ARLINGTON, Texas — As he wrapped up his pregame media session Saturday, Giants manager Bob Melvin looked around the field for his counterpart Bruce Bochy. The Texas Rangers dugout was empty, but a few minutes later, Bochy came out and scanned the Globe Life Field grass for Melvin. Finally, the two connected behind the cage.
Melvin and Bochy have been going back and forth for two decades, with the wine occasionally changing hands after Giants-A’s matchups. They stood and talked for about 15 minutes, and at times it seemed like they both just needed to vent. During a three-game series in Arlington, it was easy to see the complaints everyone might have.
Bochy spent three straight days talking at length about his lineup, which has been banged up but also underperformed for more than two months. On Sunday, the Rangers finally broke through, scoring five early runs and cruising to a 7-2 victory, one that exposed Melvin’s biggest problem right now.
The Giants were supposed to rely on strong pitching and good defense, but they rank 25th in the majors in ERA. Keaton Winn raised that number on Sunday, allowing seven earned runs in his return from a forearm strain.
There is a certain irony in the current situation. The Giants listened to their fan base when it came to openers or bullpen games, and the new coaching staff doesn’t want to do those either. But right now, they’re having success with the Erik Miller-Spencer Howard duo in a rotation spot.
Melvin is waiting for Blake Snell to return, hopefully sometime this month, and Robbie Ray is not far behind in his rehab from Tommy John surgery. At some point in the second half, Alex Cobb should be an option. For now, they’ll lean on Winn in a rotation spot and wait for better days.
“It’s too early to talk about it for me,” Melvin said when asked if Winn could pitch in a longer-innings role. “There’s been some success, but doing it multiple times (in the rotation)? That’s probably tough to do, especially in back-to-back games, but we also have a day off, after the three against Houston. We’ll see where it goes.”
Staff don’t need to look too far back to see how trust can pay off. Winn was brilliant in his last three starts in April, but in four starts since then, he has allowed 24 runs. The problems began immediately on Sunday. His first pitch from the IL hit Rangers leadoff hitter Marcus Semien in the helmet.
“That definitely bothered me a little bit,” Winn admitted.
The Rangers scored three runs in the inning, the third on a double steal. Semien hit a two-run homer in the second and it was all downhill from there.
Winn will go back to the drawing board. He said he didn’t throw enough splitters on Sunday, and that his fastball velocity also went down a bit. For the most part he was going 94 to 95 mph, topping out at 96 mph, although that was partly by design in his first start after an arm injury.
“I’m not too worried about it,” Winn said. “I obviously wasn’t trying to get the most out of the gun today. I’m trying to be smart on that side of things.”
Given the weakness of the National League as a whole, the Giants can afford to be a little patient. If Winn can find his April form, they will be in much better shape, and he said he will analyze the numbers over the next few days to see if he can find a solution before facing the Los Angeles Angels next weekend.
Ray is close to returning to the Bay Area to begin his rehab with the San Jose Giants and Sacramento River Cats. Snell will pitch from a mound when the Giants return home, and he, too, could soon be on the road to starting rehab. The Giants had Winn begin his rehab, hoping to work some things out. He felt good in the bullpen and during that appearance, but that didn’t translate.
“You try to get him a rehab (start) so when he starts he’s ready for it,” Melvin said. “Obviously the command wasn’t very good early in the game and they got him some hits early and got him on the run. Five runs after two innings, that puts us in a bit of a hole, but hopefully it’ll be better next time.” .
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