Zaidi previews Trade Deadline for Giants prior to loss

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants hoped Thursday’s off-day would help them reset and build some positive momentum ahead of the All-Star break, but the club once again fell flat in a 5-2 loss to the last-place Rockies on Friday night at Oracle Park.

San Francisco’s slumping offense didn’t show much fight against Colorado left-hander Austin Gomber, who opened his outing with five scoreless innings before Brandon Crawford brought the ballpark back to life with a game-tying homer in the sixth.

The buzz didn’t last long, as the Rockies quickly regained the lead the following inning behind Ezequiel Tovar’s three-run blast off Tyler Rogers, who hadn’t allowed a homer since April 29. The defeat snapped the Giants’ 11-game winning streak over the Rockies, which dated back to Aug. 21, 2022.

Prior to Friday’s game, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi met with reporters to discuss the state of the club and share his outlook ahead of the Aug. 1 Trade Deadline. Despite dropping eight of their last 11 games, the Giants (47-41) remain 3 1/2 games behind the first-place D-backs in the National League West and 1 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot, putting them squarely in the mix to return to the postseason for the first time since their 107-win campaign in 2021.

“I think it sort of validated our belief in Spring Training that this was a good team,” Zaidi said. “We’ve had our ups and downs healthwise and performance-wise, but I think we are a playoff team, a playoff-caliber team. There are certainly expectations that’ll continue.”

The Giants have gotten excellent production from top starters Logan Webb and Alex Cobb, but the rest of the rotation has been more of a mixed bag. Anthony DeSclafani landed on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder fatigue earlier this week, and the Giants have leaned on a mix of bulk-inning types -- including Sean Manaea, Alex Wood, Tristan Beck, Keaton Winn and Jakob Junis -- and openers to cover the remaining three spots in the rotation.

Zaidi said he’s hoping the pitching staff will achieve “more definition and clarity” in the second half, with five regular starters entrenching themselves in the rotation and lessening the need for bullpen games. Ross Stripling, who gave up two runs over 3 2/3 innings on Friday in his third appearance since coming off the IL, could be key to accomplishing that goal, especially as he continues to get more built up in the coming weeks.

“I expect him to have a big second half for us,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “It’s my belief that Ross is going to be meaningful in big starts for us down the stretch.”

The Giants hoped to take a look at top pitching prospect Kyle Harrison to better assess their internal options, but the 21-year-old left-hander is expected to be down for a few weeks after suffering a “moderate” right hamstring strain while working out in between starts. Harrison will be forced to sit out the All-Star Futures Game in Seattle on Saturday, but Zaidi said he still expects the De La Salle High School product to debut with the Giants this season.

While the Giants are in a pretty good spot when it comes to their pitching depth, Zaidi didn’t rule out the possibility of adding another frontline starter at the Deadline.

“If you’re talking about a front-of-the-rotation arm that becomes available, I think every team with playoff aspirations is going to have interest,” Zaidi said. “You can always fit that. But I don’t really see us adding starting rotation depth, because we like the guys that we have in that category.”

With second baseman Thairo Estrada expected to miss four to six weeks with a left hand fracture, Zaidi said the Giants could also seek out middle-infield help. Rookies Casey Schmitt and Brett Wisely are expected to have a chance to earn regular playing time in the interim, but they’ve both struggled to get going at the plate, further thinning a Giants offense that is batting only .195 with 26 runs scored over its last 11 games.

“With the Thairo injury, we’ve got to at least evaluate what we have in the middle infield,” Zaidi said. “Kind of just keep an eye on the market and see if there’s someone that can be impactful there and weigh that against continuing to give opportunities to Casey and Brett.”

The Giants also lost top free-agent acquisition Mitch Haniger to a right forearm fracture last month, but Zaidi said he believes Heliot Ramos and Luis González could help boost the outfield once they’re ready to come off the 60-day IL. Ramos, who will be eligible to return on July 18, homered twice for Triple-A Sacramento on Friday night and is now 12-for-21 (.571) in his first five rehab games for the River Cats. González is also ramping up and on track to potentially return in August.