SAN FRANCISCO — Bob Melvin knows it’s dangerous to lean too much on the best-case scenario. The manager had hoped to have Patrick Bailey back in the lineup Wednesday, and instead the Giants put their catcher on the IL a day after he strained his right oblique while taking extra swings.
But Melvin remains optimistic that it’ll be a short IL stint for Bailey, who is eligible to return on the final day of an upcoming road trip through Seattle and Milwaukee. The strain was mild enough that it wasn't a lock that Bailey would end up on the IL, but the Giants took the cautious approach, knowing that one bad swing in the next week potentially could sideline Bailey for most of the rest of the regular season.
"It's tough to say, but I'm pretty optimistic that on that 10th day, he should be ready to go," Melvin said.
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In the meantime, the Giants will lean heavily on veteran Curt Casali, who scored a season-high two runs in a 4-1 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night. Casali has reached base five times in two starts since Bailey felt his side tighten up, and the plan is for him to start Wednesday, too. The Giants are off on Thursday so they'll push Casali, who couldn't remember the last time he started three straight behind the plate but joked that he felt like a "young 35-year-old."
"Personally, I just have to grind," he said. "It's a good opportunity to get behind the plate and play more and show what I can do."
The Giants called up Jakson Reetz from Triple-A on Tuesday. Tom Murphy was supposed to be Bailey's backup, but he has missed 93 games with a left knee sprain and is still early in his hitting and running progressions. Bailey should be back well before Murphy is ready for a rehab assignment.
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Until then, it'll be a lot of Casali. The Giants will push him before the off day and then it's a return to Seattle for both Casali and left-hander Robbie Ray, who enjoyed pitching to his former and current teammate on Tuesday.
"He's been great; he's been awesome behind the plate. Obviously he has been around the game a long time, so he has seen how it's supposed to be played," Ray said. "He knows a lot of hitters and knows how to read guys' swings. You don't lose any confidence having him back there just because he's the 'backup catcher.' You have the utmost confidence in him. We have a really good relationship and I like working with him."
Ray Piles Up The K's
Ray tied his season-high with nine strikeouts Tuesday, and he already has 39 through his first six starts back in the big leagues. His 12.9 K/9 ratio is the highest of his career and would lead MLB if he had enough innings to qualify for leaderboards.
It's a good sign for a veteran, who was meticulous in his rehab from Tommy John surgery and came back mostly feeling like himself. On Tuesday, Ray topped out at 96 mph and averaged about 94 mph. He said he made a mechanical adjustment in his last bullpen session to get more square to the plate, and that helped with the command.
"I feel really good with my stuff," Ray said. "I think the biggest thing for me has been the walks and the hit-by-pitches. No walks tonight -- I hit one batter, but I made the pitch I wanted and just yanked it inside further than I wanted to. I just felt more fluid on the mound tonight. My delivery and everything felt smooth. That was definitely a positive."
Stay Hot
The lineup had trouble breaking the game open in Tuesday's win, which meant that Melvin turned to Tyler Rogers and Ryan Walker in the late innings of what could have been a laugher. Rogers pitched around a catcher's interference call, and Walker blew the side away in the ninth for his second save. Each made his 63rd appearance, tying them atop the MLB leaderboard.
The bullpen has been used a lot, but it seems to only be getting stronger. The group's 2.60 ERA in August is the lowest in the National League and third-lowest in the majors behind only Tampa Bay (1.58) and Houston (2.44). The group could get a boost soon, too. The staff is encouraged by the way former closer Camilo Doval has thrown since he was optioned to Triple-A.
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