Errors frustrate Chapman, Giants in series finale loss

SAN DIEGO -- Third baseman Matt Chapman admitted that his emotions got the better of him in the Giants’ 7-1 loss to the Padres on Wednesday afternoon at Petco Park.

After first baseman Casey Schmitt missed two throws from third and cost San Francisco a pair of unearned runs, Chapman was caught on camera taking out his frustration on his fellow corner infielder.

“Catch the [expletive] ball,” Chapman said repeatedly to Schmitt when pitching coach Justin Meccage came out for a mound visit with right-hander Adrian Houser in the bottom of the fifth inning.

It wasn’t the best look for the Giants, but both infielders said afterward that they had already put the incident behind them.

“We're all brothers here,” Chapman said. “Heat of the moment. I've already talked to Casey. It's all good. I figured that people would try to make that a big deal, but it's baseball. Stuff happens. We all learn from it. We’ll move on. I already told him it was kind of the heat of the moment. I was just wanting to get those outs. It happens.”

“We’re trying to win games,” Schmitt said. “I’m not mad about it or anything. It’s baseball. Those are things I should have done and didn’t. At the end of the day, we wake up tomorrow, we play another game and we get back at it. We’re trying to win games. That’s the bottom line. Sometimes things happen. I just messed up. We just move forward.”

First-year manager Tony Vitello said he thought Chapman’s irritation with the sloppy defense, coupled with the Giants’ inability to get anything going against Padres starter Nick Pivetta, ultimately caused him to snap.

“He was upset,” Vitello said of Chapman. “He was trying to win the game. … I think there was frustration from everybody throughout the day.”

Schmitt is a natural third baseman, but he’s been turned into more of a utility infielder now that Chapman is expected to hold down the hot corner in San Francisco for the foreseeable future.

Schmitt is still fairly new to first base, but he’s been tasked with filling in for projected starter Rafael Devers, who has been limited to designated hitter duties due to a tender left hamstring that forced him to miss two weeks during Spring Training.

Schmitt made his sixth consecutive start at first on Wednesday, but his inexperience at the position showed, preventing the Giants (2-4) from completing a three-game sweep of the Padres.

San Diego got on the board in the bottom of the first, when Jackson Merrill reached on a two-out single and came around to score on a fielding error from Schmitt. Houser appeared to get out of the inning after Manny Machado sent a routine ground ball to the left side, but Schmitt couldn’t hang on to Chapman’s throw after his hand hit Machado and jammed his wrist, allowing Merrill to score from first to give the Padres a 1-0 lead.

“I think the first one, I probably should have come off a little bit,” Schmitt said. “Maybe not try and stay on and just try to go after the ball.”

The Padres capitalized on another miscue in the fifth, when they put runners on the corners with two outs against Houser. Xander Bogaerts bounced another slow roller to the left side that was fielded by Chapman, who fired to first but then saw his throw sail over the head of an outstretched Schmitt. The errant throw from Chapman allowed Gavin Sheets to score from third and extend San Diego’s lead to 2-0.

“The second one, I just kind of stretched too early,” Schmitt said. “It’s unacceptable.”

“First base isn’t something he plays every single day,” Chapman said. “We’re all trying to get outs. We’re all working hard here. It happens.”

Devers didn’t look the least bit hampered when he turned on the jets and legged out an infield single against the Padres on Tuesday night, so it’s possible that he could be an option to play first base soon. Vitello said the Giants still view Schmitt as their best defensive option at first base in the meantime, though he said Jerar Encarnacion could get the start there against Mets left-hander David Peterson on Thursday.

“I assume the opponent does not like Jerar being in the batter’s box, as physical as he is,” Vitello said. “Any way we can get him in there would be great. You’ve got two guys that are kind of familiarizing themselves with the position. Casey is just ahead of Jerar in that case. We’ll look at anything possible. We’ll see when Rafi is available, too, at that spot.”