The San Francisco Giants had another disappointing outing as they lost 8-3 to the Cincinnati Reds in their second game of the series on Wednesday. While Giants starter Tyler Mahle earned all eight runs, the lineup’s offensive struggles remained, with the frustration boiling over for star Rafael Devers.
Leading off the top of the second inning, Devers battled against Reds starter Rhett Lowder in a seven-pitch at-bat. On a 2-2, 87 mph slider down the middle of the zone, Devers whiffed with a wild swing.
Out of frustration, he immediately slammed his bat on the ground. With the bat loosened from the handle because of the impact, Devers broke it in two pieces as he headed for the dugout.
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This was Devers’ 21st strikeout of the season on his 67th at-bat. Fans online trolled the infielder/designated hitter for his action.
Here are a few reactions on X:
“Trade him, not a good fit. The Giants need a real star!” a fan said.
“Dude is addicted to striking out. What a shame,” a fan wrote.
“This is the worst Giants team I’ve seen in awhile. Sad to see,” a fan stated.
“Red Sox fleeced the Giants on that contract,” a fan said about the Devers trade.
“Every other California team generating something early in the season. Even the homeless Athletics. Yeah I’d be mad too,” a fan added.
Devers had a much better at-bats the rest of the way. After a lineout against Lowder, leading off the fourth, he got on base as the leadoff hitter in the seventh against the starter. The Dominican would score later in the frame on an RBI by Heliot Ramos. In the eighth, Devers again reached base on an infield hit.
However, the Giants trailed early in the game after two home runs from the Reds gave them a 4-0 lead in the first against former Cincinnati player, Tyler Mahle. Sal Stewart, who hit a three-run bomb to start the scoring, scored another three-run homer in the bottom of the second inning. Elly De La Cruz hit a 442-foot moonshot in the fourth.
Tony Vitello comments on Giants showing aggression on field
Rafael Devers wasn’t the only San Francisco player who expressed their frustration during the game. Reliever J.T. Brubaker was nearly rejected for his actions in the eighth inning. He delayed pitching to Spencer Steer after the batter was given a timeout by the home plate umpire, Quinn Wolcott, even though he was already inside the batter’s box.
Giants manager Tony Vitello welcomed the aggression, stating that his players are showing passion.
“The last couple of days,” Vitello told the San Francisco Chronicle, “that’s one of the better moments we’ve had, if you ask me. … Nothing big there, but we haven’t had enough of that.
“That’s kind of where I was saying: On occasion, we’ve only had two, three times, where people kind of came out of their comfort zone and took a little aggression into things or were not afraid to be abrasive. If you’re talking about now, it’s not the first 10 games in the year and is there a sense of urgency or something to change? That would be number one on my Christmas wish list.”
Devers’ 16-for-70 start to the season with two home runs and six RBIs is representative of the overall Giants’ issues. He is known to begin his campaigns slowly as has been the case during his time with the Boston Red Sox in the past. But the Giants are already six games behind the .500 PCT.
Edited by R. Nikhil Parshy
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