PHILADELPHIA -- The Giants kept the front end of their rotation intact by holding onto Madison Bumgarner at the Trade Deadline, but there are lingering questions about how the back end will hold up over the rest of the season.
Dereck Rodríguez endured a rough outing after being called up to start against the Phillies, yielding seven runs (four earned) on eight hits over three-plus innings in the Giants’ 10-2 loss in Thursday afternoon’s series finale at Citizens Bank Park. The defeat sealed the club’s first series loss since June 24-26 against the Rockies.
“We didn’t play our best today,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “We made some mistakes on the mound.”
A torrid 19-6 July vaulted the Giants back into contention and convinced the front office not to sell off the biggest trade chips on Wednesday, but they fell behind early in their first game in August after a two-out error by shortstop Brandon Crawford allowed the Phils to score three unearned runs against Rodriguez in the second inning.
The Phillies loaded the bases on singles by J.T. Realmuto and Scott Kingery and a walk by Adam Haseley, but Rodriguez nearly escaped the jam unscathed after inducing a grounder from right-hander Jake Arrieta. But Crawford misplayed the one-hopper, allowing Arrieta to beat out his throw to first and score Realmuto to keep the inning alive.
Cesar Hernandez followed with a two-run double to right field, staking the Phils to a quick 3-0 lead.
“[Rodriguez] gets out of that, it can be a different game for him,” Bochy said. “The ball just kicked away from Craw a little too far, and [Arrieta] beat it out. He had some tough luck in that inning.”
Rodriguez, who was making his first MLB start since July 15, later gave up a two-RBI single to Kingery in the third and a leadoff homer to Hernandez in the fourth, departing with San Francisco trailing 6-0.
Rodriguez enjoyed a breakout campaign as a rookie last season, but he’s taken a step back in 2019, logging a 5.32 ERA in 19 appearances for the Giants, including 10 starts, while shuttling between Triple-A Sacramento and the Majors. The 27-year-old right-hander admitted that it’s been challenging to constantly be moved between levels, but he understands that it’s par for the course for players with Minor League options.
“It still bothers you, though,” Rodriguez said. “It kind of sucks. Regardless of what you do out there, they still have a plan and they have their mind made up or whatnot. It’s just part of the game. That’s how it is and you’ve got to accept it and go with it.”
Rodriguez’s regression has created some spottiness at the back end of San Francisco's rotation, where the club has been leaning on a pair of rookies in Tyler Beede and Shaun Anderson. Beede’s development has been one of the most encouraging parts of the season so far, but he’s hit a bit of a snag in his last two outings, surrendering eight runs on 20 hits over 10 2/3 innings.
Anderson has also fallen into a bit of a rut, logging a 7.71 ERA over his past five starts. The Giants’ decision to push back Anderson’s next outing created an opportunity for Rodriguez to start on Thursday, but Bochy said the club has not yet decided whether Rodriguez will remain in the rotation.
San Francisco has kept the fifth spot in its rotation fluid since demoting the now-traded Drew Pomeranz to the bullpen two weeks ago, preferring to cycle young arms like Rodriguez and Conner Menez in and out as needed. Andrew Suarez, who surrendered a three-run homer to Realmuto after relieving Rodriguez in the fourth, and Logan Webb, who recently returned from an 80-game suspension after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs, could also get looks in the rotation down the stretch.
Still, the group as a whole is short on Major League experience, which could be a gamble for the Giants as they look to keep pace in the crowded National League Wild Card race.
“This is the closest we’ve been since I’ve been up,” Rodriguez said. “It would be nice to stay up here and get a good rhythm going, get a good routine going, get back into the way things should be. It would be nice.”