SAN FRANCISCO–After being eliminated from a National League West race that never materialized this season, the Giants have more than a month to focus on a rather subjective team goal that manager Bruce Bochy has outlined: Play better ball.
And while San Francisco has taken steps in the right direction since the All-Star break in that regard, the reality is that the Giants are still playing sub .500 ball since the break, even after securing a 4-2 win that clinched a series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday afternoon.
Though “playing better” ball is all the club has left to strive for as a collective unit, a growing number of individual players are left competing to achieve concrete goals. For left fielder Jarrett Parker and left-hander Matt Moore, the mission is clear.
If Parker plays well over the season’s final five weeks, Bochy indicated it will go a long way toward helping the 28-year-old secure a role in the Giants’ outfield heading into 2018. On Wednesday, Parker helped his cause. With the game knotted up 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh, Parker slapped a two-out double down the left field line that plated Denard Span and Gorkys Hernandez to give the Giants the lead for good.
The base hit came on the first pitch of the at-bat, and in a clutch situation after second baseman Kelby Tomlinson was called out on strikes on a Jacob Barnes offering that wasn’t particularly close to the strike zone.
Parker delivered the closing salvo, but he isn’t the only man with an individual mission at this point in the year.
If Moore pitches well over the season’s final five weeks, a Giants franchise that needs to shore up the back end of its rotation next season will likely exercise its $9 million team option and give Moore a crack at winning a job again next season. If Moore flounders like he did during the season’s first four months, the 28-year-old will likely find himself on the open market, where it could be difficult to command a long-term deal.
There’s no question that Moore wants to play a role in helping the Giants rebound in 2018, and on Wednesday afternoon, he recorded his third consecutive strong start. After watching his earned run average climb to 6.04 on July 7, Moore has slowly begun to pitch at a higher level, even though he’s encountered some hiccups along the way.
On Wednesday, Moore allowed a two-out double to Milwaukee third baseman Travis Shaw in the top of the first inning that put the Brewers ahead 1-0, but after that mistake, the southpaw settled in and kept his opponent scoreless for the remainder of his outing.
Moore wound up logging six innings against Milwaukee on Wednesday, and because he allowed just a lone earned run, his ERA dipped all the way to 5.38, its lowest mark since June 9. Though he wasn’t as dominant as he was his last time out against Philadelphia, Moore still had enough command of his arsenal, which has been a recurring issue for him throughout the year.
The double Moore gave up to Shaw represented the lone hit to a Brewers’ left-hander on Wednesday, which should be considered an improvement considering left-handers came into the contest hitting .378 this season against Moore, which is one of the most insane splits in baseball this year. Ironically, though, the Brewers only included one lefty in their starting lineup, and gave power hitting first baseman Eric Thames the day off, so perhaps it was more of a missed opportunity for Milwaukee than it was an adjustment by Moore.
Either way, Milwaukee’s 1-0 lead didn’t last long, as Brewers’ right-hander Matt Garza also encountered early struggles. In the bottom of the first inning, Garza allowed the first three runners of the inning to reach base before a Buster Posey sacrifice fly tied the game at 1-1. Though San Francisco failed to add on until the seventh inning, Moore and the Giants’ bullpen kept Milwaukee off the board and helped the Giants secure the series win.
