{"id":165968,"date":"2025-08-22T07:58:18","date_gmt":"2025-08-22T07:58:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/165968\/"},"modified":"2025-08-22T07:58:18","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T07:58:18","slug":"what-we-learned-from-the-giants-dreadful-series-in-san-diego-it-just-looks-awful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/165968\/","title":{"rendered":"What we learned from the Giants’ dreadful series in San Diego: ‘It just looks awful’"},"content":{"rendered":"

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SAN DIEGO \u2013 Goofy things tend to happen on Justin Verlander\u2019s watch.<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s the bullpen coughing up a lead or the offense not scoring runs or the defense playing sloppy, Verlander has been victimized an awful lot this season. Sometimes he simply pitches poorly, but there\u2019s a laundry list of games that could have been wins with a bit more support.<\/p>\n

Thursday\u2019s 8-4 loss to the Padres might not have been one of those, but the Giants certainly would have been more competitive with some clean defense. It\u2019s something president of baseball operations Buster Posey stressed at the trade deadline, but it\u2019s not something that\u2019s often on display.<\/p>\n

With the score tied 2-2 entering the fifth inning, the Padres blew the game open with a six-run rally, five of the runs charged to Verlander, all earned \u2014 despite the fact the Giants committed two errors on a bunted ball, the play that swung the inning.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt looks terrible,\u201d manager Bob Melvin said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re not hitting and you play bad defense, it just looks awful. Two errors on one play. Look at Justin\u2019s (pitching) line; he certainly did not pitch to that line.\u201d<\/p>\n

Casey Schmitt, playing third base for injured Matt Chapman, committed four errors in the four-games series including a doozy Thursday when he picked up Freddy Ferm\u00edn\u2019s bunt (with no outs and two runners aboard) and heaved it past first base. Right fielder Luis Matos, who joined the roster earlier in the day, bobbled it for the second error.<\/p>\n

One bunt, two runs, a 4-2 deficit. Seeing that Schmitt might have been rattled, the next two Padres bunted his way as well. Fernando Tat\u00eds Jr. for a hit. Luis Arr\u00e1ez for a sacrifice. Manny Machado\u2019s two-run double made it 6-2, and Verlander was done.<\/p>\n

Reliever Matt Gage helped the inning drag on, and it was 8-2 when it finally ended.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t been over there (at third base) in a little bit, so a little bit of cobwebs,\u201d said Schmitt, who has played mostly second base in recent weeks and likely will return to second when Chapman returns as soon as Saturday. \u201cOne was a barehanded play, and I threw it in the sh\u2014er. Probably just a little too quick.\u201d<\/p>\n

Verlander\u2019s ERA rose from 4.23 to 4.54, but that could change because the Giants were considering appealing the official scorer\u2019s ruling on the Ferm\u00edn bunt. The scorer made two mistakes on his initial ruling. He neglected to give Matos an error, though he eventually corrected his oversight, and also awarded Ferm\u00edn a hit even though a good throw by Schmitt would have been an easy out. He didn\u2019t correct that one.<\/p>\n

As a result, Verlander\u2019s ERA is higher than it should be, though that wasn\u2019t the primary\u00a0talking point after the game. It was more about the Giants finishing the season series against the Padres at an embarrassing 3-10 and putting in another ugly performance, this one on the defense.<\/p>\n

Verlander\u2019s stuff has improved recently, evidenced by the hitters\u2019 reactions to his pitches including the swings and misses, but there\u2019s no sugarcoating his 1-10 record and the fact he\u2019s stuck on 263 career wins.<\/p>\n

He was asked if he feels snakebit in a Giants uniform.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t succumb to that,\u201d he said, \u201cbut it feels like it so far, yeah. I’ve kind of tried to maintain this optimistic point of view that as much as it has felt like the deck\u2019s been stacked against me, that it can turn around just as quick. We don’t have that much time left, though. But I really do believe particularly the last couple (starts), even the three or four before that, were much, much better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Future fodder <\/p>\n

Schmitt has a chance to be the Opening Day second baseman next season, unless the Giants find someone more proven from the outside. Matos has a chance to be in next season\u2019s outfield mix.<\/p>\n

So that miserable play in which both committed errors was not a good sign moving forward. Both will continue to get reps as the front office tries to figure out what\u2019s next. On the positive side, Matos had two extra-base hits. And Schmitt\u2019s homer Wednesday was the Giants\u2019 lone run.<\/p>\n

\"ACasey Schmitt has been filling in at third base during Matt Chapman’s absence. | Source: Sean M. Haffey\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cI think this is a runway for Luis to get some consistent at-bats,\u201d said Melvin, suggesting Matos and Drew Gilbert will platoon in right field. \u201cWe’ve seen Luis really, really good when he’s gotten some consistent at-bats, and hopefully that’s going to be the case now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schmitt, a third baseman by trade, said he\u2019d embrace a chance to be the everyday second baseman next season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it would be very beneficial to focus on one thing, but at the end of the day, stuff happens. Weird things happen,\u201d he said. \u201cI can be that guy to potentially fill in whatever roles are needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Dream come true\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n

Baseball has a countless number of wonderful stories, and one of the latest cool ones was the charming tale of Joel Peguero, who toiled in the minor leagues for a decade before getting his first big-league callup.<\/p>\n

Ten years to the day after Peguero signed a pro contract as a 16-year-old \u2013 by the Rays \u2013 he pitched two scoreless innings and threw his first pitch 102 miles per hour. The Giants added him to their roster for bullpen depth Thursday, and he was all smiles in the clubhouse before the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike a dream come true,\u201d said Peguero, who pitched in the farm systems of the Rays, Rockies, Nationals, and Tigers before the Giants signed him in the offseason to a minor-league contract and invited him to spring training.<\/p>\n

\"AJoel Peguero made his major league debut and impressed out of the Giants’ bullpen on Thursday. | Source: Sean M. Haffey\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The 5-foot-11 right-hander was so impressive (eight strikeouts in 7 \u2154 scoreless innings) that he won the Barney Nugent Award, which is given to the Giants\u2019 best newcomer in big-league camp. He showed up topping 100 mph on the radar gun and, after a knee injury shelved him for a month early in the season, pitched well enough recently for Triple-A Sacramento to earn the promotion.<\/p>\n

The native of the Dominican Republic has upped his English game to where he asked interpreter Erwin Higueros to accompany him in pregame and postgame interviews but rarely needed his help. He called his triple-digit fastball \u201ca blessing from God\u201d and said his wife and mother in law will meet him in Milwaukee.<\/p>\n

Rotation roundup<\/b><\/p>\n

Carson Whisenhunt will return to the roster and start Friday\u2019s game in Milwaukee, which will give workhorses Logan Webb and Robbie Ray an extra day of rest.<\/p>\n

Whisenhunt, the Giants\u2019 No. 1 pitching prospect who has made three big-league starts this season, will take Landen Roupp\u2019s spot. Roupp exited Wednesday\u2019s game in the third inning with a knee injury and was seen Thursday leaving the clubhouse in a cart, accompanied by trainer Dave Groeschner, and was expected to have an MRI in the Bay Area late Thursday.<\/p>\n

Asked if the Giants could go with a six-man rotation to give their starters more rest down the stretch, Melvin said, \u201cI don’t know that we have six right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blade Tidwell, acquired from the Mets in the Tyler Rogers trade, has had three quality outings in Sacramento but is dealing with a shoulder ailment. Hayden Birdsong walked five batters in his last start. Kai-Wei Teng was optioned Thursday.<\/p>\n

Outfielder Grant McCray also was optioned, making room for Peguero and Matos. To create space on the 40-man roster for Peguero, reliever Erik Miller was transferred to the 60-day IL.<\/p>\n