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'Out of sync' Giants struggling on offense

San Francisco gets no hits through first five innings for second straight game

SAN FRANCISCO -- For the first time since Sept. 24-25, 1986, the San Francisco Giants failed to record a hit through the first five innings in back-to-back games.

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In Friday's opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chase Anderson took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. In Game 2, it was Allen Webster, who got called up to the Major Leagues on Saturday morning, baffling the bats of the San Francisco hitters into the sixth inning of an eventual 4-2 loss.

Manager Bruce Bochy discussed the lack of a travel day after a road series against the New York Mets as a possibility for the team's recent slow starts. The Giants played a 4:10 p.m. PT game Thursday and flew back to San Francisco overnight to get ready to square off against the D-backs on Friday.

"I wouldn't say it helped," first baseman Brandon Belt said. "That's part of the game. We know we're going to have days like that. You have to do the best you can and overcome stuff like that. We haven't done a good job of that the last couple of days."

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The Giants hitters look fatigued, and Bochy said he plans to rest some of the starters for Sunday's game. He named catcher Buster Posey and center fielder Angel Pagan as probable candidates.

"We're just out of sync right now," Bochy said. "I don't know if the travel and that stuff really affected them but it certainly seemed it."

San Francisco hitters have had a tough time coming up with the big hit during the team's seven-game home losing streak. The Giants are hitting 8-for-49 (.163) with runners in scoring position over that stretch.

Though the Giants still lead the National League in hits, their offensive struggles at AT&T Park throughout the course of the season are well-documented. Their loss to the D-backs on Saturday dropped them to 16-16 at home, largely in part to averaging 3.06 runs per game, the lowest in the Majors.

For a team that has scored 5.16 runs per game on the road, the second-highest mark in the league, the Giants are scratching their heads for offensive answers at AT&T Park.

"I really don't have an explanation for it," Belt said. "It could be coincidence. I have no idea. We go out there every day, no matter where we're playing, with the same approach. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't."

Oliver Macklin is an associate reporter for MLB.com.
Read More: San Francisco Giants, Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, Angel Pagan