but even so, they have only scored 29 runs in their past 11 games (2.6 per game). There continue to be near-misses — former Giant Adam Duvall robbing Donovan Solano in right comes to mind — but they just have not put enough on the scoreboard to expect to win. Even if they have won plenty throughout the span.
It’s both a surprising problem and an evolving one. They had a few opportunities against Miami but could not break through.
In the opening game of the Marlins series, they went just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Mike Yastrzemski, who had a nice game in going 2-for-4, lined a one-out triple down the first-base line in the sixth, but was stranded when Evan Longoria and Alex Dickerson were retired.
Austin Slater wreaked two-out havoc in the third, drawing a walk and then forcing a throw-over that got by Garrett Cooper at first base. Slater wound up all the way on third as the Marlins chased the ball, but Solano’s flyout left him there.
The Giants opened the second with a Longoria walk and Wilmer Flores single, but Darin Ruf hit into a sharp double play.
They could not get many hits (just five) or the big one throughout, struggling against Daniel Castano and a litany of Marlins relievers and letting down Anthony DeSclafani, who pitched another excellent game.
The 30-year-old continues to live up to the next-Kevin Gausman hope, allowing one run in six innings and actually raising his ERA to 1.06. The righty has now gone 17 innings and allowed two runs this season.
DeSclafani didn’t walk a batter and surrendered just four hits while striking out four. His two-seamer/four-seamer combination was especially effective, drawing five swings-and-misses on the four-seam and getting nine called strikes on his sinker. Maybe his best one of the day was one of his last ones, a perfect backdoor sinker in the sixth that got Cooper looking. His outing was finished with unexpected help, a remarkable leaping play in left field from Dickerson, who had to fight a fan’s glove against the wall to make the catch.
"Annnnnd…he caught it!" pic.twitter.com/3Mki6SLuNZ
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) April 17, 2021
The Giants’ defense has been solid early, which might be a surprise. But not as big a surprise as their quiet offense has been.