Giants’ recent offensive struggles a potential red flag ahead of deadline
The front office is evaluating how to navigate the trade deadline as the Giants' offense goes ice cold.
SAN DIEGO — Bruce Bochy is giving first baseman Brandon Belt the day off Sunday after Belt went 0-for-5 for the third straight game in Saturday’s loss to the Padres.
“He needs a break,” Bochy said. “Probably a mental break as much as anything. We all go through tough times, but he’s available to come off the bench.”
Belt isn’t the only Giants veteran struggling, but his inability to reach base out of the leadoff spot has proved costly for the club as San Francisco has lost two of its last three.
Tyler Austin will start in Belt’s place in a game that could be important in determining what kind of role Austin will play with the Giants moving forward. Since May 31, Austin has played sporadically and is just 8-for-his-last-66.
Three of Austin’s last eight hits are home runs, but he has struck out in more than 40 percent of his plate appearances over the last two months. With two other reserves, Pablo Sandoval and Zach Green, able to provide depth at first base and a handful of Triple-A outfielders worthy of receiving another shot with the Giants, Austin knows that every start he makes is critical to his future.
Austin’s cold stretch is hurting his case to hang onto his bench job, but it’s not significantly reducing the Giants’ chance to win on a daily basis. Over the last three games, Belt has received more at-bats than Austin has since the All-Star break.
As is often the case, the Giants’ inability to score of late is the result of a large group of slumping veterans. Over the team’s last nine games, the Giants are hitting .207 and have averaged just 2.8 runs per game.
Outside of Belt, who has hit .150 during that stretch, five other regulars are also underperforming. Since July 18, Kevin Pillar has posted a .158 average, Brandon Crawford is hitting .171, Joe Panik is batting .190 and Buster Posey has a mark of .208.
Posey’s numbers are in line with the team averages over the last nine games, but the Giants expect and need more production out of a player Bochy still views as a centerpiece in their lineup.
From Opening Day through the end of May, the Giants posted a 22-34 record and routinely struggled to score more than three runs. The offense picked up in June and caught fire at the beginning of July, but the team’s recent woes at the plate are more in line with the challenges the Giants have faced for much of the year.
The lineup is also beginning to feel the loss of third baseman Evan Longoria, who was placed on the injured list with a strain of the plantar fascia in his left foot on Monday, July 15. Longoria is making progress and beginning to run and swing in the batting cage, but he doesn’t have a target return date and isn’t expected back within the next week.
The good news for the Giants is that they’ve still managed to win six of their last nine, securing extra-inning wins in five of those games. With a starting staff that’s kept the club in most games and a bullpen that’s been lights-out over the last month, the Giants still believe they’re a threat in the National League Wild Card race.
On Thursday, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said during a radio interview on KNBR that it’s worthwhile for the Giants to continue trying to contend in 2019, but he also noted the front office must balance the short-term health of the club with a big-picture perspective.
Leading up to the July 31 trade deadline, Zaidi will receive calls on virtually all of his top relievers and Sunday’s starting pitcher, Madison Bumgarner. While Zaidi and other Giants executives are optimistic about the team’s chances to remain a factor in the postseason race, maintaining that optimism is more difficult when almost all of the club’s core players have been inconsistent at the plate.
Jones clears waivers
The Giants announced Sunday that infielder Ryder Jones has cleared waivers and was outrighted to Double-A Richmond.
Jones was designated for assignment on July 21 when the Giants needed to clear a 40-man roster spot for infielder Zach Green. Green is in the lineup and starting at third base Sunday against the Padres.