SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants had a full week to prepare for their rematch against Javier Assad, but the extra time didn’t translate into success on the field. In their previous encounter at Wrigley Field, Assad thwarted the Giants’ efforts with a last-minute appearance, and on Friday night, as the Cubs’ scheduled starter, he proved equally formidable.
Assad’s performance was not an anomaly. While the Giants managed only a single hit against him in their last meeting, this time around they were able to eke out three singles. Nevertheless, these hits were insufficient to alter the outcome as the Giants fell 5-1.
The team needed a stronger showing from Landen Roupp, who, despite an impressive start by striking out the first four batters, struggled with control. Roupp labored through 105 pitches and was unable to complete five innings, leaving the Giants in a difficult position.
The Giants mustered just one hit in 6 ⅓ innings against Assad last week. They got to him for three singles this time but nothing else in a 5-1 loss.
They needed more than that behind an erratic Landen Roupp, who struck out the first four batters of the game but exhausted 105 pitches and failed to complete five innings.
Roupp issued both his walks to begin the fourth and the fifth innings, and both came around to score. Seiya Suzuki’s double helped open a 2-0 lead in the fourth, and a two-bagger for Alex Bregman in the fifth gave the Cubs runners at second and third when Roupp’s day came to an end.
Manager Tony Vitello called on Erik Miller to get the platoon advantage against Michael Busch, who promptly swatted a hanging slider into McCovey Cove to make it 5-0.
The Giants’ lone run came off the bat of Bryce Eldridge, who was also responsible for two of their three hits against Assad. Moved up into the two-hole in a new-look lineup, Eldridge got the GIants on the board in the ninth with a one-out solo shot to right off Trent Thornton — his fourth of the season.
It amounted to a banner night for Eldridge but nobody else in the Giants’ lineup. The rookie finished 3-for-4 to raise his average to .316 and OPS to .959; his eight companions combined for one hit in 26 at-bats.
A walk to Matt Chapman was all else that interrupted 18 in a row retired by Assad after a leadoff single from Luis Arraez that extended his hitting streak to 12 games.
Assad had a 5.88 ERA when he was sent to Triple-A in May. In two outings against the Giants since being called back up, he has tossed 12 ⅓ scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 4.21.
What it means
The Giants’ difficulties against Assad extended to Jung Hoo Lee, whose hitting streak came to an end after 18 games.
With an 0-for-3 performance, Lee will have to settle for the second-longest hitting streak in the majors so far this season and the longest by a Giant since Angel Pagan went 19 games in 2016.
Who’s hot
Daniel Susac was on fire early with three successful, high-impact ABS challenges.
The simple act of knowing when to tap his catcher’s helmet resulted in an additional three strikeouts for Roupp, including two 3-2 pitches that also erased walks.
He turned a 2-2 curveball into strike three against Michael Busch to end the first, got a full-count cutter in the same low-and-away location against Ian Happ to begin the second and stole a strikeout of Carson Kelly in the third on a sinker that clipped the upper-outside corner of the strike zone.
It was a notable showing from the Giants, who have been among the majors’ least effective team in deploying their ABS challenges with the sixth-lowest success rate (49%).
Susac’s hot streak behind the dish only lasted so long, however. He overturned a fourth call into a strike against Seiya Suzuki in the fourth, only to be unable to corral a relay throw that beat the runner to the plate when Suzuki lined an RBI double later in the at-bat.
Who’s not
Willy Adames was back in the lineup after missing only his second game of the season with what manager Tony Vitello termed “hip-to-knee” discomfort.
The rare day off, however, wasn’t the solution to his woes at the plate.
Adames popped out to short, swung and missed at a slider low and outside the zone for strike three and grounded out to third to extend his hitless streak to 20 at-bats.
Up next
Another rematch — this time against Ben Brown (2-2, 1.74), the right-hander who limited them to one hit over 5 ⅓ shutout frames last week in Chicago before the Giants lost in extra innings.
San Francisco will counter with Trevor McDonald (2-3, 4.15), who threw five strong innings in the Giants’ 2-1 extra-inning win to close their series in Chicago.