The Giants have now had two six-game losing streaks in the past 30 days.
San Francisco hit rock bottom in their 7-3 loss at Chase Field on Tuesday, a defeat which knocked them under .500 (48-49) for the first time this season. It wasn’t the defense that did them in as so often has been the case, but it was still a game with embarrassing moments from a team that seems demoralized.
It was certainly a game starting pitcher Carlos Rodón will want to forget, and he didn’t even pitch that poorly.
Rodón gave up just three hits and two walks while striking out 10. Unfortunately, two of those hits were long balls that combined for five total Diamondbacks runs. It’s the first time in 2022 that Rodón has given up more than one home run in an outing. He was unlucky, and Arizona was efficient.
Additionally, Rodón couldn’t control his temper. While the All-Star lefty typically runs hot, he went overboard on Tuesday.
At the end of the fifth inning, an angry Rodón kicked a bat in the dugout after exiting the field. Unfortunately, he did so right in front of teammate Thairo Estrada, who took the bat to the shin and collapsed to the ground. Rodón immediately knew he’d made a mistake and went to check on Estrada, while Wilmer Flores looked on with an expression of “what the hell man?”
Estrada didn’t seem to be injured in any serious way by the incident. He led off the next inning, only to be hit by a pitch.
It was at least the second time Rodón threw a tantrum in the dugout. Cameras also caught him slamming his glove after giving up a three-run home run in the third inning.
The Giants are cratering, and they are starting to lose their composure.
San Francisco looked ready for a fight early in Tuesday’s game after Rodón gave up a second inning gut punch home run to Sergio Alcantara, who went yard with two strikes and two outs.
In a season of inconsistency, Wilmer Flores has been steady. His bat again provided much needed relief in the bottom half of the inning, when he answered with a two-run shot of his own. Flores knew the hanger was gone the second he hit it.
In his 10th season, Flores has put up better numbers before, but has never been a more timely hitter. The 30-year-old is on pace for a career-high 88 RBI all while playing in a team-high 92 games this season. Flores should get more time as a designated hitter with Tommy La Stella’s return, which could help his numbers at the plate even more in the second half.
Unfortunately, Rodón’s second mistake of the night ultimately sunk the Giants. After opening the third with a walk and a hit batter, Rodón locked in, striking out Jordan Luplow and Ketel Marte. It looked like he’d pitch himself out of the jam.
Diamondbacks slugger Christian Walker had a different idea, blasting the first pitch he saw — a 97 mph fastball down the pipe — 394 feet into the left-field bleachers.
The Giants offense lay dormant for the rest of the night, aside from a Brandon Belt RBI double in the sixth. Eventually, SF’s pitching staff couldn’t even keep the game close, when Yunior Marte got tagged for two insurance runs in the eighth.
Right now, the Giants are just not a good baseball team. They got a decent performance from arguably their best pitcher against a team that won’t sniff the playoffs, and still lost by four runs.
At only 2.5 games out of the final wild card spot, there is still time to turn things around. But when it comes to buying at next week’s trade deadline, it’s getting harder to see that happening for a team that hasn’t won since the trade deadline.