SAN FRANCISCO – Logan Webb didn’t have to look very far to find the reasons behind the Giants’ 7-5 series-ending loss to the Miami Marlins on Sunday at Oracle Park.
“Everyone did the right thing except for me today,” Webb said in San Francisco's clubhouse. “I don’t feel good about it and I don’t think anybody in here feels good about it. I hope the guys don’t hang their heads too low because that’s my bad.”
In particular, Webb’s failure to turn a double play in the fifth inning and inability to finish off hitters helped pave the way for the Marlins to break loose for their second consecutive win at Oracle Park.
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The Giants ace cruised through Miami’s lineup the first time around and was making his way through the order a second time when things began to fall apart.
With a runner at first with one out in the fifth, Webb got Jose Devers to hit a comebacker. Webb fielded the ball then turned and made a high throw toward second base. San Francisco shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald had to leap to make the catch and made a fantastic play to apply the tag but his throw to first was late.
Instead of an inning-ending double play, the Marlins took full advantage of the botched throw by Webb and went on to score four two-out runs in the inning.
“He’ll be the first to admit he’s gotta turn that double play,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “Had good stuff, really good stuff, and he just had all the makings of something we haven’t been able to do, and then it just turned on us. This is probably as bad a loss as we’ve had.
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“It’s as good as stuff as we’ve seen him have all year. I think if he gets through that inning he just keeps sailing.”
Rather than sailing, Webb’s ship basically sank the next inning when he allowed two more runs. That ended what had been a promising afternoon both for him and the Giants.
That was until the fatal throw to second was off target.
“I gotta make that play,” Webb said. “I got exactly what I wanted to, first pitch right back to me. I made a couple of those plays earlier this year. I lost that game today, that was on me. And it just sucks.
“It kind of caught me off guard and I just made a bad throw. Just can’t happen. It was my second bad throw of the game. I threw a bad one to LaMonte (Wade Jr.) the inning before. I just gotta be better.”
Almost everyone seemed to be in agreement that the play was one of the few mistakes that Webb made. But Webb also faulted himself for giving up a two-out RBI single to the Marlins’ No. 9 batter, Nick Fortes, later in the inning.
“I put myself in positions that I don’t want to be in,” Webb said. “I had a chance to get out of the inning. I was 0-2 to the No. 9 hitter and I didn’t throw a very good pitch.
“It was on me, just not a very good start. You can have the best stuff all season and still give up six, and you can have bad stuff and go seven. No matter what, you gotta be better than that.”
Melvin was quick to defend Webb.
“It’s not all his fault. We all contribute to every loss,” Melvin said. “But with the stuff that he had, not walking anybody, throwing strikes, getting groundouts right away, his velo’s as good as it’s been all year … It just ends up being frustrating for us all.”
The Giants still have hopes of making it to the postseason, but those chances are drying up with each loss that San Francisco absorbs.
In spite of the long odds, Webb – arguably the most outspoken player in the Giants’ clubhouse – insisted that the focus remains on the playoffs.
“If you don’t try to win every single day then you shouldn’t be playing in the big leagues,” he said. “I think that’s kind of our goal. It’s not trying to win. I didn’t try to give up six runs today. But at the end of the day it’s the big leagues and you gotta perform. You gotta just go do it. I honestly think we played a great game today. I messed that up. That’s part of baseball.”
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