Giants split rare double header with D-backs to end homestand

SAN FRANCISCO — If you're looking for wins and losses from a team that is 56-81, you're watching this team incorrectly. What San Francisco Giants fans should be doing, is observing moments like the first six innings of Matt Wilkinson in his first home start wearing the orange and black.

Wilkinson features a fastball that has taken up permanent residence between 89 and 90 miles per hour, a change-up that doesn't vary in speed as much as the name of the pitch might indicate and a slider that he is still developing into a reliable third pitch.

In the first game of Saturday's day/night double header, the rookie southpaw affectionately known as Tugboat for his portly stature, dealt with relatively calm waters through innings one through six of his outing, never allowing a runner into scoring position until the seventh frame.

Tugboat was pulled from the game after allowing back-to-back walks to start the seventh and gave way to Ryan Walker who promptly made things worse with a walk of his own followed by a grand slam off the bat of Lars Nootbar.

In the clubhouse after the game, Wilkinson enjoyed the ovation he got from the fans as he walked back to the dugout. “It was pretty cool, I love the Tugboat stuff so it’s cool to have the support from the fans and hopefully they’ll be more to come,” Wilkinson said.

The Giants lost the early game 7-1, as San Francisco continues to struggle against its division rival from the desert. The loss early on Saturday means the Giants will go a full season without winning a series against the Diamondbacks.

The nightcap featured a little more for fans to cheer about with the pregame number retirement ceremony for second baseman Jeff Kent and a more encouraging effort on the field. The Giants earned the 7-2 victory with the help of Yunior Marte who went 4 2/3 innings in his Major League debut. The young righty couldn't help but show off his braces with a smile when addressing the media after the game.

Manager Tony Vitello also noted the rookie's relaxed demeanor saying he did a good job of keeping things light before his start. “He has personality. He was dancing a little bit before he went on the mound,” Vitello said. “Normally you think your job is calm a guy down but he was talking to me like I was his college roommate before he went out on the mound.”

Getting one-off good games from guys who may or may not even make the roster next year is one thing, but getting contributions from players like Jonah Cox, Drew Gilbert, and Bryce Eldridge can be enough to make a Giants feel like they are not completely insane for thinking this team is a few moves away from being competitive next season.

Cox in particular provided a breath of fresh air offensively as he swiped three bases before having Gilbert pinch hit for him. Historically, the Giants have always favored sluggers with power potential over contact guys who can become a distraction to a pitcher once they reach first base. But Cox is in the process of playing himself into a platoon role next year. Having a player with that skill set when it’s been almost 20 years since someone stole 30 bases in a Giants uniform is one of the signs of life you look for if you think a trip to Oracle Park will be more than just the views of the bay or the overpriced garlic fries. In case you were wondering, that Giants player who stole 31 bases in 2007 is current Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.

Eldridge continues to look like how you want a cornerstone corner infielder to look, going 4-for-5 with two RBI and Gilbert was a key part of a fourth inning rally where he drew a walk and came around to score later that inning.

“I think last year was really hard for me going through some struggles in Triple A, putting a lot of pressure on myself to get here,” Eldridge said. “But that’s what I learned last year was staying even keeled and something I’ve harped on this year. Being able to stay even keeled and not ride that roller coaster. That’s something I’ve done really well this year and it’s only going to get better. I’m only going to keep getting more mature and better on the field.”

Salvaging the last game of a series from a potential playoff team is good for building confidence in the grand scheme of 2026. And watching individuals show promise could be enough to help fans ignore a fifth straight season of being somewhere between unwatchably bad, and mediocre.