What we learned as Giants’ epic road trip ends with disappointing loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
PHOENIX — The Giants’ final road trip of the season was shockingly successful, but it ended with a dud.
The Giants lost 8-2 to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday at Chase Field, finishing 7-2 on a road trip that included series wins over three teams — Baltimore, Kansas City and Arizona — likely headed for the MLB playoffs. Even with all of the late wins, they finished with a losing road record for the third consecutive season, and Wednesday’s defeat dropped them back below .500 overall.
This one looked awfully similar to many of the road games over the first five months. A young pitcher struggled, the lineup continuously struck out, and the defense made some baffling decisions.
Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen did most of the heavy lifting, helping his team avoid a sweep and move back to a full game ahead of the Atlanta Braves for the National League’s final postseason spot. The Giants successfully played spoiler throughout this trip, but they weren’t able to complete what would have been the franchise’s first 8-1 road trip since 1923.
Strikeout City
The Giants scored an early run on Tyler Fitzgerald’s double, but it was clear from the start that they weren’t picking up Gallen. The right-hander struck out five the first time through the order and finished with 11 in six innings. When the night was over, the Giants had struck out 17 times.
The double-digit performance was the 71st for the lineup and seventh game with at least 15 strikeouts. They currently rank eighth in the big leagues, and it seems to be a good way to figure out which lineups had success this year. The seven teams ahead of the Giants in total strikeouts are all going to miss the postseason.
All nine starters struck out at least once, but Grant McCray went down four times. The rookie has 51 in 117 at-bats, the highest rate among players with at least 100 at-bats. That’ll be a clear point of emphasis as he tries to win a job next spring, when the Giants will have Jung Hoo Lee back as their everyday center fielder.
Disappointing Finish
The story of September has been the young pitching, but Mason Black couldn’t end his rookie season on a high note. Black lasted just 2 2/3 innings, allowing four earned on five hits and five walks. He had issued just 10 free passes in his previous 33 2/3 innings, and part of his recent success had come from strike-throwing. Black walked just…