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SAN FRANCISCO — The slow march to 2,000 career wins for manager Bruce Bochy is taking much longer than the Giants anticipated.
On certain days, it looks less like a march and more like an attempt to walk through a brick wall.
The Giants entered a seven-game homestand with Bochy needing just five more victories to become the 11th manager in MLB history to collect 2,000 wins. After Thursday’s 4-2 series-clinching loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Giants must win four of their final 15 games to help Bochy reach one last milestone.
With the landmark victory still in jeopardy, the Giants have at least created a sense of intrigue for the final two weeks of the season. This wasn’t exactly the type of suspense the team hoped to generate back when the season began.
The Giants (70-77) are now 10 games under .500 at home this year (31-41) and must win six of their last nine at Oracle Park to avoid posting their worst record in the two-decade history of the stadium. San Francisco has won at least 37 games in each of its previous 19 seasons along the shores of McCovey Cove, but an anemic offense has done the 2019 club no favors.
“I think more than anything we have a tough time scoring here,” Bochy said. “It’s been the offense as much as anything. We’ve had some pretty good days on the road, but here at home we have a hard time getting it going.”
The Giants had a chance to tie or walk-off in the bottom of the ninth on Thursday, but after a leadoff walk by Joey Rickard and a single from Donovan Solano, a pair of strikeouts followed by a Buster Posey groundout ended the threat.
A Giants team mixed with several struggling veterans and rookies receiving their first taste of September baseball doesn’t have much to play for, but San Francisco shouldn’t have had as much trouble with the last-place Pirates as it did this week.
“I’m not one to make excuses, but we’re missing some big pieces,” Bochy said. “You look in the bullpen, we don’t have anybody that we’ve had. That usually causes problems there.”
The Giants, however, have had no shortage of issues since the end of July, whether it be with their various opponents or with injuries. They received more bad news on the injury front Thursday when rookie right fielder Jaylin Davis was forced to exit the game in the bottom of the sixth after taking a 97-mile per hour fastball off his left wrist.
Davis is one of the players the Giants have prioritized for an extended audition in September, but he’s had a slow start to his big league career after receiving his first call-up last week. The former Twins prospect who was acquired at the trade deadline was 3-for-21 prior to the hit-by-pitch that sent him back to the trainers’ room for a X-Ray.
Davis said postgame that he was diagnosed with a left wrist contusion and was still experiencing soreness.
Another rookie earning significant playing time fared better in Thursday’s series finale. Second baseman Mauricio Dubón didn’t record a hit in three at-bats, but made a pair of impressive plays in the field that showcased his strong defensive instincts.
In the top of the fifth, Dubón fielded a grounder at second and held onto the ball instead of throwing to first. Dubón wanted to see if second baseman Adam Frazier was going to take an aggressive turn around second and go to third. As soon as Frazier made his move, Dubón fired across the diamond.
“He thought I was going to be asleep,” Dubón said.
In the sixth, Dubón left his post at second base to catch a slightly off-line throw from Posey and still managed to lay a tag down on Pirates left fielder Kevin Kramer, who was attempting to steal.
“Every time he throws the ball, I know I have a chance,” Dubón said.
The small bright spots the Giants enjoyed on Thursday were not nearly enough to outweigh all the negatives that came from the team’s fourth loss in five games.
Starter Jeff Samardzija, who has been the club’s most consistent pitcher in the second half, gave up eight hits and four runs in 6 1/3 innings. Samardzija only struck out two Pirates hitters and allowed Pittsburgh to add to its lead immediately after Giants third baseman Evan Longoria put the team on the board with a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth.
Attendance reached a series-high of 30,918 on Thursday, but the Giants barely sold 100,000 tickets for this week’s four-game series and will likely have more trouble drawing fans for this weekend’s set against the last-place Marlins.
San Francisco will at least benefit from starting ace Madison Bumgarner on Saturday and from sending starter Johnny Cueto to the mound Sunday against the Marlins as both games should increase Bochy’s chances of picking up a few more wins.
“You want to win at home,” Samardzija said. “It’s definitely great to have that advantage of playing at home and teams know when they come here it’s a tough place to play.”
Reyes Moronta timeline set
Giants reliever Reyes Moronta underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder in Los Angeles on Tuesday and will begin rehabbing within the next few weeks.
Bochy said Thursday that Moronta’s recovery process will likely take 9-to-11 months, but it will likely be closer to 11 months before he returns to a MLB mound. Moronta injured his shoulder on August 30 while throwing a pitch in a relief outing against the San Diego Padres.
