PITTSBURGH -- The Giants’ offense has shown some spunk recently, with a red-hot Rafael Devers and several young rookies teaming up to provide a spark over the final stretch of the regular season.
But the unit collectively cooled off on Thursday afternoon, mustering only two hits in a 5-2 loss that sealed a series defeat to the Pirates at PNC Park.
Pittsburgh jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead against rookie right-hander Blade Tidwell, who issued three consecutive walks and a hit-by-pitch in an erratic 40-pitch first inning. Tidwell managed to settle in and get through five, but the Pirates subsequently stretched their lead to 4-0 in the sixth, which featured a leadoff walk and a throwing error from lefty Reiver Sanmartin.
“You figured today would be a grind session and really just a matter of who plays cleaner baseball," manager Tony Vitello said. “We could have done some things better on defense. They walked guys, too. But the bottom line is we didn’t throw strikes.”
The Giants’ bats couldn’t dig out of the early hole, as they were stymied by a parade of Pirates relievers before finally getting on the board in the seventh. Jonah Cox opened the inning with a walk, stole second and scored on Jung Hoo Lee’s pinch-hit double to right field. Nate Furman then made it 4-2 with a run-scoring groundout, but the Giants couldn’t add on after that.
Here are three takeaways as the Giants fell to 58-83 on the year:
1. Hill on the rise
Left fielder Turner Hill found himself in the middle of the action at PNC Park this week. The 27-year-old rookie delivered the first four-hit game of his career on Tuesday, with three of those knocks coming against reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes. He continued to make his impact felt on Wednesday, when he drove in two runs and made a game-saving catch in the bottom of the ninth that helped pave the way for the Giants’ 5-4 win in 10 innings.
The left-handed-hitting Hill is now batting .318 with an .843 OPS and 11 RBIs over his first 16 games for the Giants, who signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Ohio’s Marietta College in 2023. The fast start should earn Hill plenty of runway for the rest of the season and give him a chance to show that he deserves to be part of the Giants’ outfield mix heading into 2027.
“He’s got really good natural rhythm at the plate, but it’s under control at all times,” Vitello said. “Luis [Arraez] is a unique animal at the plate, and Jungy is, too. But he’s in that mold as far as his ability to handle the bat and hand-eye coordination. He’s ultra-competitive, too.”
2. Cox flashing his versatility
While Turner has taken over as the Giants’ primary left fielder in recent weeks, Cox has found himself in more of a platoon situation with Drew Gilbert in center field. Still, Cox also has the ability to play some second base, which allowed him to shift to the infield when Lee came off the bench and then stayed in the game to play right field in the bottom of the seventh on Thursday.
It’s a unique skill set that should create more avenues for the 25-year-old Cox to get consistent playing time down the stretch, especially since he’s now batting .278 with an .853 OPS, four home runs and nine stolen bases over 41 games this year.
“I think he’s pretty dynamic and can do a bunch of different things,” Vitello said. “At times, he’s arguably our best right-handed hitter.”
3. Young relievers emerging
The Giants have struggled to find reliable late-inning options for their bullpen this year, but they have a couple of young pitchers who are showing that they could be part of the solution moving forward.
Trent Harris, who was also signed by the Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2023, worked a scoreless seventh on Thursday, giving him a 3.46 ERA with 18 strikeouts over 13 innings this year. Fellow right-hander Carson Seymour has also been on a nice run recently, logging a 1.38 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 13 innings over his past 10 outings.
“I think somewhere along the line there, he flipped a switch,” Vitello said of Seymour. “His first [callup] with us wasn’t the best. But all you have to do is look to last year’s Spring Training to know the potential is there.
“I think he’s helped to unlock that a little bit with mindset. He’s simplified things a little bit, and he’s just throwing it. He’s got really good stuff. Rather than trying to be too crafty or too cute, he’s just throwing it up there and seeing what happens.”