Giants’ Alex Wood, bullpen roughed up in blowout loss to Phillies
SAN FRANCISCO – The offense for the Giants had been so good this week as they reeled off five straight wins that it covered up the fact that the pitching staff had also allowed a combined 19 earned runs.
There was no masking the Giants’ pitching woes on Saturday, though.
The Giants allowed three home runs, including two to Sacramento native Rhys Hoskins, in a 13-6 drubbing at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies, just their third defeat in their last 12 games at Oracle Park.
“This wasn’t a crisp game all the way around,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “We have a better brand of baseball in us and this wasn’t our best today.”
Giants starter Alex Wood’s tough month continued as he rarely looked settled in what became his shortest outing of the season.
Wood allowed six hits – including a mammoth two-run home run to Hoskins — and four earned runs in three innings. In the first inning, he issued two walks, threw a wild pitch, and hit Phillies’ third baseman Alec Bohm.
Considering his control issues early on, Wood was asked if he was concerned about MLB’s new sticky stuff rules — that go into effect Monday — that limit what pitchers can use to help get a better grip on the ball.
“Loaded question,” he said. “I mean, the majority of guys are using something, whether it’s for grip or whether it’s for legitimate enhancement of their arsenal. I’m not going to be the person that’s going to sit here and complain. This is a reality.”
Wood added, “Do I think that was impactful in my outing today? No, probably not. I’m not somebody that has ever used anything really for grip to try and enhance my vertical movement or my pitch profiles.
“It’s not hard to look and see my profiles have stayed pretty much the same for the most part.”
Wood entered Saturday with a 1-1 record and a 7.80 ERA in three June starts. Wood looked good Monday when he allowed two runs over six innings to Arizona, but labored in the first inning Saturday with 35 pitches – all but ensuring a short outing.
Wood did a better job of attacking the zone in the second inning, but Donovan Solano’s throwing error to first base with two outs after a ground ball by Odúbel Herrera proved costly.
Hoskins, the next better, clubbed a two-run homer off Wood 435 feet into the left-field bleachers, the third homer Wood has allowed this month and the ninth this season.
Wood appeared frustrated that a sinker he threw to Hoskins earlier in the at-bat that caught the edge of the zone wasn’t called a strike. The next pitch, a changeup, caught all of the plate.
“I just didn’t have it today,” Wood said.
Mike Yastrzemski and Brandon Belt both hit home runs and LaMonte Wade Jr. added a two-run double as the Giants scored six runs in the first three innings.
But the Phillies scored two runs in the sixth inning and four more in the seventh, including three off a Hoskins homer to center off reliever Conner Menez. The Phillies’ bullpen, by comparison, combined to throw 6 2/3 shutout innings, allowing just two hits and one walk.
The Giants scored 37 runs in a four-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks to start the week, a series that included final scores of 13-7 and 9-8. Including Saturday, the Giants have allowed 30 earned runs in 54 innings this week for a 5.00 ERA. They’ve also committed five errors so far on this homestand.
It’s uncharacteristic of a Giants team that entered Saturday with a 3.22 ERA and a whip of 1.11, marks that ranked fourth and second, respectively, in the National League. They also ranked first with a .988 fielding percentage, with an NL low 31 errors.
“I don’t think our defense played our best game today,” Kapler said.
REHAB ASSIGNMENTS: Giants outfielder Alex Dickerson and utility player Darin Ruf both began rehab assignments in Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday. It’s unclear how long each player will be with the River Cats, who are just starting a lengthy homestand.
“We’ll see how many at-bats they need to feel good,” Kapler said, “and then we’ll get them out of there.”
SUNDAY’S STARTER: Kapler said left-hander Sammy Long will start Sunday’s series finale with the Phillies. Long has appeared in two games for the Giants this season, most recently on Tuesday when he allowed four earned runs in five innings against Arizona.
HONORING JUNETEENTH: The Giants wore San Francisco Sea Lions replica uniforms Saturday, marking the 75th anniversary of the West Coast Negro Baseball Association. The Sea Lions played for just one season, wearing uniforms given to them by the San Francisco Cubs. That is why the Sea Lions’ tops had a bearcub on the left side.
Before the game, vocalist Jennifer Johns sang “Lift every voice and sing” and Margo Malone, the Giants’ manager of client relations and special projects, threw out the first pitch, caught by former San Francisco outfielder Jeffrey Leonard.