Rafael Devers' first-base defense becomes a second-half question in Giants' loss to Mets
The first two games Devers played at first were uneventful, but Saturday made up for that. Devers found himself in the middle of almost everything and, mostly, his lack of savvy at first ranged from harmless to amusing. In the sixth though, with one out and two men on, Devers bobbled the transfer throwing to second to get the trailing runner.
That runner, Starling Marte, scored the go-ahead run moments later when Mark Vientos rapped a two-run double off Robbie Ray in the Mets' 2-1 victory at Oracle Park, New York's sixth consecutive win.
Devers did get the out at first on that grounder by Brett Baty, so it wasn't all for naught. And Ryan Walker came on in relief of Ray with a strange MO for success, walking the Mets' No. 8 and 9 hitters, then striking out leadoff man Brandon Nimmo on three pitches to end the inning.
Devers' adventures afield began in the fourth, when Ray hopped off the mound for a tapper by Baty and, as Ray looked toward the runner at third to make sure he was staying put, Devers wandered in no-man's land, not at the bag, not in position to field the ball. Ray tossed it to him, he missed it and the bag and Baty was safe on an infield single, loading the bases. The next batter, Francisco Alvarez, hit a bouncer to third that Matt Chapman stabbed before tagging the bag and throwing to first. Devers made a nice scoop to complete the double play and end the inning.
The next inning, Nimmo hit a 102 mph shot at Devers, who knocked it down, nudging it toward first base, then picked it up while it was rolling and got the out as shortstop Willy Adames started laughing and Devers broke into a big grin.
In the seventh, Devers made an error on a grounder by Juan Soto, but no runs resulted. He wasn't the only Giants player with an error, either; Chapman, a Platinum Glove winner, also made one.
The Giants are likely to be patient with Devers, their massive June 15 trade acquisition, while he becomes accustomed to first base, but there is one obvious issue: The team emphasizes pitching and defense because the offense isn't high powered or consistent. That was the case Saturday, with San Francisco's only run off All-Star lefty David Peterson coming on a groundout in the fourth.
The Giants' best shot to tie it up didn't come until the ninth, when Jung Hoo Lee knocked a one-out double off the bricks in right, but Mike Yastrzemski, pinch hitting, struck out on a borderline check-swing call and Patrick Bailey lined out to first baseman Pete Alonso.
While the Mets are making a strong second half move to jump into first place in the NL West, the Giants are faltering at the wrong time, losing eight of 10 and scoring no more than three runs in six of those. They've fallen two games behind in the race for the third wild-card spot.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Quiet' Malik Nabers embracing louder New York Giants leadership role
The New York Giants are headed into their first preseason game of the 2025 season this weekend against the Buffalo Bills, and there's a hum around the organization that hasn't been there in a long time. With veteran quarterback Russell Wilson joining the ranks, Jameis Winston and Jaxson Dart backing him up, and upgraded talent on the defensive side of the ball, there's an aura of hope around the Giants. Part of that hope resides with the youthful skill players on offense. Tyrone Tracy Jr., Theo Johnson, and Wan'Dale Robinson aren't rookies anymore, but they're still on their rookie contracts. Malik Nabers had a fantastic rookie campaign, and as the Giants' go-to guy, he's embracing a more vocal role in the wide receivers' room in Year 2. "It's just being more vocal about just getting guys ready to go or making sure we're on the right path to what we want to accomplish, and I have to sometimes get out of my mode," Nabers said on Wednesday. "I talk to myself a lot. I talk to myself in my head, and I'm always quiet a lot, so sometimes I have to step outside of those boundaries and get guys riled up and get them going, get my receiver group going, and that's just a part of just being a leader and just wanting to be better for my team." Nabers' adjustment to how vocal he is with his teammates stems from the encouragement of Russell Wilson. "I think Malik's done a great job, just his leadership, his voice in the film room, too," Wilson said. "He's done a great job with that. I've been telling him that the more he communicates what he sees and feels, not just to us quarterbacks but really to the group as a receiver, and we all want to be on the same page. I think he's doing a great job of that. He's really just stepped into that role, the leadership role." Wilson noted that Nabers has guys like Slayton and Robinson to watch and listen to. "All those guys are so tremendously smart and experienced in a lot of ways. I think he's really done a great job of just his practice habits and when he is out there going as hard as he can every rep," Wilson said. Nabers left practice early on Wednesday, but says that it is part of the plan to keep him healthy for the start of the regular season. He's dealt with a nagging toe injury for years, so making the right plan with the trainers and following through with it is a high priority for the young receiver. And, from the sound of it, he understands how important it is to stay healthy for the duration of the season. The Giants face off against the Bills on Saturday, August 9, at 1:00 p.m. ET on NFL Network. This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: 'Quiet' Malik Nabers embracing louder Giants leadership role
USA Today
36 minutes ago
- USA Today
New York Giants may have dodged a bullet by failing to acquire Matthew Stafford
New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen was given a directive by co-owner John Mara after the team finished the 2024 season with a 3-14 record. "The number one issue for us going into this offseason is to find our quarterback of the future," Mara said on January 6 after announcing that he was retaining Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll. "Whether that be via the draft or acquiring a veteran, it's going to be up to them to decide, ultimately." Schoen went to work and decided to head the rest of the league off at the pass. He would not wait for free agency or the draft to find his man. He zeroed in on Matthew Stafford, who, rumor had it, was being made available in a trade by the Los Angeles Rams. The situation resolved itself when Stafford decided to sign an extension with the Rams, sending the Giants back to the drawing board. The rest is well-known. Schoen rebounded by signing Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston in free agency and followed it up with a bold draft day trade that landed them prized prospect Jaxson Dart. As it turns out, the football gods were with the Giants in this situation. Stafford has a disc issue in his back that has sidelined him this summer. Schoen dodged a bullet for sure. The deal for Stafford was practically all but done before he decided to stay with the Rams. From Sports Illustrated: While they missed out on Stafford, it wasn't for lack of trying. According to NFL Network host Rich Eisen, the Giants not only matched the Rams' trade demands for Stafford, they also offered him a more lucrative contract than the deal he signed with Los Angeles. Despite that, Stafford chose to return to the Rams. "I heard the Giants and Raiders' interest in Matthew Stafford was quite real, and it was hairy at certain junctures last week. And I heard the Giants hit the number... and they hit the trade comp, too. They were in," said Eisen on The Rich Eisen Show. "The Giants even hired [Stafford's] brother in law, Chad Hall, on the coaching staff. And so, they really made a run." The Giants have clearly not looked back. Wilson has injected new life into the Giants' huddle, and Winston and Dart have added flavor and enthusiasm for the offense's future.
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Patrick Bailey's home run was a Bay Area sports miracle. There's one more I'll never forget
I watched San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey's game-winning inside-the-park walk-off home run on television Tuesday night with a mix of emotions. That breakdown was about 95% elation and 5% jealousy for those who got to witness the win against the Philadelphia Phillies in person. Were you there? You're going to remember that pure moment of joy for the rest of your life. There are many kinds of indelible Bay Area sports memories. Stephen Curry firing astonishing 3-pointers during an NBA championship and Madison Bumgarner strutting out of the bullpen to close out a World Series are examples of one kind of special moment. But there's another kind, when the most improbable thing happens, in a game with few major consequences, that reaffirms your faith in comebacks and triumph of the human spirit and (in my case) makes you question your atheism for just a second. If you were to make a list of 'least likely things that could happen' in Tuesday night's contest, a game-winning inside-the-park home run by the catcher had to be near the top of the list. Bailey is not the slowest catcher in Giants history (*cough* Bengie Molina *cough*), but his five lifetime steals, one home run this year and .190 average entering the at-bat are vital to this story. I would have guessed 'Wilmer Flores gets the final out on a hidden ball trick' and 'Lou Seal pitches for the win in the 15th inning' before I would even think about Bailey winning the game by covering 360 feet, with no errors, and not needing to slide into home. I witnessed my own 'Patrick Bailey moment' on Jan. 12, 1991, when the 49ers hosted Washington for a divisional playoff game at Candlestick Park. Michael Carter was a nose tackle (and future Olympic shot put medalist) who was a very lean 285 pounds when the 49ers drafted him in 1984, but gained a lot of weight, looking closer to 350 pounds by the early '90s. 'Michael Carter sealing the game with a long interception return' seemed outside the realm of possibility. But I was watching from the stands as quarterback Mark Rypien's arm was hit during a throw, the ball flipped into Carter's hands and he rumbled a comically slow 61 yards for a touchdown. The crowd screamed during the 11.65 seconds it took him to cover half the field, then absolutely exploded. I was in tears jumping up and down. My mother, a registered nurse who always thought about player health, was begging the team to give him an oxygen tank. It was pure sports fan bliss. I will never forget every detail. In both the Bailey and Carter cases so many variables had to align. Carter had forward momentum, needed the opposition to freeze so he could get a great jump and benefited from three perfect blocks. Bailey needed Phillies center fielder Brandon Marsh to aggressively back up the play and the ball to bounce at a bizarre 90-degree angle off that weird Oracle Park brick wall, so it quickly pinballed into the open space left from Marsh's hustle. (The Giants broadcast team later noted Bailey's hit had the distance to be a home run in any other ballpark.) There are many other 'most improbable thing' examples in sports history. The Carlos Martinez home run on May 26, 1993, that bounced off Jose Canseco's head. Klay Thompson's 37-point explosion in the third quarter of an otherwise meaningless Jan. 23, 2015, game against the Sacramento Kings. In each case, I've forgotten what happened next. All that remains is the moment where everything seemed surreal and perfect. What happened after the Carter interception? I had to look it up, but it turned out to be one of the worst moments in 49ers history, when the New York Giants upset the 49ers in the NFC Finals, with a Roger Craig fumble that was every bit as devastating as the Carter return was transcendent. It doesn't really matter. Sports miracles don't happen very often. And some moments are simply bigger than whatever happens next.
