Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
PHOENIX — The bottom of the seventh inning alone included three pop-ups/flyballs that Giants fielders let drop on a terrifically windy, sunny day at American Family Fields of Phoenix.
Perhaps they were gifting the Brewers some outs back after five frames between the two teams had been rolled — meaning, ended before three outs were recorded to spare the pitcher on the mound (and spare the sleeping fans in the seats).
After a season that did not include people in the stands, Tuesday’s game was not one to show to fans who have missed it. The 3-hour, 37-minute game might have taken an extra hour if all the outs were actually recorded, a seeming attempt to compensate for all the time the fans were away.
“We did not play a good baseball game today,” Gabe Kapler said, accurately, after the Giants lost, 13-7. “We did not play a crisp baseball game today. There are a lot of fundamental things that we absolutely have to clean up and opportunities that we didn’t take advantage of, as a team, as a unit, as a group.
“This was not our best day and this is spring training and obviously, it’s time to be patient, but it’s also a time to demonstrate some urgency and a time to make adjustments.”
There was a bright spot for the Giants, whose outfielders had nice offensive days.
Steven Duggar, who’s trying to hang on to his roster spot and had started spring slowly, has shown signs of breaking out by homering the other way in a second consecutive game. The 27-year-old also walked three times and stole two bases in easily his most impressive look of the spring.
“It’s been a tale of two camps for Duggar,” Kapler said of the outfielder, who has seven strikeouts in 12 at-bats. “On one hand, more recently, he’s been having fantastic at-bats. Obviously gone deep a couple of times. We also see opportunities for him to be more aggressive on the bases. We see opportunities for him to be more aggressive in getting bunts down. And those are things that we’re talking to him about. He’s had some really strong at-bats of late.”
Duggar was not available after the road game because he played all nine innings.
If Duggar is feeling extra heat this spring in center, it’s not just from LaMonte Wade Jr., who was brought in as additional competition. Heliot Ramos believes his time is now, and he showed it again in going 2-for-5 with a bomb to left-center that cleared the wall by at least 50 feet.
Heliot Ramos hit another one. And it went far. (?: @KO_Crowley) pic.twitter.com/bOfM7O8tKD
— KNBR (@KNBR) March 10, 2021
“I’m familiar with some of the wind and the sun balls that we saw today and also familiar with how difficult it is to hit a ball that far,” said Kapler, who had patrolled this outfield as a player. “In this ballpark, it was fun to watch for sure.”
Earlier in the game, he bounced one off the right-field wall, showing the power to all fields that he clearly has in his arsenal. The 21-year-old top prospect, who has said he thinks he’s ready now, is 7-for-17 (.412) with three home runs in Cactus League play.
The Giants had 10 hits, and eight were recorded by outfielders plus Ramos, who was DH. Joe McCarthy went 2-for-3, his only out a well-hit drive to center. Alex Dickerson also chipped in a couple hits, going 2-for-2 with a walk. Hunter Bishop, their 2019 first-round pick, slapped a single to right in the sixth and then stole second, showing off speed that shouldn’t be on a 6-foot-5 athlete.
Alex Wood wasn’t able to complete his two innings — the Giants starter recorded just one out in the second and left with two on, the inning being rolled. He blamed a fastball he was having trouble locating and a slider that “wasn’t very good.”
His velocity was encouraging, hitting 91 mph consistently, as was his changeup, which he debuted during his second outing of the spring.
He was overall pleased with the outing but not happy with the wait between innings; the Giants had a long top of the second because Milwaukee changed pitchers during the inning rather than rolling it.
Wood called it “not ideal” to have to wait about 25 minutes between innings as he’s trying to build up his arm.
Three Giants relievers who had not allowed a run were touched up for the first time.
Especially after the signing of lefty Jose Alvarez, Sam Selman‘s path to the Opening Day roster was blocked. He didn’t carve out a back channel Tuesday, when his first pitch was rocketed to left for an Avisail Garcia home run, and Christian Yelich followed with one of his own.
Righty Matt Wisler struggled as well, letting up a pair of doubles to Kolten Wong and Derek Fisher while surrendering two runs.
Righty Kervin Castro, who has impressed this spring, had his first hiccup as well. The 22-year-old’s inning was rolled after he allowed three runs on four hits.
Righty Gregory Santos debuted and showed a 98-mph fastball, but was knocked around, so many Brewers making solid contact against him.
“I don’t think it was Santos’ best outing,” Kapler said over Zoom. “When I went out there with [quality-assurance coach and translator] Nick Ortiz, I mentioned to him that his spring — and even prior to pitchers and catchers reporting — everything has been fantastic. So just turn the page quickly after this outing.”
Minor league field coordinator Tony Diggs took reps as first-base coach. Diggs had previously coached in the Milwaukee organization.
The Giants knocked out Brewers starter Adrian Hauser in the first, with Milwaukee turning to reliever Jake Cousins. Hauser was back on the mound for the second inning, though. 2021 spring training!