Following Melvin’s contract option being exercised, SF Giants drop fourth straight game
PHOENIX — The Giants had the foundation of a bounce-back game.
In manager Bob Melvin’s assessment, they began the night with great energy. They scored two early runs off right-hander Zac Gallen. Hayden Birdsong struck out five batters through the first three innings.
By night’s end, they’d lost their fourth consecutive game.
Birdsong lost his command. Patrick Bailey surrendered two passed balls that led to three unearned runs. The Arizona Diamondbacks slugged four homers and scored eight unanswered runs. Gallen struck out 10 batters over seven innings; former Giant Anthony DeSclafani pitched two scoreless innings of relief.
Hours after exercising manager Bob Melvin’s contract option for 2026, San Francisco (45-41) endured a flat 8-2 loss to Arizona (43-42). Not too long ago, the Giants were tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the NL West. They now reside in third place after losing 12 of their last 16 games. And if San Francisco doesn’t course correct over the next two nights, there’s a chance they leave the desert sitting in fourth place.
“It felt like we went out there with as good energy as we’ve had all year,” Melvin said. “We scored some early runs off a starter, which has been a problem for us. In the middle innings, it just completely flipped.”
The game most tangibly flipped when Birdsong, for a second start in a row, inexplicably lost the strike zone.
With the Giants leading 2-1, Birdsong began the bottom of the fourth inning by throwing 10 consecutive balls. On his 11th pitch of the frame, Birdsong surrendered a three-run homer to Jake McCarthy that gave the Diamondbacks a lead that they’d never lose.
The 23-year-old Birdsong similarly lost his command in his last outing against the Miami Marlins, walking the first two batters of the fifth inning before being pulled from the game.
“It’s the same thing every single time,” Birdsong said. “I don’t know what it is. Almost feels like a forcefield. I don’t know why. Same mindset. Arm feels good. Just gotta find something. I don’t know what it is, but we’ll find it.”
Birdsong only walked 8.6 percent of the batters he faced in April and May, but he’s walked 11 percent of batters from June onwards. He believes his confidence levels are fine, and while he doesn’t think anything is wrong mechanically, he conceded that something could be off.
“He’s got to keep pitching through it,” Melvin said. “We’ve seen this guy really good. We’ve seen him pitch really well out of the bullpen, come in late in games. It’s just been a little bit of a tough period for him for whatever reason.”
Bailey, too, had his own tough night at the ballpark.
In the bottom of the third, Bailey couldn’t corral a catchable curveball from Birdsong, allowing James McCann to advance from first to second. That same at-bat, Geraldo Perdomo shot a single over the outstretched glove of second baseman Tyler Fitzgerald to drive in Arizona’s first run of the game. The run was unearned.
Two innings later, Bailey had an even costlier miscue. With two outs in the fifth, Carson Seymour got Eugenio Suárez to whiff on a two-strike sinker but Bailey couldn’t catch the pitch. The ball rolled away, Suárez scampered to first and the inning stayed alive.
The next batter, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., immediately made the passed ball hurt by smacking a two-run home run, extending the Diamondbacks’ lead to four runs. In the sixth, back-to-back home runs by Randal Grichuk and James McCann extended Arizona’s lead to six runs and effectively iced the game.
“He’s one of the better framers in the game, but that was three runs there,” Melvin said. “There has to be … an area where you can’t go after that. You just got to catch it because at least tonight the ramifications were big.”
With third-string third baseman Christian Koss hitting the 10-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain, the Giants called upon Wilmer Flores to make his first appearance at third base since May 5, 2024.
Along with going 1-for-4 at the plate, Flores easily handled the lone grounder hit at him. Flores nearly had an RBI on his single, but center fielder Alek Thomas threw out Rafael Devers trying to score from second.
“Flo is up for it today — which you would expect,” Melvin said pregame. “He wants to win. He can help the team win. He’s played the position before. He’s played first quite a bit here. He can field a grounder. He can throw the ball. We’ll see where we go with it.”
Playing Flores at third is far from ideal for the Giants, who have spoken repeatedly about keeping Flores healthy after he underwent a season-ending Tenex procedure on his right knee last year. Brett Wisely should likely see time at third base in the coming days, and president of baseball operations Buster Posey said it’s “on the table” that Devers plays his old position.
Devers has played 951 games at third over nine seasons in the majors but has exclusively been a designated hitter with both Boston and San Francisco. Melvin said last month that the Giants didn’t plan to use Devers at third upon acquiring him, but the team is more open to pursuing that avenue with Koss, Matt Chapman (right hand inflammation) and Casey Schmitt (left hand inflammation) all injured.
Before the Giants even consider playing Devers at third, they’ll first have to ensure that he’s fully healthy.
Devers has been dealing with a groin ailment since joining San Francisco, and Melvin revealed on Tuesday that the three-time All-Star is also managing a back ailment as well. With Chapman and Schmitt on track to return in the coming days, the Giants may not have to use Devers at the hot corner at all.
“He’s not yet physically ready to play first, so third would be the same thing,” Melvin said. “Once he’s able to play in the field, he told me he’s open for anything.”
