Giants’ struggling offense prompts ‘frustrating’ response from Webb originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — Coming off second place in the NL Cy Young race, Logan Webb didn’t need to do much work this spring. But it wasn’t difficult for him to find his next project in February.
Webb has never held runners well, so he focused on that part of his game in the spring, knowing that all he needs to do most of the time is give Patrick Bailey a chance. Bailey was in IL for Friday night’s game, so when Elly De La Cruz, the MLB leader in stolen bases, arrived in the first inning, Webb took matters into his own hands.
He moved into first place immediately, and when referee Larry Vanover ruled out De La Cruz, Webb couldn’t hide his excitement. But a few moments later, De La Cruz was in second.
A review overturned the initial decision and De La Cruz easily stole the first of two bases on a night in which he reached 25 for the season. He scored both times, and speedy outfielder Stuart Fairchild added another run on an inside-the-park home run. The Giants knew these Reds would try to attack them, especially with Bailey out until Saturday with a concussion, but they were powerless to stop them.
At the moment, they can’t do much to stop this slide.
The lineup scored in the first two innings and then went silent. “We lost our mojo,” coach Bob Melvin said, shaking his head. An error and a falling error allowed a run to score and two outfielders converged on Fairchild’s deep ball but backed off, allowing another to score.
Cincinnati won 4-2, snapping their eight-game losing streak. In the other clubhouse, a familiar feeling continued to take hold.
“It’s dog shit, to be honest, as a whole,” Webb said of that bit. “It’s frustrating. It’s not good enough.”
Webb has repeatedly said he needs to be better, but Giants pitchers shouldn’t be constantly asked to go more than seven innings and allow three runs, only two of which were earned by Webb. Their margin for error remains very small due to ongoing roster issues.
The Giants averaged just three runs per game in a trip from 3 to 7. Since scoring five straight over the New York Mets, they have averaged 2.9 runs in 15 games. It’s the kind of stretch that means you have to be perfect everywhere else, and on Friday they weren’t close.
“Look, you can’t give these guys extra bases,” Melvin said. “Certainly one of them ended up costing us a run. When you don’t score a lot of runs, you have to play perfect defense or you can’t make mistakes. It was a combination of things.”
The Giants are expected to get Bailey back from concussion on the IL on Saturday, and the timing couldn’t be better. He’s a Gold Glove candidate behind the plate, but he’s also become one of the team’s most reliable hitters.
Bailey should be alongside Webb when he faces the Los Angeles Dodgers next Wednesday, but if they keep playing this brand of baseball, the Giants will be in double digits in the division by the time their rivals arrive. The latest loss dropped them to 17-23, the fourth-worst record in the National League. It stood on Webb’s record, as he was shaky early on but cruised through the middle of the inning and ended up passing seventh, something he has done in all four starts at Oracle Park this season.
“He gave up three runs, only two earned, seven innings — still pitched well enough,” Melvin said. “When you only score two runs, that’s going to be a problem.”
