SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants did something this weekend that they haven’t done in nearly 100 years.
While losing 5-3 to the New York Mets on Sunday, the lineup went hitless in seven at-bats with runners in scoring position. That followed a pair of 0-for-8 games, meaning they went 0-for-23 with runners in scoring position over three games. All three were losses for a team that now is just two games above .500 and became the first Giants group to go at least 0-for-20 with runners in scoring position in a series since 1931, when the New York Giants also went 0-for-23 against the Brooklyn Robins.
In their first pre-planned bullpen game of the year, the Giants actually found themselves in a pretty good spot through five. A couple of Matt Chapman homers gave them a 3-2 lead, and up to that point, they had only used long reliever Spencer Bivens and lefties Matt Gage and Joey Lucchesi.
The Mets stunned Randy Rodriguez in the seventh, though, getting a game-tying homer from Ronny Mauricio and then a go-ahead blast from Juan Soto.
The Mets tacked on a run in the ninth but wasted an opportunity to add more. In the bottom of the inning, that immediately became a factor.
All-Star closer Edwin Diaz walked Jung Hoo Lee with one out, grazed Heliot Ramos, and then walked Rafael Devers to load the bases. But Diaz bounced back quickly, blowing away Willy Adames and Chapman to end the game.
Double Trouble
There was a lot of talk at the end of the first half about how Devers (groin and back tightness) needed the four days off. Chapman was right there with him after rushing back from a hand sprain.
Chapman had just one extra-base hit in eight games after he came back, but since the All-Star break, he has returned to his old ways. He homered twice on Sunday, giving him four in nine games since the four days off. Chapman also has a homer and triple during that span.
Chapman’s first homer on Sunday was a 110 mph blast to left, and his second one went to dead center and gave the Giants a 3-2 lead. The multi-homer game was his 13th in the big leagues and first since last Sept. 21, and it put him at 16 for the season. That’s one ahead of Adames among Giants who have been here all year (Devers has 19).
Chappy ties it with his 15th dinger of the season 🚀
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) July 28, 2025
Matt Chapman AGAIN for the lead 💥
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) July 28, 2025
The Bullpen Game
The Giants have used just two bullpen games this year, and both have come on Sunday Night Baseball. They also did it last month after trading Kyle Harrison just before the first pitch at Dodger Stadium.
This one started well, with Gage throwing a dominant first inning as The Opener. Bivens allowed two runs in three innings, and after that, Bob Melvin started searching for innings. That seemed to catch up with him in the seventh.
Melvin tried to get multiple innings out of Lucchesi, but he was replaced by Rodriguez after giving up a double in the sixth. Rodriguez was brought back for the seventh and gave up two homers for the first time all year.
Mauricio’s splashdown was the first homer off Rodriguez since April 29. Soto followed that by taking a fastball into the seats in left.
Best Ballpark in Baseball
If you were on social media late Saturday night, you probably saw some discussion about changing the ballpark’s dimensions after Lee’s potential game-tying homer in the ninth hit the bricks and went for a double. It would have been a homer in 29 other ballparks, and that led to some foolishly calling for the fences to be brought in.
A day later, the Giants benefited from basically the exact same play. With the Mets trailing by a run in the sixth, Jeff McNeil hit a 408-foot rocket to right-center. Like Lee, he was stuck with a double. And, you guessed it, the ball would have been a game-tying homer in 29 other ballparks.
Never change, Oracle.
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