In the top of the first inning on Opening Day against the Padres on March 28, Evan Longoria ripped a two-out single to center.
Why is that notable?
That’s the only hit the Giants have gotten in the first inning all season.
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In 10 games so far this season, the Giants are 1-for-31 with no walks (one hit-by-pitch) in the first inning. That's good for a .032 batting average which is ... not very good.
It might not need stating, but the Giants have scored no first inning runs.
That trend continued in Sunday’s series finale against the Rays, as Steven Duggar, Joe Panik, and Evan Longoria went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the first. The Giants went on to lose, 3-0 -- the second time they have been shut out so far this year.
Getting off to slow starts has been a theme for San Francisco all season long, as the Giants (3-7) have only scored once in the first three innings so far in 2019. In games like Sunday’s, Giants pitchers Drew Pomeranz, Trevor Gott, Nick Vincent, and Mark Melancon did well to hold the Rays (7-3) to only three runs. But when the offense is consistently being shut down in the early innings, it puts extra pressure on the pitchers to match zeros.
San Francisco Giants
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Ten games is too early to make wholesale changes, but manager Bruce Bochy might want to consider a new lineup - -- or a different pregame strategy -- to infuse some life into the offense in the early-going.