Game Wrap 5/20/2026: D'Backs 6 Giants 3

This was a close, interesting game until Geraldo Perdomo's 2-run double off Tyler Mahle in the 5'th inning sealed the Giants fate in losing the game and the series sweep.  Key Lines:

Casey Schmitt LF- 1 for 4, HR(9), R, RBI.  BA= .293.  Schmitt gave the Giants an early lead with a solo HR in the first inning.  Significant he started the game in LF.  That's where he should play every day, at least until Heliot Ramos gets back from the IL while Bryce Eldridge DH's every day(more on that later). 

Matt Chapman 3B- 2 for 4, 2 R.  BA= .226.  If you are looking for rays of hope, Chapman is 6 for 20 over his last 5 games.

Bryce Eldridge 1 for 4, 2B, RBI.  BA= .156.  Eldridge doubled in the Giants second run. He hit two other balls that left the bat at over 100 MPH.  He did not strike out.  This on the heels of a 2-hit game on Monday and bafflingly sitting on the bench on Tuesday.  IMO, Eldridge just took away any excuses for not playing him every day.  Remember the Belt Wars?  We now have the Eldridge Wars and isn't it interesting how similar Eldridge looks like The Captain when he's standing at home plate?  This time the war is not between different factions of the fanbase. It's between the fanbase and Giants management as each excuse for him not playing regularly rolls out.  First it was Tony Vitello saying the strategy was to use Eldridge as a "threat" off the bench and his willingness to accept a more limited role made his(Vitello's) job easier.  Sorry for bringing up this name, but that reminds me of when the coach of the Buffalo Bills used OJ Simpson as a "decoy".  The fan and analyst outrage reached the national news media and Eldridge started the next game but then sat the game after his 2-hit game. Then Mike Krukow waded into the controversy by saying he understood why Eldridge wasn't playing because he just didn't look ready to his eye.  Once again the reaction was swift with fans wondering why, if he isn't ready, he is not playing every day in AAA?  Now with 3 hits in his last two game, I am sure fans are locked and loaded waiting to see if he starts Friday night.  Stay tuned for the next battle of the Eldridge Wars! At this point, this team has absolutely nothing to lose by letting him play and learn at the MLB level.

Tyler Mahle RHP- 5 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 0 BB, 6 K's.  ERA= 6.10.  It's not unusual for good starting pitchers to be slow out of the gate, but veteran SP's are supposed to be able to right the ship and limit the damage enough to give their team a chance to win in the middle and later innings.  This is doubly true if they get some early run support. Giving up runs at a rate of 6 per 9 innings is not getting that done.  Mahle may survive in the rotation until Logan Webb RHP gets back from the IL but if Trevor McDonald RHP is the odd man out then, the fanbase reaction may look the Eldridge Wars look like a skirmish by comparison.

Keaton Winn RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  ERA= 2.11.

Sam Hentges LHP- 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K.  ERA= 0.00.

Joel Peguero RHP- 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.  ERA= 1.29.  Another bit of a baffler is why would you use and overworked Keaton Winn in this game and why weren't Hentges and/or Peguero used in Tuesday's game?  

The Loss drops the Giants 10 games below .500 with 4 games to go before the 1/3 mark of the season.  Willy Adames thinks the Giants have a playoff-caliber roster and if they keep grinding, there is plenty of time left to make it.  I looked up on Google AI how many times teams made the postseason after falling 10 game below .500. It's actually happened a surprising number of times so Adames may be right, but at this point the Giants show no signs of turning this around.  

The White Sox are up next and they are coming in hot with three players with double-digit home runs.  Trevor McDonald RHP gets the start for the Giants facing Davis Martin RHP who comes in with a a 6-1 record and a 1.61 ERA.