In seven of the Giants’ first 10 games, San Francisco has recorded double-digit strikeouts.
The hot-or-not, feast-or-famine, boom-or-bust Giants (4-6) struck out 13 times against the Dodgers on Monday in a blowout loss to their rivals at Oracle Park.
No team has struck out more frequently than the Giants this year, who have posted 115 Ks through 10 games. Second place is the Braves at 103; Atlanta and every other team that has crossed the 100-strikeout threshold so far this year has played one more game than San Francisco.
Only the 2021 and 2017 Orioles have struck out more times through 10 games than these Giants.
“I think we’re chasing a little bit more than we need to in order for us to be a great offensive team,” manager Gabe Kapler said postgame. “I think we’re fouling off some pitches that we should be putting in play.”
Kapler added that San Francisco’s approach at the plate is sound and that a 10-game sample size is too small to make conclusions or “get bent out of shape.”
The same small sample applies to San Francisco’s power surge; the home runs have flowed when the offense clicks, but may not for the entire season. Wilmer Flores’ solo shot against the Dodgers gave SF 18 homers on the year — third-most in MLB. They parked a franchise record 15 bombs in their first six games of 2023, a binge that included a seven-homer effort in Chicago.
But the strikeouts remain an issue.
In the Giants’ 9-1 loss to the Dodgers, Thairo Estrada, Flores, Brandon Crawford and Joey Bart each struck out twice. Center fielder Bryce Johnson went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
In the seventh inning, three Giants singles loaded the bases with no outs. But Johnson fanned, Estrada went down looking and Flores lined out. It was the second time in the past three games in which the Giants had a bases-loaded, no-outs situation that went completely unrewarded.
“I think we just have to be especially aggressive on the pitches that we can drive to the middle of the field in those situations,” Kapler said. “Trust our ability and our athleticism to get the sweet spot of the bat on the ball.”
Even in their four wins, the Giants have still struck out at alarming levels. They averaged 10.5 strikeouts in victories so far compared to 12.1 in defeats. For reference: the 81-81 Giants of last season struck out 9.02 times per game.
The 115 Ks in 10 games is an average of 11.5.
“We have to play better baseball,” Kapler said. “We have to swing the bat better. We have to play an overall better brand to win games. But it’s certainly not a reason for us to dramatically change course with our approach. Our approach is very consistent: we’re looking for pitches to drive, looking to drive those, and being patient with pitches we can’t.”