The 2020 Giants don’t want to be compared with the 2019 Giants. Or the 2018 Giants or 2017 Giants. Take your pick. All those teams were challenged when it came to scoring runs.
These Giants were different in the season’s first half (or first month; same difference). Scoring runs was the one thing they did consistently.
It’s suddenly a struggle. After getting shut out on both ends of Thursday’s doubleheader, the Giants scored one run in eight innings Friday before experiencing a productive ninth in a 7-4 loss to the Diamondbacks.
The Giants, with three straight defeats, aren’t exactly playing as if they’re determined to keep their team intact approaching Monday’s trade deadline. After winning seven straight, home plate too often has been a mirage.
Evan Longoria’s sixth-inning homer, the 301st of his career, was the Giants’ only run against Zac Gallen, and they didn’t score again until Wilmer Flores doubled home Brandon Belt in the ninth and Brandon Crawford followed with a two-run homer.
How the Giants perform in the days leading to the deadline could help determine how president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi handles trade activity, and the team isn’t making much of a last-minute case that it’s playoff-caliber and should be upgraded for the here and now.
Zaidi broke up much of the bullpen at last year’s deadline, and the Giants weren’t a threat down the stretch. He could continue to seek prospects that’ll boost the team in 2021 and beyond.
On the trip, the Giants brought a four-man taxi squad — pitchers Rico Garcia and Carlos Navas, catcher Chris Herrmann and utility player Daniel Robertson — and could quickly fill roster spots in the event of a trade.
“I never really focused on the deadline as a make-or-break period, but this year may be different,” Longoria said. “We’re a few games away from being in a playoff spot, and things can change on daily basis with the way things are set up the way it is.
“Obviously, my hope and goal is we can keep this group together and try to do something special. From the players’ standpoint, you really never know.”
Giants starter Tyler Anderson failed to resemble the pitcher who dominated the Diamondbacks five games earlier when he pitched a complete-game, 103-pitch gem without yielding an earned run.
This time, the lefty threw 88 pitches, lasted just 4 ⅔ innings and gave up seven earned runs, so the Giants needed more than a four runs to compete on this night.
“The quality of strikes tonight wasn’t that good,” Anderson said. “Some of them were up. Or maybe if they were down, they were a little more (in the) middle than away like we would’ve liked it. Just not quite as crisp.”
The Giants entered averaging 4.82 runs per game, sixth-highest total in the National League. Last year, they ranked second-to-last in the league in runs and 28th in the majors. They ranked 29th in both 2018 and 2017.
Manager Gabe Kapler noted the offense faced two of the league’s top starters, Clayton Kershaw and Gallen, sandwiched around a game in which the Giants went against a string of tough Dodgers relievers.
“Now, the flip side of that I want to acknowledge, that’s major league baseball,” Kapler said. “Every time you go out there, you’re going to be facing somebody with great stuff and the ability to beat you, and we’ve got to step up and meet that challenge.”
Longoria suggested the team as is could contend through the final weeks.
“We’ve got a really great group of guys, and I think the belief is we can make the playoffs,” Longoria said. “We have to continue to play the way we have been, the last two days notwithstanding. We’ve been doing some really nice things as a group, and there’s a lot to build off of.”
John Shea covers the Giants for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: jshea@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JohnSheaHey
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August 29, 2020 at 01:00PM
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Giants lose to Diamondbacks, Anderson struggles, offense still an issue - San Francisco Chronicle
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