SAN FRANCISCO — Patrick Bailey’s numbers have taken a second-half dive for a second consecutive season, but the Giants don’t believe it’s fatigue this time around.
Bailey continues to tell manager Bob Melvin that he wants to start behind the plate every day, and he had enough left in the tank after a weekend in Oakland to show up early Monday for extra batting practice, which the Giants hoped would break him out of his slump.
Instead, the swings might have sidelined the catcher for this series. Bailey was scratched about two hours before first pitch because of tightness on his right side, but the Giants didn't miss a beat. Curt Casali drove in the first run in a 5-3 win over the Chicago White Sox and did a pretty good Bailey impersonation behind the plate during a hairy ninth inning.
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Casali twice jumped to his right to stop pitches in the dirt from closer-for-the-day Jordan Hicks. A passed ball on a high fastball ultimately got both runners into scoring position anyway, but Hicks got out of the jam for his first save as a Giant.
It wasn't the prettiest performance, especially given the quality of the opponent, but the Giants picked up a second straight win. Their 35-year-old backup catcher was right in the middle of it in what was just his third start since July 27.
"It's not easy, for sure, but being a regular is not easy, as well," Casali said of his role. "It's my job to be ready in any situation that calls on me and even if Patty gets scratched, I'm ready to go. I'm generally always fresh, so I was ready to go today. They told me a little bit late, but that's what we get paid to do."
Casali found out at about 5 p.m. that Bailey was too sore to start, but because it was the first day of a series, he already had been in meetings about the White Sox pitchers and the Giants' plan on the mound. In the fifth, he lined a single up the middle to tie the game, helping to spark a four-run rally that held up.
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"He swung the bat really well tonight," Melvin said of Casali, who later added another single. "He didn't try to do too much, was shooting the ball the other way. That was a big hit for us at the time."
The multi-hit game was Casali's first since June 18, but lately the Giants haven't been getting much at the plate from Bailey, either. Their starter is the best defensive catcher in baseball but has just three hits in 53 at-bats in August, a slump that led him to the cage on Monday afternoon for extra swings and drills with the hitting coaches.
Melvin said Bailey felt a little sore after the session. He was able to catch -- and he did warm up pitchers between innings -- but he couldn't swing left-handed Monday. The tightness is considered minor, though, and the hope is that he can be back in the lineup Wednesday.
"We're not sure how bad it is," Melvin said. "Hopefully it's mild."
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