San Francisco Giants 3 Up, 3 Down: Happy Flight from New York

3 DOWN

1 – Outfield Defense

With the constant shuffling of outfielders as the team tries to fill the void left by injuries and underperformance, the outfield has been subpar, to say the least. Defense has been a huge issue, and it was quite apparent against the Mets.

Jeff Samardzijawas victimized badly on Tuesday, andEduardo Nunezwas painful to watch in left field. He misplayed two balls in the first inning alone, one turning a fairly routine flyball into a single and the other turning a single into a triple.Gorkys Hernandezalso got turned around on a ball that should have been caught on Tuesday.

It’s easy to see that Nunez is just not comfortable in the outfield, especially after watching him play third base on Wednesday. He looked just fine handling the hot corner on Wednesday, including making a fantastic snare on a hot shot down the line.

Justin Ruggianoalso had a hiccup on Wednesday, playing center field for the first time since being called up. He had a nice games overall, coming up with two hits and a sacrifice fly, but nearly had all of that erased in the ninth inning. He couldn’t make a leaping catch at the wall on a drive byWilmer Flores, which allowed two runs to score. Luckily,Derek Lawheld on to the one-run lead and closed it out. Granted, it was a difficult play for Ruggiano, but he did everything right (good route to the ball, well-timed jump, put leather on the ball) except make the grab.

2 – The Bullpen

After a really nice stretch in April, the Giants’ bullpen has taken a few steps backward. On Monday,George Kontoslet an inherited runner score (charged toMatt Moore‘s record), and was hung with a blown save in the sixth inning beforeJosh Osich‘s leadoff walk came around to score on aNeil Walkerdouble offHunter Strickland. On Wednesday, Derek Law nearly let a three-run advantage slip away in the ninth (Ruggiano’s aforementioned missed catch). He did get the last out after making everyone’s blood pressure rise just a bit higher.

Next: Giants 3 Up, 3 Down: Cincinnati Debacle

3 – More Injuries

Welcome to the DL club,Mark Melancon. He was placed on the 10-day list before Tuesday’s game with a right pronator strain. It doesn’t sound like something that will keep him out longer than the required 10 days, but still, what the heck is going on?

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