The Giants road trip ended with a whimper.
It started well with five straight wins, but Monday’s listless 5-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers marked SF’s sixth straight loss away from home.
Considering how bad the team has looked for the better part of a week, the Giants will take the 5-6 trip, but there is now no question that they need to trade for reinforcements at the deadline if they hope to remain competitive.
Once again, the offense was nowhere to be found.
SF was completely shut down by Tigers starter Tyler Skubal, who struck out nine, gave up two hits and didn’t walk a single batter. It was a good example where the Giants are at right now. Skubal was excellent — painting the corners and blowing hitters away with the fastball — but San Francisco was completely non-competitive. The Giants had just one at-bat with a runner in scoring position, and that was with two-outs in the bottom of the ninth.
As things stand, this lineup is unable to do damage against above average pitching, and Skubal was more than that on Monday. SF has scored one run in five of their last 12 games.
Giants starter Ross Stripling was also good after a rocky start in which he gave up two hits and a run in the first. Stripling ultimately gave up 10 hits and three runs, but located much better and was hard done by some soft contact and excellent approaches by Tigers hitters. Stripling only threw 87 pitches through six, and Monday should be seen as a step in the right direction.
Michael Conforto provided the lone early-game thrill for the Giants, and saved a run in the process, when he robbed Zach McKinstry of a home run with a leaping grab in right field in the fifth inning.
Wilmer Flores put the Giants on the board in the sixth once Skubal left, keeping his red hot streak alive with a towering solo shot off reliever Jose Cisnero. That cut the lead to 3-1. Flores has now hit five home runs in his last seven games.
Unfortunately it wouldn’t be the start of something. The Tigers added insurance runs and the Giants didn’t make any more noise until the ninth, when a Joc Pederson pinch-hit single and Patrick Bailey walk — the first of the game — saw Blake Sabol step-up in a two-out, one on situation. He struck out on a Jason Foley 100 mph sinker.