Jung Hoo Lee’s bases-loaded bunt try exemplifies Giants’ commerce deadline crossroads

SAN FRANCISCO — Jung Hoo Lee got here inside an arm’s size of hitting a tying dwelling run within the ninth inning Saturday night time. His double off the brick arcade would’ve cleared the fence in each major-league ballpark besides the one constructed arduous in opposition to McCovey Cove. Moments later, extra dangerous fortune: Lee was disadvantaged of the privilege of scoring when New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso slipped the surly bonds of Earth simply lengthy sufficient to snag Patrick Bailey’s line drive (anticipated batting common: .730) and ship the San Francisco Giants to a 2-1 defeat.

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You didn’t need assistance figuring out the pivotal moments Saturday night time. They have been simple sufficient to identify within the ninth inning of an apparently unfortunate loss. But when these didn’t really feel just like the defining moments of the sport, that’s most likely since you’ve been watching this Giants lineup pop up and strike out and strand runners for the higher a part of three months. Bailey’s misfortune and Alonso’s vertical verisimilitude resulted in simply one of many Giants’ eight hitless at-bats with runners in scoring place. They’re 0-for-16 on this sequence. They ranked twenty third out of 30 groups in runs scored in Might, twenty fifth in June and twenty second in July.

They’re 54-51 and nonetheless related in a Nationwide League playoff image that will get grainy once you blow it up into an 8×10, however on so many nights, the Giants have regarded like a crew that’s attempting to visualise success whereas failure crowds their field of regard.

If there was a defining second for that temper, you may flash to Rafael Devers and his first base apprenticeship doubtlessly costing the Giants a run when he bobbled a switch and couldn’t power a runner at second base within the Mets’ two-run sixth inning. Devers price left-hander Robbie Ray just a few pitches within the third inning, too, when he broke in on a dribbler that Ray fielded. As a result of the Giants view Devers as a difference-making hitter, they’re making a big concession to compete with a primary baseman who has as a lot professional expertise on the place as a draftee after educational league. They’re extra assured with Devers of their lineup, even when they can’t anticipate him to really feel assured within the area.

Nevertheless, nothing was stunning about Devers’ defensive night time. All groups have weaknesses they’ll solely handle by making peace with them, which is most simply achieved by outhitting their errors.

In fact, that’s not one thing the Giants have completed usually this season. If that’s the sentiment you needed to seize Saturday night time, then think about one other much less apparent second when Lee stood within the batter’s field. It occurred within the fourth inning of a scoreless sport. The bases have been loaded with one out. Lee stepped to the plate.

He tried to bunt.

“A groundball could make it right into a double play,” Lee stated by way of Korean interpreter Justin Han. “So what I used to be considering is perhaps do a sudden bunt like that. Additionally, when you noticed Pete Alonso, he was … (enjoying) again at first base. So perhaps I might have gone for that probability, however I made a foul ball.”

Lee ended up plating a run anyway. His groundball to the correct facet was so softly hit that the Mets solely had time to get the power at second base. Lee’s resolution to bunt the primary pitch ended up having no direct influence on the results of the inning or the sport.

However some selections advantage nearer inspection. Anybody can see what a participant is doing. What you can’t see is what they’re considering. In that second, Lee offered a window into his thoughts. He confirmed as a lot after the sport: He walked to the plate and visualized a double-play grounder as an alternative of a double to the hole.

Lee was dealing with a left-on-left matchup with David Peterson, however it’s not as if the Mets starter was overpowering. It’s not as if Lee has been feeble in same-side matchups, both. He had a reverse break up this season: He was hitting .276 with an .783 OPS in opposition to lefties and .239/.685 in opposition to right-handers.

But Lee did one thing that major-league hitters nearly by no means do. He stepped into the sport’s ripest state of affairs to inflict most harm. He selected to artificially reduce it.

How uncommon is it for a hitter to make that alternative? Effectively, getting into Saturday, there had been 9,945 pitches thrown with the bases loaded this season. There had been two bunt makes an attempt. That’s as a result of there may be nearly no bases-loaded state of affairs through which squaring to bunt is a sound technique. If the ball doesn’t get previous the pitcher, it’s a possible flip and power on the plate. From each angle, a bases-loaded bunt is a horrible play — the provenance of pitchers within the pre-universal DH age, absolute burners carrying ultralight lumber or anybody feeling overmatched.

In 4 seasons starting in 2022 with the adoption of the common DH, there have been 57,675 pitches thrown with the bases loaded. There have been 27 bunt makes an attempt. 13 of these makes an attempt have been put into play. Inside that small pattern, you may be to be taught, the outcomes haven’t been a complete calamity. There have been 4 bunt singles (together with one by the Giants’ Grant McCray final season, when he was charitably credited along with his first major-league hit though the catcher dropped a throw). 5 different balls in play resulted in an RBI. Two of these bunts resulted in a number of runs when the crew afield dedicated an error.

Scan the checklist of these 4 bunt makes an attempt in play that didn’t rating a run and also you’ll discover former Giants infielder Thairo Estrada listed twice. He popped one up in 2022 and, God love him for being undaunted, did it once more in ’23.

Right here’s video of Estrada’s try from two seasons in the past at Dodger Stadium, which occurred whereas Clayton Kershaw was taking part in an in-game interview. In the event you nonetheless suppose there’s ever an excellent time to bunt with the bases loaded, one take a look at Kershaw’s horse-laughing response ought to set you straight.

What do all these 27 bunt makes an attempt have in widespread? This can be apparent, however none of them resulted in issues like dwelling runs or doubles to the hole — the damaging hits that often swing win likelihood in a crew’s favor. They’re the kinds of hits that the Giants are prone to want greater than ever now that their rotation is down to 3 wholesome and established pitchers. They’ll roll out a bullpen sport starting with lefty Matt Gage on Sunday. Then they’ll promote both Kai-Wei Teng or Carson Whisenhunt from Triple-A Sacramento to begin on Monday.

(Whisenhunt was scratched from his scheduled begin for the River Cats Saturday night time, however it’s potential the Giants have been holding him again as a precaution in case the Mets blasted Ray within the early innings.)

Following Friday night time’s loss, I requested Giants supervisor Bob Melvin: Is it more durable to handle a crew that isn’t hitting or a crew that’s continuously struggling to cowl innings? He didn’t have a decisive reply, saying yearly is case-specific. When a crew isn’t doing one factor effectively, he stated, you hope the opposite elements of the crew can compensate.

So, after three months of proof on the contrary, do the Giants actually imagine their lineup is able to compensating?

In a approach, the reply is immaterial. They already traded for Devers. They dedicated to paying him greater than $250 million by way of 2033. A franchise doesn’t make that sort of dedication after which unload elements on the commerce deadline — particularly when that franchise is run by somebody as aggressive as Buster Posey.

Chances are you’ll be enthusiastic about what Ray, an All-Star, might fetch in a market starved for high-quality pitching. You may be enthusiastic about how a lot the Giants must restock a system thinned out by the Devers commerce and consecutive winters of punting draft picks as compensation for signing free brokers. Posey nearly actually is considering a unique approach. Once you’ve performed on flawed groups that received World Sequence championships, you don’t see the logic of giving up when you’re short-stacked and nonetheless have a seat on the desk.

If you wish to get actually deep, right here’s betting that Posey thinks about it this fashion: What’s a 12 months of your life price? What’s 4 months of sweat fairness plus six weeks of spring coaching price? What’s the psychological and bodily and monetary funding in constructing a crew price? What’s all that point away from your loved ones price? How will you justify any of that point spent or sacrifices made when you’re prepared to drag the plug as a result of your playoff odds occur to be 29 % with two months to go?

All of this to say: In the event you’re plotting out what the Giants might fetch in the event that they go into promote mode, you’re losing your time. Sure, there’s a chance they are going to deal items off their major-league roster, however provided that they get major-league items in return. And provided that they imagine such a commerce would go away them a stronger and extra aggressive crew proper now.

From a transactional standpoint, the Giants already took their greatest swing by buying Devers. They could not have the ability to justify sending out extra of their minor-league system in an ore cart to make significant additions to a problematic roster that would roll closing credit with two dangerous weeks. And certain, there are arguments to be made that promoting is the prudent factor to do.

However promoting could be artificially minimizing their season.

Within the broadest context, the Giants aren’t precisely working with the bases loaded. Once you decide to taking a swing, although, you place no limits on the potential outcomes.

And luck? It’s the least static variable of all. Yesterday’s lineout may very well be at present’s game-changing hit.

(Prime photograph: Ed Szczepanski / Imagn Photos)