What we learned from the Giants' dreadful series in San Diego: 'It just looks awful'

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SAN DIEGO – Goofy things tend to happen on Justin Verlander’s watch.

Whether it’s the bullpen coughing up a lead or the offense not scoring runs or the defense playing sloppy, Verlander has been victimized an awful lot this season. Sometimes he simply pitches poorly, but there’s a laundry list of games that could have been wins with a bit more support.

Thursday’s 8-4 loss to the Padres might not have been one of those, but the Giants certainly would have been more competitive with some clean defense. It’s something president of baseball operations Buster Posey stressed at the trade deadline, but it’s not something that’s often on display.

With the score tied 2-2 entering the fifth inning, the Padres blew the game open with a six-run rally, five of the runs charged to Verlander, all earned — despite the fact the Giants committed two errors on a bunted ball, the play that swung the inning.

“It looks terrible,” manager Bob Melvin said. “When you’re not hitting and you play bad defense, it just looks awful. Two errors on one play. Look at Justin’s (pitching) line; he certainly did not pitch to that line.”

Casey Schmitt, playing third base for injured Matt Chapman, committed four errors in the four-games series including a doozy Thursday when he picked up Freddy Fermín’s bunt (with no outs and two runners aboard) and heaved it past first base. Right fielder Luis Matos, who joined the roster earlier in the day, bobbled it for the second error.

One bunt, two runs, a 4-2 deficit. Seeing that Schmitt might have been rattled, the next two Padres bunted his way as well. Fernando Tatís Jr. for a hit. Luis Arráez for a sacrifice. Manny Machado’s two-run double made it 6-2, and Verlander was done.

Reliever Matt Gage helped the inning drag on, and it was 8-2 when it finally ended.

“I haven’t been over there (at third base) in a little bit, so a little bit of cobwebs,” said Schmitt, who has played mostly second base in recent weeks and likely will return to second when Chapman returns as soon as Saturday. “One was a barehanded play, and I threw it in the sh—er. Probably just a little too quick.”

Verlander’s ERA rose from 4.23 to 4.54, but that could change because the Giants were considering appealing the official scorer’s ruling on the Fermín bunt. The scorer made two mistakes on his initial ruling. He neglected to give Matos an error, though he eventually corrected his oversight, and also awarded Fermín a hit even though a good throw by Schmitt would have been an easy out. He didn’t correct that one.

As a result, Verlander’s ERA is higher than it should be, though that wasn’t the primary talking point after the game. It was more about the Giants finishing the season series against the Padres at an embarrassing 3-10 and putting in another ugly performance, this one on the defense.

Verlander’s stuff has improved recently, evidenced by the hitters’ reactions to his pitches including the swings and misses, but there’s no sugarcoating his 1-10 record and the fact he’s stuck on 263 career wins.

He was asked if he feels snakebit in a Giants uniform.

“I don't succumb to that,” he said, “but it feels like it so far, yeah. I've kind of tried to maintain this optimistic point of view that as much as it has felt like the deck’s been stacked against me, that it can turn around just as quick. We don't have that much time left, though. But I really do believe particularly the last couple (starts), even the three or four before that, were much, much better.”

Schmitt has a chance to be the Opening Day second baseman next season, unless the Giants find someone more proven from the outside. Matos has a chance to be in next season’s outfield mix.

So that miserable play in which both committed errors was not a good sign moving forward. Both will continue to get reps as the front office tries to figure out what’s next. On the positive side, Matos had two extra-base hits. And Schmitt’s homer Wednesday was the Giants’ lone run.

“I think this is a runway for Luis to get some consistent at-bats,” said Melvin, suggesting Matos and Drew Gilbert will platoon in right field. “We've seen Luis really, really good when he's gotten some consistent at-bats, and hopefully that's going to be the case now.”

Schmitt, a third baseman by trade, said he’d embrace a chance to be the everyday second baseman next season.

“I think it would be very beneficial to focus on one thing, but at the end of the day, stuff happens. Weird things happen,” he said. “I can be that guy to potentially fill in whatever roles are needed.”

Baseball has a countless number of wonderful stories, and one of the latest cool ones was the charming tale of Joel Peguero, who toiled in the minor leagues for a decade before getting his first big-league callup.

Ten years to the day after Peguero signed a pro contract as a 16-year-old – by the Rays – he pitched two scoreless innings and threw his first pitch 102 miles per hour. The Giants added him to their roster for bullpen depth Thursday, and he was all smiles in the clubhouse before the game.

“Like a dream come true,” said Peguero, who pitched in the farm systems of the Rays, Rockies, Nationals, and Tigers before the Giants signed him in the offseason to a minor-league contract and invited him to spring training.

The 5-foot-11 right-hander was so impressive (eight strikeouts in 7 ⅔ scoreless innings) that he won the Barney Nugent Award, which is given to the Giants’ best newcomer in big-league camp. He showed up topping 100 mph on the radar gun and, after a knee injury shelved him for a month early in the season, pitched well enough recently for Triple-A Sacramento to earn the promotion.

The native of the Dominican Republic has upped his English game to where he asked interpreter Erwin Higueros to accompany him in pregame and postgame interviews but rarely needed his help. He called his triple-digit fastball “a blessing from God” and said his wife and mother in law will meet him in Milwaukee.

Carson Whisenhunt will return to the roster and start Friday’s game in Milwaukee, which will give workhorses Logan Webb and Robbie Ray an extra day of rest.

Whisenhunt, the Giants’ No. 1 pitching prospect who has made three big-league starts this season, will take Landen Roupp’s spot. Roupp exited Wednesday’s game in the third inning with a knee injury and was seen Thursday leaving the clubhouse in a cart, accompanied by trainer Dave Groeschner, and was expected to have an MRI in the Bay Area late Thursday.

Asked if the Giants could go with a six-man rotation to give their starters more rest down the stretch, Melvin said, “I don't know that we have six right now.”

Blade Tidwell, acquired from the Mets in the Tyler Rogers trade, has had three quality outings in Sacramento but is dealing with a shoulder ailment. Hayden Birdsong walked five batters in his last start. Kai-Wei Teng was optioned Thursday.

Outfielder Grant McCray also was optioned, making room for Peguero and Matos. To create space on the 40-man roster for Peguero, reliever Erik Miller was transferred to the 60-day IL.