San Francisco Giants Morning Minute: Groundhog Day and a Defensive Display

On this edition of the San Franisco Giants Morning Minute, we discuss another bullpen meltdown, and a great defensive display in right field.

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Good morning, San Francisco Giants’ fans, and welcome to another edition of the Giants Morning Minute. On Tuesday, the Giants let another winnable game slip away, falling to the Colorado Rockies, 7-3, in game two of their series. Jordan Lyles got his second win and Cory Gearrin took his first loss.

The Los Angeles Dodgers also lost on Tuesday, as the Baltimore Orioles came away with a 4-1 win (that Manny Machado is something special, eh?). That keeps the Giants’ lead in the National League West at five games.

Here’s what went on Tuesday.

1 – Groundhog Day

You know that movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray (not the Bill Murray who played for the Washington Senators in 1917), where he keeps living the same day, over and over again? Watching the Giants’ bullpen is beginning to feel a lot like that.

For the third time in four days, Giants’ relievers let a lead slip right through their hands. It was a total group effort on Tuesday, after Madison Bumgarner departed following six shutout innings (he was curiously pulled after just 96 pitches, an extremely light workload by his standards).

George Kontos started the seventh, and gave up hits to two of the three batters he faced. Javier Lopez was next up, and he looked more like 2015 Javier Lopez as he struck out Charlie Blackmon on three pitches. Cory Gearrin followed, and it looked like he would be out of the inning on his third pitch. The Rockies’ second baseman D.J. Lemahieu chopped a ball to third baseman Conor Gillaspie, who fielded it barehanded but couldn’t make an accurate throw to first.

With the extra chance, Nolan Arenado did what he always does. On a hanging slider, Arenado crushed it out of the park to give the Rockies a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Arenado was adhering to a little-known rule in the book: he must have at least one extra-base hit every time he faces the Giants.

The eighth inning wasn’t much better, as the Rockies piled on three more runs, with two more charged to Gearrin. Hunter Strickland walked in a run that went on his record.

It’s been said time and time again, something needs to change in the bullpen.

2 – Quite a Defensive Display in Right Field

Mac Williamson has come a long way from the player who let a wind-swept, but easily playable flyball fall on the warning track on June 8th. He has put on a show in right field this series, making a trio of spectacular catches that made everyone, including a pair of normally crotchety pitchers, proud.

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In the seventh inning on Monday, Williamson charged hard on a low line drive off the bat of Mark Reynolds. Though it seemed like it would fall for a clean basehit, Williamson would have none of it. He dove for the ball, and put the ball in the sweet spot of his glove while parallel to the ground, keeping Reynolds off the basepaths and starter Jake Peavy in the game for another batter.

On Tuesday, Williamson became Trevor Story‘s worst enemy. In the third inning, after Bumgarner had loaded the bases on two hits and a walk, Story lifted a flyball towards the right field corner. Shading towards the big gap in right-center field, the Giants’ right fielder had a lot of ground to cover, and even Giants’ announcer Duane Kuiper thought he had no chance. Williamson proved him wrong, going into a slide to snag the flyball, ending the inning and keeping three runs off the board.

In the eighth inning, Williamson made Story dislike him a little more. Story lined a ball to right field, and just like with Reynolds the day before, it looked like a hit all the way. But also like the day before, Williamson went into his dive, and somehow made a spectacular catch while parallel to the ground. It ended up looking like a carbon copy of Monday’s catch.

For his efforts, Williamson received hugs in the dugouts from his starting pitchers over the past two days, Peavy and Bumgarner. Normally, having those guys charge towards you is not a good thing. Williamson will probably cherish those moments for a while, though.

He also added an RBI hit in the eight inning, so it wasn’t a bad day at the office for the rookie.

Next: Giants: Three All-Stars, Two Snubs

And that will do it for another edition of the Giants Morning Minute. Up next, the Giants and Rockies finish their series with a night game at AT&T Park. Johnny Cueto will match up against Jorge De La Rosa.