Giants' K-prone ways in focus vs. D-backs: 'We've got to put it in play'

PHOENIX -- The Giants rank in the middle of the pack in most major offensive categories this year, but there’s one statistic where they’re currently sitting higher than they’d like to be.

San Francisco struck out 17 times in an 8-2 loss to the D-backs in their 2024 road finale at Chase Field on Wednesday night, tying the club’s second-highest total in a nine-inning game since 1901.

The Giants had no answers for Arizona right-hander Zac Gallen, who racked up 11 strikeouts over six innings of one-run ball to keep San Francisco from completing back-to-back sweeps on the road. With their 71st double-digit strikeout game of the year, the Giants now rank eighth in the Majors in K’s and second behind only the Rockies in the second half.

The seven teams ahead of them on the leaderboard -- the Mariners, Rockies, Red Sox, Pirates, A’s, Rays and Reds -- are also on track to miss the postseason this year, underscoring the need to cut down on the whiffs heading into 2025.

“We’ve got to put it in play a little bit more,” manager Bob Melvin said. “Going in, we talked about trying to get [Gallen’s] breaking ball up, but easier said than done when he’s throwing his fastball kind of at the bottom of the zone and getting some calls at the bottom of the zone as well. And then his curveball, especially with two strikes, is tough to lay off.”

The defeat snapped the Giants’ season-high five-game winning streak and dropped them one game below .500, meaning they’ll have to win at least two of their final three games against the Cardinals to avoid their second consecutive losing season. While they fell short on Wednesday, they still went 7-2 over their final trek of the season through Baltimore, Kansas City and Arizona, finishing with a 38-43 record away from Oracle Park this season.

While the Giants have been among the most strikeout-prone teams in baseball this year, their lineup should receive a big boost from the return of Jung Hoo Lee, who underwent season-ending left shoulder surgery in May but should slot back in as the club’s primary leadoff hitter next season. Lee is known for his elite contact skills and struck out only 13 times in 158 plate appearances this year.

The Giants have been leaning on rookie Grant McCray to fill in for Lee in center field in the interim, but the 23-year-old speedster struck out four times on Wednesday, giving him 51 K’s over 123 plate appearances this year. His 41.4% strikeout rate is the highest among Major League hitters with at least 100 plate appearances, creating a clear area of improvement moving forward.

“Grant will make, I think, some strides,” Melvin said. “First time around, he strikes out some to begin with. But maybe knowing the league a little bit more, how he’s getting pitched, facing guys for the second time around and then maybe trying to shorten up at times next year. I think as a group, we have to be better at that.”

Mason Black also saw his rookie season end on a disappointing note, as he lasted only 2 2/3 innings against the D-backs, giving up four runs on five hits and five walks. Black picked up his first win after throwing a career-high 5 2/3 innings in his last start in Kansas City, but he said he felt out of sync mechanically on Wednesday night, which led to his command issues on the mound.

“I’m a little upset with how things ended there,” Black said. “Obviously, I would have liked to end on a better note. A lot to learn, a lot to build on for the future. Overall, just have to take it as it is.”

Black’s rough outing halted a stretch of 16 consecutive games in which Giants starters had permitted three runs or fewer and left the 24-year-old right-hander with a 6.44 ERA over nine outings (eight starts) this year. Despite his ups and downs, Black is still expected to come into Spring Training with a chance to compete for a rotation spot in 2025.

“Today wasn’t his best, coming off a game where he pitched really well,” Melvin said. “It’s just about being consistent. You can’t fall behind, you can’t walk guys and put guys on base, especially with an offense like this. But overall, I think it was a learning experience for him. He ended up with a six-something ERA, which he’s probably not happy with. But some of them were short stints like tonight. I think other times he pitched pretty well.”