10-07-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Hope, homers and help? Buster Posey's Giants have some of all three, but need more
Give us a sign, said the San Francisco Giants to the baseball gods, that we are too legit to quit, that our recent surge is no fluke.
And so it was that Patrick Bailey smacked an inside-the-park walk-off home run Tuesday night to beat the Phillies. Theologians agree that Bailey's miracle was a clear message from the baseball gods that the Buster Posey Era is for real.
Bailey's carom off the red bricks high above Triples Alley could be heard all the way to Milwaukee, where the Dodgers were losing to the Brewers and hearing footsteps.
Alas, the momentum did not carry over to Wednesday's game, where the Phillies pummelled the Giants 13-0. The baseball gods send messages, not gifts. You gotta earn what you get.
Still, there's no denying the buzz at Third and King. The Giants won four in a row before losing to the Phillies Wednesday. Even better, the Dodgers lost Wednesday in extra innings to extend their losing streak to six.
And here they come. The Dodgers, flustered and frustrated, come to San Francisco Friday for a weekend series that will take baseball into the All-Star break, and could make or break the Giants' spirits going into the second half.
The Giants are trying to cling to the National League's third (and last) wild card spot, five games behind the West-leading Dodgers.
It's likely to be a wild ride the rest of the summer, but the hope level is higher now than it was at this point in recent seasons. But is it really hope, or hype?
The next 12 weeks will be a test of the Buster Factor.
Is Posey's spiritual makeover of the organization a real thing, or just wishful thinking? And beyond the mystique, can Posey pull off another deal or two to plug team weaknesses and give his guys a jolt down the stretch?
Posey wasn't at Oracle Wednesday. He was in the Arizona desert, huddling with general manager Zack Minasian and their crew to talk about what moves they might make with the MLB Draft to deal with.
They surely watched Wednesday's game on TV with mixed emotions.
Chagrin, because losing 13-0 to the Phillies while eking out four singles was a terrible way to back up Tuesday's mind-blowing win.
But hopefulness, too, because the Giants may have discovered a much-needed solid starting pitcher, Justin Verlander. Verlander made his 16 th start for the Giants, and lost, and is winless in 16 starts (!), but he may have found his groove.
Verlander made a mechanical adjustment since his previous start, and said this game was the best he's felt all year.
'I've been searching a lot,' Verlander said, 'it's been difficult, been working my butt off, but I'm very optimistic that this mechanical fix is the one that kind of propels me into a good second half.'
Verlander finished the first half of the season a disastrous 0-7. The Giants cannot afford an oh-fer second half from Verlander. Baseball is a jinx-loving sport, and the Giants' lack of hitting support for Verlander has felt jinxy, but the guess here is that Posey and Bob Melvin believe less in jinxes and more in empirical evidence, and were encouraged by what they saw Wednesday.
What if he turns things around in the second half? That said, remember Posey's self-imposed motto: 'It's time to go.'
In the Farhan Zaidi years, the Giants could be counted on to be extra patient at midseason, kind of hoping the team's holes would patch themselves. A lot of people, maybe a lot of Giants players, are hoping that Posey will be a bit less laid-back. Just seeing Rafael Devers in a Giants uni is a reminder that Posey is ready to make moves, not just wait for the calendar to tell him the trade deadline's coming up.
This is Posey's opportunity to show that it really is a new deal for the Giants. Missing the playoffs would be very disappointing. Wednesday's 13-0 drubbing was a reminder of what ugly looks like.
The Giants could use another starting pitcher, not least in case Verlander doesn't rebound. They could use another big bat in the 1B/DH/RF mix. Luis Matos, the fourth outfielder, was in right field Wednesday for Mike Yastrzemski, and struck out three times as his batting average sank to .165.
Picking up a big arm and/or another big bat would be a sign that Posey isn't here to play along.
Speaking of signs, Bailey's homer Tuesday will not soon be forgotten. It was the kind of blow that can make a team believe in miracles.
During Wednesday's game, I strolled out to the outfield concourse, to see the spot where Bailey's blow caromed off the bricks. Some fans pointed to the approximate spot on the wall, and one usher said, 'People are saying they should put up a plaque.'
At least they should paint the brick that redirected Bailey's blow along the center-field warning track. In Fenway Park, in the sea of green seats in the right-field bleachers, you can see one seat painted red. That's where Ted Williams struck a 502-foot homer in 1946. I'm not saying Bailey is Ted Williams, but his hit was one for the ages.
Giants, paint that brick. Remind your guys of the message from above.
