SAN FRANCISCO — As Buster Posey and Zack Minasian make phone calls to rival execs over the next week, they might encourage them to pull up Tyler Mahle’s game log and scroll through what the Giants pitcher has done against some of MLB’s best teams.
Mahle threw six shutout innings Monday night in a 3-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, continuing an odd trend. He has a 4.96 ERA overall, but also has scoreless appearances against the Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays. That’s the kind of resume that makes you a sneaky-solid trade candidate this time of year, and you can bet the Giants will see an uptick in interest as the deadline approaches.
Mahle’s latest gem headlined one of the cleaner wins of the year. The Giants ran the bases well — at least early in the game — and got a big two-run shot from a young outfielder.
Sam Hentges stranded Mahle’s final baserunner in the seventh, and Dylan Smith had a quick eighth. Erik Miller struck out Christian Yelich and Jackson Chourio in the ninth to pick up his third save of the 2026 MLB season.
Hoping For The Best
Casey Schmitt’s breakout might be the single best story of the 2026 season, but he came out of the game in the second inning after injuring his left leg.
Schmitt hit a high fly ball to right that dropped, and he got hurt when putting the brakes on after taking an aggressive turn. He hobbled back to the bag, and while he was able to walk off the field with trainer Dave Groeschner, he needed some help getting down the dugout steps.
If Schmitt needs to go on the IL, the Giants will have to scramble a bit. Before the game, manager Tony Vitello said Matt Chapman could return from an abdominal strain on Wednesday at the earliest, although the Giants certainly could accelerate that timetable and activate him Tuesday.
They also are likely to trade Luis Arraez over the next week, and Schmitt was due to start at second throughout the final two months. Christian Koss and Jesus Rodriguez are options on the big league roster, Nate Furman is in Triple-A, and Jonah Cox could be a possibility once he comes back from the IL.
McCrazy Power
Grant McCray is known for his speed and arm, so it’s easy to forget that one of his first big nights in the big leagues was a two-homer game at Petco Park. There’s sneaky power there, and he showed it off by doing a Rafael Devers impression and going opposite field for a two-run blast in the fourth inning.
It was McCray’s first homer of the year, and a reminder that he might be more physically talented than just about any player on the roster. McCray had been 0-for-8 in scattered plate appearances entering the night, but he’s certainly making a case to stay in the mix over the next few weeks.
Who Are These Guys?
Entering the series, the Giants were the only team in MLB without a three-steal game. The Brewers were the only team that had not allowed three steals in a game. You can probably guess where this is going.
The Giants stole three bases in the first three innings, with Heliot Ramos taking third and Arraez and Koss nabbing second. Ramos and Koss stole their first bases of the year, while Arraez got his ninth in nine attempts.
Of course, because this is this season, they had two runners picked off later in the game.
The Giants are up to 27th in the big leagues in stolen bases, which doesn’t sound great, but certainly is well ahead of where they were trending for most of the first half. Their 15 stolen bases in July put them ninth for the month.