Giants' bullpen has been their strength, and it ‘got away' from them in LA

Share

LOS ANGELES -- You probably have your own opinions about whether the 2019 Giants are truly built to win, but this much is true: They are built to win the close ones where they enter the late innings with the lead. 

The bullpen is the strength of this team, particularly the back end, but that wasn't the case in a 5-3 loss to the Dodgers on Wednesday. This result was straight out of the Upside Down. 

Reyes Moronta, so dominant in his first outing, got pushed around in the decisive seventh. Moronta gave up a double to Austin Barnes, walked Kiké Hernandez, and then threw a fastball that didn't fool David Freese. The scorcher to the gap brought Barnes home as the tying run and Hernandez home as the game-winner, erasing a rare two-homer effort from the Giants lineup. 

"For some reason we don't get away with walks, man," manager Bruce Bochy said. "They come back to haunt us."

Moronta's lack of command haunted him, and Tony Watson gave up another run in the eighth, making the comeback attempt a bit harder.

[RELATED: Pence is hitting .400, and is having fun]

The Giants went 26-30 in one-run games last year and have dropped two of three to start the season. All seven of their games have been close, but they're just 2-5 as they head home. Bochy said 3-4 would have at least made it "decent," but the bullpen couldn't close it down.

"We have a good bullpen," Bochy said. "That's going to have to be our strength, holding on, and it got away from us."

Contact Us