Arraez tuning out trade buzz with Deadline approaching

SAN DIEGO -- The countdown to Monday’s 3 p.m. PT Trade Deadline is on for the Giants, who figure to be one of the most active teams on the market this year.

The Giants have looked like clear sellers for weeks now, a status that was only further confirmed following their 5-4 loss to the Padres in Sunday afternoon’s series finale at Petco Park.

Osleivis Basabe and Rafael Devers each homered, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a bumpy start from right-hander Landen Roupp, who was charged with the loss after giving up five runs on six hits over 4 2/3 innings.

At 47-65, San Francisco stands a season-high-tying 18 games below .500 and has the third-worst record in the National League, a bleak reality that could lead to a flurry of trades prior to the Deadline.

"It's like anything with a match,” manager Tony Vitello said. “What someone's looking for has got to meet what someone's willing to offer, or what the other team's looking for, too. We'll see how it all goes down. I'm sure it'll be busy for everybody today.”

Here are three takeaways after the Giants dropped three of four to the Padres:

1) Swan song for Arraez?
Second baseman Luis Arraez was held out of the Giants’ starting lineup on Saturday due to cramping, but he returned to action on Sunday, giving him a chance to play in potentially his final game in a Giants uniform.

Arraez, who’s viewed as a top trade candidate, had a rare hitless day, finishing 0-for-5 to dip to second in the Majors behind the Astros' Yordan Alvarez with a .325 batting average this year.

But the three-time batting champion continued to flash his vastly improved defense in the bottom of the third, when he made a spinning backhanded stop on Gavin Sheets’ hard-hit grounder to the right side and then fired to first for the final out of the inning.

Arraez figures to garner plenty of interest from contenders, though MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported Sunday that the Giants’ asking price for the 29-year-old veteran “remains very high.”

“I just try to do my job during the game,” Arraez said when asked about the trade speculation. “I just go out there and compete. I don’t want to think about the Trade Deadline or anything. If San Francisco trades me, I’ll go and do my job. I don’t want to think about that.”

2) Basabe strikes again
Basabe hadn’t homered in the big leagues in three years when he earned his first callup from the Giants last week. Now, the 25-year-old infielder has two home runs in his last two games.

After going deep off Walker Buehler on Saturday, Basabe added another solo shot off Padres right-hander Griffin Canning in the top of the fifth on Sunday. Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill looked like he might have a chance to rob Basabe’s 404-foot blast to center field, but he couldn’t hang onto the ball when he hit the wall, allowing Basabe to complete another trip around the bases.

It wasn’t all good for Basabe, who also committed a throwing error at third base and later departed the game after being hit on the left forearm by a 100.8 mph sinker from Padres reliever Adrian Morejon in the top of the ninth. Basabe had his arm wrapped after the game and was expected to undergo further evaluation.

“Obviously, it’s going to hurt no matter what,” Vitello said. “They’ve got the gear on and stuff like that, but he got it flush. We’ll see.”

3) Rough day for Roupp
Roupp wasn’t at his best against the Padres on Sunday, especially after needing 39 pitches to grind through a four-run second inning. The 27-year-old right-hander struck out six but also issued four walks, which elevated his pitch count and prevented him from getting through at least five innings for the second consecutive outing.

Roupp has a 4.34 ERA over 22 starts this year, but the Giants will be looking for more consistent production out of him moving forward. With left-hander Robbie Ray viewed as a trade candidate and right-hander Tyler Mahle reportedly being dealt to Atlanta on Sunday night, Roupp could find himself thrust into the No. 2 spot in the rotation behind ace right-hander Logan Webb post-Deadline.

“I’ve got to step it up a lot,” Roupp said. “I’m not really giving the guys a chance to win early on. I want to be that guy. I want to be the best I can be and help the team, so I’m going to figure it out. I know I’m a lot better than what I’m doing right now.”