via Chris Mezzavilla, KNBR
Jake McGee entered Wednesday’s ninth inning with a 1-0 lead and pressure to continue the Giants bullpen’s masterful work.
Since starter Anthony DeScalfani exited with a right ankle injury in the second inning, SF had to tap into its relief resources more than usual; McGee was the sixth Giants pitcher to jog out from centerfield to the mound.
While the bullpen prior to McGee silenced New York’s bats, the Giants couldn’t muster enough run support in return. Mets starter Tylor Megill struck out six in six one-run innings, and hard-hit balls were scarcer than they had been all series.
Still, McGee had a chance to finish the Mets off, complete the sweep and cement a seven-pitcher shutout. Instead, McGee drilled Pete Alonso on a 1-2 fastball. He allowed a single up the middle to Michael Conforto, putting runners on the corners.
The damage could’ve been even worse had shortstop Brandon Crawford not made a ridiculous diving stab to turn a single up the middle into a force out. Lamonte Wade Jr. and Austin Slater later added what would’ve been game-saving catches, but the Giants’ bats never got going to give them that distinction.
With a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth, SF went down in order on seven Edwin Díaz pitches. With men on second and third in the bottom of the tenth, Evan Longoria and Wade popped out. The teams traded traded runs in the 11th, but former Giant Kevin Pillar’s three-run homer in the top of the 12th proved too much for the Giants.
Kris Bryant, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford and Mike Yastrzemski — the heart of SF’s order — combined to go 0-for-17 in the 6-2 loss. Even with the defeat, the Giants (78-43) have won seven straight series entering this weekend’s Bay Bridge series. The team that’s led MLB in home runs for much of 2021 won’t be kept in the yard forever.
McGee, the losing pitcher, was once among the most sure-handed closers in MLB in 2021. But he’s now blown two saves in his last five opportunities, plus a hold.
Before McGee, SF’s relievers were brilliant. It started with José Álvarez, who took over from DeSclafani in the second. Álvarez entered with one out and Villar on first. It wasn’t necessarily a high-leverage situation, but still sudden. The southpaw showed no nerves, quickly picking a leaning Villar off first and striking out catcher Patrick Mazeika.
The next inning too went swimmingly, with Álvarez striking out Mets starter Tylor Megill and getting the next two batters 1-2-3. The 1.2-inning, no base runner performance grew Álvarez’s scoreless appearance streak to 16. Since June 1, Álvarez has allowed three earned runs in 31.1 innings pitched, becoming one of Gabe Kapler’s most reliable arms in relief.
While Álvarez dealt, the Giants took an early lead. Alex Dickerson ripped a sharp single into left, then took second base on a passed ball. He later scored on a LaMonte Wade Jr. double down the left field line to give SF a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third.
Though Álvarez got the bullpen going, he wasn’t alone. Zack Littell pitched two clean innings, reaching 97.1 mph on the gun with his fastball — 2 mph faster than his year average. He mostly hurled high fastballs and low sliders. Jarlín Garcia clocked in for a second straight day and tossed a scoreless top of the sixth.
In the last 30 days before Wednesday, Giants relievers have a combined 1.16 WHIP, tied for third best in MLB behind the Dodgers, Brewers and Athletics.
Still, the Giants couldn’t add to their lead. They went 1-2-3 in the first, second, sixth, eighth and ninth innings. Against Mets closer Edwin Díaz in the ninth, Belt and Crawford fouled out on the first pitches they saw before Mike Yastrzemski struck out. The second-best home-run hitting team in MLB didn’t clear any fences.
Yastrzemski struck out again two innings later with two runners on base and a chance to win it. In total, the Giants left nine men on base and went 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
Then Tyler Chatwood, in his first appearance as a Giant, unraveled in the top of the 12th. After backup catcher Chance Sisco doubled in Jeff McNeil from second, fans began to exit Oracle Park.
In 2021, that act of mass resignation has been rare. But then again, so has a two-run offensive output.