\u201cObviously, not a good day,\u201d Vitello said. \u201cA lot of things you\u2019d like to replay, redo, but you can\u2019t do that. So it\u2019s a bitter pill to swallow. Get on a plane and see what you can make of the rest of the road trip.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Giants boarded a flight to Florida to face the Tampa Bay Rays. Consternation was surely on the in-flight menu.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe lost two games and I\u2019m supposed to be in charge of this group,\u201d Vitello said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of things we could\u2019ve done better. Can\u2019t go back and undo anything. Decisions go well, look smart. Player looks good. If not, you\u2019d like to reverse it. There\u2019s difficult decisions when Schwarber\u2019s up to bat and we didn\u2019t make any, or I didn\u2019t make any of the right decisions. You can call it that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Tony](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/USATSI_28754287-scaled.jpg\")
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\n Tony Vitello\u2019s first season as an MLB manager has gotten off to a bumpy start. (Geoff Burke \/ Imagn Images).<\/p>\n
The first internal issue that the Giants have to sort out would appear to be between Bailey, the pitching coaches and the staff, concerning Walker in particular. Vitello provided some cover for Bailey when asked about Winn\u2019s seven splitters to Schwarber, saying it wasn\u2019t by design, but \u201cMess (pitching coach Justin Meccage) is kind of calling from the dugout, trying to get Schwarber to chase up, but it\u2019s also been a pretty effective pitch for him. Not easy decisions when that guy\u2019s up to bat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walker was more direct about his inning, acknowledging it was a mistake to throw just one slider out of 21 pitches and to keep repeating his sinker to Stott until he left one over the heart of the plate.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just something we need to figure out,\u201d Walker said. \u201cObviously (a slider) would\u2019ve been beneficial. Two-seam\u2019s been working a lot. I think we overused it, potentially, today. It\u2019s in the back of my mind. If we utilize a slider in that situation, it\u2019s a different story.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why didn\u2019t Walker shake to a different pitch?<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a tough time shaking,\u201d Walker said. \u201cI\u2019m not a big shaker. I put a lot of trust in my catchers. I still have a lot of trust in Bailey, whatever he calls, especially as a two-pitch guy. I have the confidence in both pitches in any situation. But obviously, nine two-seams to Stott is not ideal. And I will be making some changes in terms of situational pitching.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vitello said he met with Walker in his office between games and the right-hander expressed \u201cnothing but regret from him. Came in here and visited a little bit about things in general. I wouldn\u2019t even call it a pattern. It was a one-dimensional thing. That wasn\u2019t any set pregame plan or anything like that. It\u2019s just one consistent pitch that he went with. Opportunity to shake there, he didn\u2019t want to do it. He\u2019s usually in a pretty good rhythm with the catcher, so \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
So? How about an explanation from the catcher?<\/p>\n
\u201cGood pitches,\u201d said Bailey, when asked why the Giants kept going to the same well against Stott and Schwarber. \u201cTrying to get them out. \u2026 I trust my guys and their pitches.\u201d<\/p>\n
The explanation was just as flimsy when Vitello was asked about the decision to start Houser in Game 2.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust because we know he can give us a quality start and we\u2019ll worry about that day when it comes,\u201d Vitello said. \u201cThat\u2019s what he did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fact check: Houser gave up two home runs before he threw a sixth pitch, and while he settled down after that, he was pulled with two outs in the fifth \u2014 well short of the definition of a quality start.<\/p>\n
Moving on. Borg\u2019s explanation for holding Gilbert?<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel pretty good holding him right there with Chappy (Matt Chapman) coming up and (Luis) Arraez,\u201d Borg said. \u201cThe second baseman kind of killed the ball more than I thought. But I feel pretty good in that situation with those guys coming up. Honestly, I feel pretty good. \u2026 That\u2019s the main focus for me as a third-base coach. I want to be fair to those guys in that situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Giants did a few things well. They drew three walks against Cristopher Sanchez in Game 1 \u2014 just the second time all season they\u2019ve drawn three walks against a pitcher (the other was Miami Marlins reliever Tyler Phillips last Saturday) and the first time against an opposing starter. Ramos continues to heat up at the plate and should become the regular leadoff presence against left-handers again.<\/p>\n
Chapman made a nice play at third base to cut down a run at the plate. Backup catcher Eric Haase turned some smart baserunning into a run. Caleb Kilian, who has allowed one run and five hits in 14 innings, retired six of seven Phillies batters in Game 2 and continued his emergence as a dominant relief presence. Logan Webb pitched well in Game 1 while limiting the Phillies to a run in seven innings, which theoretically set up their pitching for the rest of a difficult day.<\/p>\n
But the Giants continue to get very little out of Rafael Devers and Willy Adames, who squandered so many chances to collect put-away hits in the series. And you don\u2019t get credit for a handful of big league plays when you make so many avoidable mistakes.<\/p>\n
Sometimes the simplest explanation is the right one. Maybe the Giants just aren\u2019t a very good team. At the end of April, anyway, with a 13-18 record that feels like something of an overachievement given all the holes in their game, they cannot claim to be anything different.<\/p>\n