Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Bruce Bochy started with levity, because it’s a great place to start.
“I’m halfway there,” the manager joked, at the midpoint of his farewell season. “This is gonna be Manager Gone Wild from this time on. I couldn’t do it the whole year, but I can on the back nine.”
Friday’s matchup with the Diamondbacks at Oracle Park represented Game 81, the Giants tied for the season’s rock bottom at 12 games under .500 at 34-46, losers of four of five with an offense dead last in the majors in batting average.
So when the Manager Gone Wild disappeared, he peered at a team that is heading toward a trade-deadline selloff.
“We’re disappointed,” Bochy said. “We look at a lot of these games, think we could’ve, should’ve won. A mistake here or there, not quite executing, the little things.
“… You look at the record, and I really think it should be better than what it is.”
It’s a tough argument for a team that is 17-6 in one-run games, with Will Smith perfect in save chances — and soon to go. Bochy admitted an offense that is being dragged by aging veterans such as Evan Longoria (.673 OPS), Joe Panik (.648), Brandon Crawford (.621) and Buster Posey (.651) has let him down.
“The offense is not what I thought it would be,” Bochy said of a unit that entered play with a .223 average. “I still think it’s going to be better. I know we’re better than what we played in the first half.”
Bochy said he would like to see more from the starting pitching in the second half, young starters such as Tyler Beede and Shaun Anderson who can emerge as future pieces of the team.
The question will become which pieces are still part of the team in August.
Just a little longer to wait for Steven Duggar. Just a little more weight for Steven Duggar.
The outfielder ran and threw from the outfield Thursday, Bochy said, as he recovers from a lower back strain, and is expected to start his rehab assignment Saturday.
He will begin play at a healthier weight, Bochy revealed. Bochy said the rookie, listed at 6-foot-2, 189 pounds, had lost “10-15 pounds” throughout the course of the season.
“We got some weight back on him,” Bochy said of the 25-year-old. “It’s going to help his strength and stamina. Just needs to go down there [to Triple-A Sacramento], get some reps and get his timing back.”
Bochy wasn’t sure the exact reason for the weight loss, and it’s “not like he had room.”
“Whether it’s a fast metabolism or what,” he said. “… The way he plays, and a young player sometimes, they put a little stress on themselves, that can add to it.”
Bochy said Travis Bergen, out since May 21 with a left shoulder strain, is “fine.”
“He’s throwing, it’s just when we decide to make a move,” Bochy said. “Pretty soon we’re gonna make the call.”