By Morris Phillips
SAN FRANCISCO — Well, the Giants have never lost like this, and they probably haven’t struggled offensively to this extent either. Not since they’ve been in San Francisco.
Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves was not only tough to watch, it was unprecedentedly tough. The Giants dropped their 11th consecutive game, which hadn’t happened since 1951 when the club roamed New York’s Polo Grounds.
So much for 60 years of San Francisco Giants baseball.
“Everybody puts in the work, grinding daily, trying to do everything we can to win ballgames,” Brandon Belt said. “We just haven’t been doing good enough. So we’ve got to change something.”
Belt was involved in the game’s critical moment from the Giants’ perspective: In trying to retire pinch hitter Tyler Flowers in the ninth, Evan Longoria’s low throw ever-so-slightly pulled Belt off the first base bag, prompting first base umpire Jeremie Rehak to declare Flowers safe. Charlie Culberson scored on the play which was upheld after a brief video review.
“Blazing speed beat that one out,” said Braves’ Freddie Freeman in a moment of fun with not-so-speedy teammate Flowers.
The Giants hit into double plays to conclude the first and fourth innings, enough good fortune for starter Anibal Sanchez, who pitched six innings and picked up the win despite issuing five walks. The Giants failed to take advantage of Sanchez’s gifts, going 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
That one dreadful stat explained how the Giants came up with one run on the afternoon despite six singles, a Longoria double and a Sanchez wild pitch to couple with seven walks issued.
But if a club scores a measily 26 runs during an 11-game slide, that statistical oddity becomes easier to explain.
The Giants previously lost 10 consecutive games in 1985 and again in 1996. This season, only the Tigers also suffered an 11-game slide.
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