In the Giants’ first game without manager Gabe Kapler, the club cemented its first sub-.500 season since 2020.
San Francisco had to win each of its last three games to finish the season at 81-81. That possibility is no longer in play with a series-opening defeat to the Dodgers at Oracle Park.
Wilmer Flores recorded the only two Giants (78-82) hits and drove in both their runs in a 6-2 loss. An even bigger change than relieving the manager would be finding a way to field lineups with some reliable sluggers.
Interim manager Kai Correa won a replay review but didn’t make a single substitution. Postgame, he expressed gratitude for Kapler and explained what he wants to accomplish in his temporary role.
“I don’t want to overly inject myself into any situation in the game,” Correa said postgame. “I’ll I’d like to do is continue to represent the organization in a professional, competitive manner. There’s so many people who have worn this uniform. We’ve got a great fanbase, an exceptional organization, and all those people combined still want to be competitive. Still want to win these last two games. Still want to put their best foot forward.”
Correa did make history, as he and Dave Roberts became the first head coaches of Asian descent to face off in a major US sport, according to the Dodgers’ official Twitter account.
Perhaps the crowd was expressing its excitement for the post Kapler era, or maybe it was just having the Dodgers in town, but the “Let’s Go Giants” chants started in the first at-bat of the game.
But before long, ornery Giants fans got drone out by Dodgers faithful. They erupted as the third batter of the game, Will Smith, drilled a two-run shot to dead center off rookie Keaton Winn.
They’re the ones contending for a World Series title, not in the middle of franchise-transforming soul-searching.
The Giants scratched across a run in the bottom half, but did so while showing the flaws of their personnel. They drew two walks and scored on a single. But when the team lacks power and speed, starting an inning with two baserunners far from guarantees a crooked number.
Wilmer Flores added to his career-high with his 23rd homer, matching Freddie Freeman’s third-inning solo shot. That brought the deficit to 3-2, where it held for two innings as Winn impressed.
The rookie righty struck out Mookie Betts once and held him hitless in three matchups. He sat down Kiké Hernandez, James Outman and Miguel Rojas in order for a 1-2-3 fifth. More than half of his pitches were split-fingered fastballs, which generated eight whiffs.
But Winn couldn’t make it through the sixth inning. With two men on, Andrew Bailey visited Winn on the mound. J.D. Martinez, one of the hottest hitters in the game, was in the batter’s box. One pitch later, Martinez pulled a three-run homer off Winn into left.
In the seventh, the Kai Correa-led Giants coaching staff won a challenge on an illegal defensive shift, but Lance Lynn escaped by spinning a double play. Lynn appeared to yell toward the Giants’ dugout, in apparent frustration with their challenge.
Lynn, and later relievers Ryan Brasier, Joe Kelly and Brusdar Graterol locked up the Giants’ order. SF tallied seven more strikeouts onto their already franchise-record total.
Sean Hjelle also impressed, striking out four in 3.2 hitless innings, but by then the Giants already trailed 6-2.
In the ninth, 2023 Willie Mac Award winner Thairo Estrada grounded out. Michael Conforto struck out swinging on a slider. And Marco Luciano tapped out to end the game.
New manager, more of the same.