Giants Struggle Against Former Prospect Kyle Harrison
MILWAUKEE — The Giants faced a tough reality on Tuesday night, as they lost 8-3 to the Brewers. The experience of seeing Kyle Harrison dominate their lineup had to be particularly hard to take.
Harrison, now with the Brewers, went head-to-head with the Giants for the first time since being traded for Rafael Devers last summer. He held them scoreless for over five innings, matching his career-high for strikeouts, and left the field to applause from the fans.
Aside from Willie Adams’ solo home run in the sixth, which, by the way, was a solid shot, it seemed like the Giants struggled to make any real contact off Harrison. Even Jonah Cox’s close call was just a foul ball that ended up in the stands on the wrong side of the foul pole.
Cox later struck out, marking one of Harrison’s 12 total strikeouts that night. To say his performance was effective would be an understatement.
The difference between Harrison’s night and the Giants’ starting pitchers was stark. Trevor McDonald, who had previously played alongside Harrison, took the mound but immediately fell behind by three runs.
After walking the first two batters, McDonald let a three-run homer slip by, and that seemed to set the tone for the evening.
Harrison, on the other hand, had been stellar throughout the season, avoiding giving up three goals over 11 starts. Before Adams’ home run, he had gone 23 consecutive innings without allowing a score. His 1.57 ERA is currently the second-best in the majors, which speaks volumes about his consistency.
Implications of the Game
The Giants have had ongoing issues with their starting rotation, and this game only highlighted those weaknesses, especially in light of Harrison’s performance. McDonald’s effort may have been his first start in three games, but it still left much to be desired; he struggled through just one inning.
It didn’t help that the Giants allowed their opponents to score first, which always puts them at a disadvantage. Director of Baseball Operations Buster Posey made a bold decision when he traded away Harrison, but it seems the pitching staff hasn’t been adequately replenished, and that’s becoming more evident.
The Giants’ starting ERA stands at 4.94, the second worst in the majors, only beating out the Rockies, who face their own unique challenges. On top of that, the bullpen has also struggled, especially with key players like Tyler Rodgers and Camilo Doval absent, leading to 13 runs given up in just two games against the Brewers, including a tough eighth inning after a glimmer of hope.
Who’s Performing Well
The Giants are struggling, losing 14 out of their last 19 games, which is alarming. However, there are some bright spots. For example, Willie Adames has been stepping up, showing some life with his play. He hit his second home run in three games, reaching base three times during this particular outing, and has maintained a .294 batting average since May.
Then there’s Matt Chapman, who finally broke his home run drought, hitting his second of the season after a couple of doubles in previous games.
Who’s Struggling
On the flip side, there’s Tony Vitello. In a surprising move, he pulled two of the team’s top hitters from the lineup against Harrison, opting for more experienced players. His reasoning revolved around matchups, but it didn’t seem to pan out well.
Interestingly, neither Eldridge nor Lee had significant left-right splits against Harrison, who has actually performed better against left-handed hitters. The decision came back to haunt the team when Kennedy, who has had a rough batting average historically, struck out twice in his three at-bats.
Although Eldridge and Lee did provide a bit of late-game spark with some doubles, it was far too little to mount a comeback.
This lineup choice came after back-to-back games where the starting pitchers were worked hard and ended up throwing a lot of pitches with minimal innings.
Looking Ahead
The Giants have now lost seven out of their last eight games and still have two more against the Brewers, who are leading the National League Central Division. At least they won’t have to face Jacob Misiorowski in this series.
Things don’t look to get any easier either, as the Giants will face opponents with a combined winning percentage of .562 for the rest of the month, which is the toughest stretch of any team in MLB.
