PHOENIX -- The Giants' final road trip of the season was shockingly successful, but it ended with a dud.
The Giants lost 8-2 to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday at Chase Field, finishing 7-2 on a road trip that included series wins over three teams -- Baltimore, Kansas City and Arizona -- likely headed for the MLB playoffs. Even with all of the late wins, they finished with a losing road record for the third consecutive season, and Wednesday's defeat dropped them back below .500 overall.
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This one looked awfully similar to many of the road games over the first five months. A young pitcher struggled, the lineup continuously struck out, and the defense made some baffling decisions.
Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen did most of the heavy lifting, helping his team avoid a sweep and move back to a full game ahead of the Atlanta Braves for the National League's final postseason spot. The Giants successfully played spoiler throughout this trip, but they weren't able to complete what would have been the franchise's first 8-1 road trip since 1923.
Strikeout City
The Giants scored an early run on Tyler Fitzgerald's double, but it was clear from the start that they weren't picking up Gallen. The right-hander struck out five the first time through the order and finished with 11 in six innings. When the night was over, the Giants had struck out 17 times.
San Francisco Giants
The double-digit performance was the 71st for the lineup and seventh game with at least 15 strikeouts. They currently rank eighth in the big leagues, and it seems to be a good way to figure out which lineups had success this year. The seven teams ahead of the Giants in total strikeouts are all going to miss the postseason.
All nine starters struck out at least once, but Grant McCray went down four times. The rookie has 51 in 117 at-bats, the highest rate among players with at least 100 at-bats. That'll be a clear point of emphasis as he tries to win a job next spring, when the Giants will have Jung Hoo Lee back as their everyday center fielder.
Disappointing Finish
The story of September has been the young pitching, but Mason Black couldn't end his rookie season on a high note. Black lasted just 2 2/3 innings, allowing four earned on five hits and five walks. He had issued just 10 free passes in his previous 33 2/3 innings, and part of his recent success had come from strike-throwing. Black walked just three in four previous September starts.
The 24-year-old finished his rookie season with a 6.44 ERA in eight starts and one relief appearance. There were some promising signs late in the year, although he'll enter camp next year likely headed for Triple-A. The Giants will have Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and Jordan Hicks locked into rotation spots and hope to have Blake Snell back. Kyle Harrison, Hayden Birdsong and Landen Roupp are currently ahead of Black on the internal depth chart.
Not This Time
Eleven months ago, Webb and Gallen exchanged texts while waiting for the 2023 NL Cy Young Award to be announced. When they joined MLB Network's broadcast and saw that Blake Snell had family members and friends around him, they joked that it was a clear sign that the left-hander would be named the winner.
Webb finished second and Gallen was third, although neither has hit those lofty heights this season. Gallen threw just 148 innings and posted a 3.65 ERA, his highest since 2021. Webb is a bit ahead of him at 3.47, but he won't have a chance to go lower.
Before Wednesday's game, manager Bob Melvin announced that Webb won't start Sunday's game. The Giants could have brought their ace back on normal rest, but Baby Webb is due in early October, so that's where the focus will be this weekend.
Webb could still finish in the top five in Cy Young voting. He'll lead the National League in innings for the second straight year and will finish fifth among NL starters in fWAR.
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