The fifth loss in six days came with some controversy.
The Giants blew a lead in the seventh after a call at second base that led to Tony Vitello’s ejection, getting swept by a bad Kansas City Royals team and finishing with a 1-5 road trip. The Royals scored all of their runs in a 5-4 win in the seventh inning, doing so against three Giants pitchers.
The outburst ruined what had been a positive day, and cost Landen Roupp a shot at the win.
The Giants have tried to play a bit more small ball in recent days, and it led to a run in the sixth without a hit. Willy Adames led off the inning with a walk and Drew Gilbert was hit by a pitch as he tried to bunt. Drew Cavanaugh pushed both runners over with a bunt and Luis Arraez hit a fly ball that was deep enough to easily bring Adames home.
There was quite a bit more power the next time they got on the scoreboard. Jung Hoo Lee made it a 2-0 game with an RBI triple in the seventh and Adames immediately followed with a double to deep left, bringing Lee home. The three-run lead disappeared in the seventh, and it all happened after a call that rightfully angered Vitello.
Vinnie Pasquantino led off the bottom of the seventh with a line drive down the right field line, but Lee made a good throw and Adames felt he got the tag on as Pasquantino slid past the bag. The Giants wanted to challenge, but second base umpire Mike Estabrook incorrectly ruled that Adames pushed Pasquantino off the bag.
The call hurt, as Salvador Perez followed with a homer that brought two runs in instead of possibly one. It was a huge moment for Perez, who has consistently been one of the game’s best catchers since making the final out of the 2014 World Series. His 317th career homer tied him with George Brett atop the franchise’s all-time list. The Royals weren’t done, either.
The homer ended Roupp’s day and Sam Hentges gave up hits to two of the three batters he faced. Keaton Winn allowed two more and the Royals took the lead on a two-run single by Lane Thomas. It could have been worse, but Luis Arraez made a diving stop on a hard grounder by Pasquantino, who started and ended the inning.
Here are the takeaways from the Giants’ 60th loss of the season:
Watching From The Office
Vitello got ejected during that controversial sequence in the bottom of the seventh, giving him three on the season. This one wasn’t about trying to fire up a team or let out some frustration, though. Vitello came out to argue the bizarre push call and then got tossed by third base umpire Lance Barrett as he was walking back to the dugout.
On replays, it was hard to tell if Adames had even kept the tag on while Pasquantino was off the bag, but the Giants never got a chance to have it looked at. That set off their dugout and Roupp, who yelled angrily after the homer.
The rookie manager already has matched Gabe Kapler’s total for ejections from his entire time in San Francisco and he tied four others for second in ejections this season. Chicago’s Craig Counsell leads the way with four.
Landen, Locked In
Roupp has had a tremendous month, and he didn’t slow down at all on a muggy day in Kansas City.
The only hit for the Royals through five innings was a bunt single in the third inning, and he allowed just four hits on the day while striking out seven. Roupp was charged with two earned, but both came on the homer after the play at second.
In three July starts, Roupp has allowed just three earned runs on nine hits in 21 innings. This is the first time in his career that he has gone at least six innings in three consecutive starts.
Second Half Willy
Adames’ OPS jumped nearly 150 points after the All-Star break last year, and it looks like he’s doing it again. He hit three homers in the first five games of the trip and entered the final game with a .790 OPS over the span. He kept the good times going with his walk and double.
Adames seemed to reach for a sore lower back after every big swing late in the first half, but he has looked healthy over the past week, at least at the plate. With the three homers on the trip, he got to 18 on the season, giving himself a shot at a second straight 30-homer year. Through 102 games last year, Adames had 15 homers.