The Giants moved Andres Torres into the leadoff spot and dropped Aaron Rowand to No. 6 on Sunday in hopes of breathing life into a sputtering offense. Then they were shut out for the second consecutive time, 3-0, and swept by the A's in the three-game series at the Coliseum.
"Well, we didn't get a run today, so I can't say the lineup change worked," said Bochy, who is planning to stick with Torres as the leadoff man. "We're just going through a tough stretch right now.
"These are the times that test you."
The Giants have lost five in a row, their longest skid of the season. They have scored one run or none in five of their past seven games. And they are batting a league-worst .230 with runners in scoring position.
With only three hits, the offense made a tough-luck loser of Jonathan Sanchez, who has zero run support in five of his nine starts. Sanchez went seven-plus innings against the A's, allowing two runs on three hits.
"I don't know what I can say," Sanchez said with a look that said way more than his seven words.
"It's really tough. It's frustrating. It's very sad," catcher Bengie Molina said. "Every day they go out there and we don't score for them, and they end up pitching the way they do.
"It's a waste. It's a big waste."
The Giants went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position Sunday and have failed the last 18 times in those situations. The most frustrating inning for the Giants was the seventh, when, in a 0-0 ballgame, three straight hitters got out with Aubrey Huff standing on second base.
Juan Uribe struck out swinging, Rowand lined out to third and Edgar Renteria dribbled one back to reliever Michael Wuertz.
"It's obvious that we've got to start getting hits with runners in scoring position," Bochy said. "It's tough for these guys when they're struggling, and they hit the ball well and still don't get any results.
"That makes the frustration mount."
The Torres-Rowand flip-flop did nothing to change that.
Torres, who had hit safely in eight of his past 10 games, went 0-for-3 in the new role. Rowand, who batted .248 in the leadoff spot, went 0-for-3 and is in a 2-for-22 skid.
There were moments of cherishing small victories, and when you haven't scored in 20 innings, small victories seem much larger. Torres saw 18 pitches, drew a walk and stole a base, and Uribe and Rowand each made loud outs with a runner in scoring position.
"As hitters, we have to take it very seriously," Molina said. "The pitching has been amazing, and we don't score. We're going to have to step up and find ways to score runs.
"Overall, I've seen a lot of hard-hit balls that could have gone either way, but they've all gone against us."
Pablo Sandoval had one such at-bat, when he smoked a ball that Gabe Gross caught in right field. The third baseman went 1-for-4 but appeared more comfortable at the plate than he has for much of his .193-hitting May.
"With one at-bat, we have been trying to bring home all of the guys that we have left on base in the past," Sandoval said. "I've calmed myself down a little bit and am waiting for pitches that I can drive.
"I'm not trying to hit home runs anymore. I'm just trying to put the ball in play and help my team score runs."
One run would be a good place to start.
No comments:
Post a Comment