DeSclafani, Giants look to regroup after losing homestand

SAN FRANCISCO -- The orange and black won on Sunday afternoon at Oracle Park -- it just wasn’t the Giants.

Anthony DeSclafani was rocked for six runs in a disastrous third inning, saddling the Giants with an 8-3 loss to the Orioles that sealed a 2-4 homestand. After winning four consecutive series, the Giants have now dropped back-to-back sets to Baltimore and Pittsburgh, causing them to slip back below .500 at 29-30.

DeSclafani entered Sunday with only nine walks over 67 1/3 innings in his first 11 starts of the year, but he was hampered by command issues in the third. He issued three free passes – including a four-pitch walk to Ryan Mountcastle that forced in a run – and also hit James McCann on the left hand with a sinker that ran up and in.

The Orioles sent 11 batters to the plate in the fateful inning, with rookie Josh Lester delivering the biggest blow with a two-out, bases-loaded single to the right-center-field gap that scored three runs after second baseman Brett Wisely mishandled center fielder Austin Slater’s throw back to the infield.

“I just wasn’t executing pitches,” DeSclafani said. “I just fell behind counts and wasn’t able to get back into them. Obviously, I always like attacking the zone. It just didn’t go my way today. I had more walks than normal, and they took advantage of it.”

DeSclafani recorded a 2.13 ERA over his first six starts of the year, but he hasn’t been as sharp over the last month, logging a 6.12 ERA over his last six outings.

“I think the hitters have just made adjustments,” DeSclafani said. “I’m probably getting a little bit too slider-happy, and the hitters have made an adjustment. I just need to be aware of that more moving forward and in-game with pitch selection.”

Rookie Blake Sabol supplied the lone offensive highlight of the afternoon, blasting a two-run home run off Orioles right-hander Tyler Wells to put the Giants on the board in the sixth. Sabol crushed a 3-2 changeup out to right-center field for his seventh homer of the year, but it ended up being one of only five hits for San Francisco.

The good news is that reinforcements are on the way for the Giants, who will now travel to Denver to kick off a three-game series against the Rockies at Coors Field on Tuesday. Designated hitter Joc Pederson (right hand contusion) and second baseman Thairo Estrada (left wrist sprain) are expected to come off the injured list this week, and the Giants are also likely to welcome right fielder Michael Conforto back to the starting lineup for the first time since he bruised his left heel on May 30.

The Giants have missed the trio’s production in recent days, as they’ve scored only 14 runs while dropping four out of their last five games.

“A lot of teams have injuries, but I still don’t think we’ve had our full group together for much of the season,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “I think we could be trending toward Colorado being the first time we have the team that we expected to have together all at once.”

The Giants will have to clear two spots on the 26-man roster to activate Pederson and Estrada, with rookies Bryce Johnson and Wisely among the candidates to be optioned. The Giants have been giving Wisely an extended look at second while Estrada has been out, but the 24-year-old is batting only .195 with a .547 OPS over 33 games and also committed a fielding error on Anthony Santander’s grounder in the ninth.

While their position player group is nearly back to full strength, the Giants have fresh questions on the pitching side after left-hander Alex Wood landed on the 15-day injured list with a low back strain. Wood said his back locked up following his last start against the Pirates on Wednesday, but an MRI exam showed no structural damage, so he’s hopeful he’ll be able to return as soon as he’s eligible on June 16.

“I already feel like I’m moving better today than I have the last couple of days,” Wood said. “Hopefully it’ll just be the minimum and then right back to it.”

With right-hander Ross Stripling also on the IL, the Giants will likely lean on Sean Manaea, Jakob Junis and Tristan Beck, who was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday, to help plug the holes in their rotation. They haven’t announced their rotation plans for the three-game series in Colorado, but Monday’s off-day would give them the option to skip Wood’s next turn in the rotation and start Logan Webb and Alex Cobb on regular rest on Wednesday and Thursday.

Manaea is likely to play a prominent role in Tuesday’s series opener, either as a starter or a bulk-innings option out of the bullpen.