Giants Struggle Again Against Cubs’ Assad

SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants faced off against Javier Assad yet again, and this time, they had a full week to prepare—compared to just minutes before. Despite their prep time, Assad managed to perform quite effectively in this rematch.

Last week, the Giants were completely stifled by Assad when he was unexpectedly called into play at Wrigley Field. However, in this game, while he didn’t pitch a shutout, he still kept things under control. Despite hitting three singles, he couldn’t prevent a 5-1 loss.

But let’s be clear, the Giants had hit only one single off him last week, so this performance was a bit of an improvement, at least in terms of getting on base.

For the Giants, the struggles began with Landen Loop, who had a rocky outing. Loop struck out the first four batters, but fell apart after that, throwing 105 pitches and exiting early without finishing the fifth inning.

He issued walks in both the 4th and 5th innings, which led to scoring opportunities for the Cubs. Seiya Suzuki doubled in the 4th, pushing the score to 2-0, and in the 5th, Alex Bregman’s similar effort created a situation with runners on second and third, signalling the end of Loop’s day.

Manager Tony Vitello decided to bring in Eric Miller for a matchup against Michael Busch, but it didn’t go well. Busch clobbered a hanging slider, sending it into McCovey Cove, boosting the Cubs’ lead to 5-0.

Bryce Eldridge provided the lone bright spot for the Giants with a solo home run in the ninth, marking his fourth home run this season. Eldridge, who had two of the three hits against Assad, moved up in the lineup and found some success, going 3-for-4 on the night. That raised his batting average to .316, while his team collectively struggled, racking up only one hit across 26 at bats.

Meanwhile, Luis Arraez managed to keep his hitting streak alive at 12 games, and only a walk for Matt Chapman prevented Assad from achieving a remarkable 18 consecutive scoreless innings.

Since being recalled from Triple-A, Assad has turned things around—his ERA now stands at 4.21 after becoming increasingly effective against the Giants.

What It Means

The Giants’ challenge extended beyond just Assad. Lee Jung-hoo, who had been riding an 18-game hitting streak, ended his run, going 0-for-3. While this puts him second for the longest hitting streak this season, it still allows him to look back at one of the more impressive stretches for the Giants since 2016.

Who Is Hot

Daniel Suzak had a standout night, showcasing an understanding of when to challenge calls, resulting in three strikeouts from Loop. It was impressive to watch, especially considering the Giants’ historical struggle with ABS challenges—standing at just a 49% success rate.

However, Suzak’s high had its moments of uncertainty; he couldn’t secure a call after successfully overturning one against Seiya Suzuki but failed to act on a crucial play later that could have changed the game.

Who Is Not?

Willy Adames was back after missing a game due to discomfort, but it didn’t seem to help his batting average. He went 0-for-3, making it a stretch of 20 at bats without a hit.

To The Next

The Giants have another matchup coming up, this time against right-hander Ben Brown, who previously delivered a solid performance against them. They are hoping for a turnaround with Trevor McDonald on the mound, who pitched well during their last encounter in Chicago.