Following Melvin's contract option being exercised, SF Giants drop fourth straight game

Justice delos Santos, The Mercury News on Jul 2, 2025

Published in Baseball

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PHOENIX — Hours after exercising manager Bob Melvin’s contract option for 2026, the Giants were outslugged by the Arizona Diamondbacks, 8-2, to drop their fourth consecutive game and their seventh of their last eight contests.

Hayden Birdsong’s recent rough patch continued as he allowed four runs (three earned) over four innings, walking four batters and surrendering a home run. Birdsong has failed to pitch at least five innings in each of his last three outings, allowing 16 runs (14 earned) over 12 1/3 innings (10.22 ERA).

Patrick Bailey, one of baseball’s best defenders, surrendered two passed balls that directly led to three unearned runs.

In the bottom of the third, Bailey couldn’t corral a catchable curveball from Birdsong, allowing James McCann to advance from first to second. That same at-bat, Geraldo Perdomo shot a single over the outstretched glove of second baseman Tyler Fitzgerald to drive in Arizona’s first run of the game.

Two innings later, Bailey had an even costlier error. With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, Carson Seymour got Eugenio Suárez to whiff on a two-strike sinker but Bailey couldn’t catch the pitch to end the inning. The ball rolled away, Suárez scampered to first and the inning stayed alive.

The next batter, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., immediately made the passed ball hurt by smacking a two-run home run, extending the Diamondbacks’ lead to four runs. In the sixth, back-to-back home runs by Randal Grichuk and James McCann extended Arizona’s lead to six runs and effectively iced the game.

With third-string third baseman Christian Koss hitting the 10-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain, the Giants called upon Wilmer Flores to make his first appearance at third base since May 5, 2024.

“Flo is up for it today — which you would expect,” manager Bob Melvin said pregame. “He wants to win. He can help the team win. He’s played the position before. He’s played first quite a bit here. He can field a grounder. He can throw the ball. We’ll see where we go with it.”

Playing Flores at third base is far from ideal for the Giants, who have spoken repeatedly about keeping Flores healthy after he underwent a season-ending Tenex procedure on his right knee last year. Brett Wisely should likely see time at third base over the next week, and president of baseball operations Buster Posey said it’s “on the table” that Rafael Devers plays at his old position.

Devers has played 951 games at third base over nine seasons in the majors but has exclusively been a designated hitter with both Boston and San Francisco. Melvin said last month that the Giants didn’t plan to use Devers at third upon acquiring him, but the team is now more open to pursuing that avenue given their rash of injuries.

Before the Giants consider playing Devers at third, they’ll first have to ensure that he’s fully healthy. Devers has been dealing with a groin ailment since joining San Francisco, and Melvin also revealed on Tuesday that the three-time All-Star is also managing a back ailment as well.

“He’s not yet physically ready to play first, so third would be the same thing,” Melvin said. “Once he’s able to play in the field, he told me he’s open for anything.”

With Matt Chapman (right hand inflammation) and Casey Schmitt (left hand inflammation) on track to return from their respective injuries in the coming days, the Giants will likely have third base situated by the time they return for their six-game home stand to end the first half.

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