What we learned as Webb struggles in Giants’ loss to Blue Jays originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
BOX SCORE
SAN FRANCISCO — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. crushed a slider to dead center and started to go into the home run pose that his father first made famous. Pretty quickly, he realized that he had to start sprinting.
Guerrero ended up with a 396-foot leadoff double in the sixth inning, one he likely will remember when he hits free agency after next season. It would have been a homer in 15 parks, but on a cold night at Oracle Park, he had to settle for a hit that kicked off a stunning six-run rally by the visiting Toronto Blue Jays.
They knocked Logan Webb out in the middle of it and cruised to a 10-6 win. This series is all tied up through two games, although the teams certainly got there in an odd way.
Making his last appearance before appearing in his first MLB All-Star Game, Webb had one of the worst outings of his career, with all of the damage happening in the fifth and sixth. The Giants scored a pair early but failed to capitalize on chances to do more damage. A night after they won on a walk-off, they got back-to-back ninth inning homers from Patrick Bailey and Matt Chapman, but the hole was far too deep.
Shocking Finish
Webb had gone at least six innings in 11 consecutive starts, the longest streak by a Giant since Madison Bumgarner did it in 19 straight in 2016. Early on, it looked like he might have a shot at a complete game in his final start of the first half, but everything unraveled quickly.
With two on in the fifth, Ernie Clement crushed a changeup that was well below the zone, picking up his second go-ahead homer in as many days. Webb wouldn’t record an out in the sixth.
The Blue Jays picked up four straight hits before Webb gave way to Sean Hjelle, who immediately allowed a pair of singles. George Springer capped the scoring with a two-run double.
Webb was charged with four of the six runs in the inning and seven earned runs overall, tying a career-high. The only other time came in his fourth career start back in 2019. Webb entered the game with a 3.09 ERA, but it ballooned to 3.47 by the end of the night.
Tip Your Cap
Chris Bassitt has been in the big leagues for a decade. His 70th win might have been one of his most unlikely yet. Bassitt was on the ropes for the first hour of the night, but he hung on and ended up allowing just three runs in five innings, getting the win when the Blue Jays exploded.
Bassitt, who pitched for Bob Melvin in Oakland, struggled with his command early and gave up a pair of runs in the first. When he walked three straight in the second, the Blue Jays’ bullpen went to work. On his 63rd pitch of the night, Bassitt got Chapman to pop up to end the second inning and leave them loaded. He needed just 36 more pitches to get through the fifth.
Something To Monitor?
The Giants are going to take a long look at the shortstop duo of Brett Wisely and Tyler Fitzgerald, and at the moment they don’t have any plans to pursue a more experienced option at the trade deadline later this month. Through two games since they parted ways with Nick Ahmed, the results have been mixed.
The rookies were right in the middle of Tuesday night’s comeback win, but Fitzgerald wasn’t thrilled with his start. He had an error at short and was out early on Wednesday afternoon to take extra grounders with the coaching staff.
Wisely had a shaky night defensively, making a couple of mistakes in the lengthy sixth. Davis Schneider’s 70-mph liner ate him up, taking an odd hop off the grass and skipping into center field. It was ruled a single, but it’s a play Wisely will make with more experience. He later fumbled the exchange on a double play ball, getting just one out.
It was a rare off night defensively for Wisely, whose improvements at short made it easier for the Giants to DFA Ahmed.
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