PHOENIX — The 113-degree weather at first pitch on Monday night did nothing to help the Giants heat up at the plate.
For the sixth time in seven games, they were on the losing end, this time falling 4-2 to an Arizona Diamondbacks squad that is banged-up and desperately trying to stay in the wild-card race. The Giants have dropped three of four on this three-city trip so far, scoring just seven total runs.
They went down quietly against right-hander Ryan Nelson until the seventh, when Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo did them a favor by going to his bullpen with two on and two down. Tyler Fitzgerald immediately greeted Juan Morillo with a two-run double to the gap in right-center, tying the game.
The Diamondbacks went back on top in the bottom of the inning, but in the eighth, it appeared another Giants infielder had tied the game. Christian Koss — playing third base because Casey Schmitt joined Matt Chapman on the IL — hit a high fly ball to left and went into his home run trot. Left fielder Tim Tawa made a leaping attempt at the wall, but the ball was caught by a Diamondbacks fan who reached over and interfered with Tawa.
Koss was sent back to second, but the Giants challenged that it was actually a home run. After a lengthy review in New York, it was ruled that the ball would not have left the yard and Koss was left on second. That’s how it ended, as Rafael Devers and Heliot Ramos struck out as the fan was getting kicked out of Chase Field. An inning later, manager Bob Melvin was ejected.
No June Swoon Over Here
Logan Webb went at least six innings in all six starts in June, and it wasn’t until the final one that he allowed more than two runs. The Diamondbacks put three runs on his line, but there was a lot of soft contact, including in the seventh. Webb gave up three hits in that inning: one at 68 mph, one at 70 mph, and one that bounced through the right side of the infield. After a run scored, Randy Rodriguez entered and mowed down the three-four hitters to protect a couple of Webb’s runs.
The staff ace threw 40 1/3 innings in May and allowed 10 runs. He walked just seven and struck out 43, putting himself in position to potentially join Robbie Ray as a National League Pitcher of the Month. At the very least, Webb secured an MLB All-Star spot, and he should be in consideration to start the game.
Welcome Back
Melvin didn’t really know what to say when asked before the game if Fitzgerald had enough time in Triple-A to actually get a mental breather. The young infielder barely even had time to unpack, and his four-game stint back with the River Cats included a hit-by-pitch on the wrist that had to be checked out by Giants trainers when he returned Monday to take Casey Schmitt’s roster spot.
The Giants wanted Fitzgerald to get some confidence back in the minors, and he sure looked like he was carrying some swagger when he turned and yelled back to the dugout before the runners had scored on his game-tying double. Fitzgerald had a couple of doubles in his first game back.
Slow Start
Devers struck out four times for the fourth time in his career. He did it twice in the shortened 2020 MLB season, and also this March 28 when he was still with the Boston Red Sox. On Monday, Ramos struck out three times, giving the Giants seven from their two-three hitters.
Devers struck out about once per game this season in Boston but has 21 in 13 games in orange and black. He has a .670 OPS as a Giant, which is 235 points below where he was at before the trade that was supposed to lead the Giants to better offensive days.
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