San Francisco Giants stuck in an offensive slump
The San Francisco Giants fell to the Oakland Athletics for the second straight game in what is deemed The Battle of the Bay.
After Tuesday nights game, the Giants have fallen 7-20 since June 9; matching Texas as the major league’s worst record since then.
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Both games of the series have been played in Oakland and the Giants are looking forward to jumping the bridge back to San Francisco and play the final two games at AT&T Park. Whether the home advantage will make a difference, the Giants have some offensive work that needs to be done.
With the angst rising, manager Bruce Bochy is urging players not to hurl their frustrations at things such as umpires. “That can become a problem, too. That can compound the damage,” Bochy said. “Now you’re not only competing against the pitcher, you’re thinking about the calls. I know it’s frustrating for them, but you can dwell on that a little too much. That’s what we have to stay away from. We have to play better and that’s our best way out of this.”
The only way the Giants will climb out of the current slump is to begin hitting better. In the two games against the A’s, the Giants hitters are 1 for 27 with men on base. This is unacceptable for a team who was recently at the top of the National League West.
At one point in the game Hunter Pence began having fun with the hecklers in the stands. After making a lunging catch of Alberto Callaspo’s line drive in the third inning, he turned to the crowd and cupped his hand to his ear, pretending that he couldn’t hear any of the chants. Though being caught up in the moment and not remember exactly why he did the gesture, he still managed to have a good time with it. “They were a lot of fun out there, man,” Pence said. “They’re creative, they’re rowdy and they’re loud. It’s a baseball atmosphere that’s fun to play in. They were razzing me a little bit.”