Royals Beat Giants 3-2 as Mahle Loses Command in 6th

Q: Why did the Giants bench their All-Star hitter in a key moment, highlighting a season of questionable management?

The Giants did not bench Drew Gilbert, and he is not the All-Star in question. The controversial decision was that manager Tony Vitello kept All-Star Luis Arráez on the bench in the seventh inning and let Gilbert hit instead. That choice stood out because the matchup strongly favored a pinch-hitter. San Francisco had the tying run on second with one out against Royals left-hander Matt Strahm, who entered with a 7.24 ERA and had been struggling badly. Gilbert, also a left-handed hitter, has been one of the Giants’ weakest options against lefties, going 1-for-28 this season and carrying a career .065 average against them. Arráez, by contrast, is hitting .316 against left-handed pitching this year and is one of the club’s most reliable contact hitters. Vitello had given Arráez a rare day off because of a lingering thumb issue, but he had also said Arráez was available off the bench. That is why the decision drew so much criticism: the issue was not resting Arráez from the starting lineup, but not using him when the game’s biggest offensive moment arrived. Gilbert then struck out on three pitches, and Arráez never got into the game, remaining in the on-deck circle as it ended. The move has been cited as a snapshot of the Giants’ season: a struggling, expensive team making hard-to-defend tactical choices in key spots under a first-year manager.

2 articles · Updated · MLB.com · Jul 22

Kansas City turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 win in the sixth after Tyler Mahle walked Isaac Collins and hit Salvador Perez, setting up the Giants’ second straight one-run loss.
Vinnie Pasquantino and Nick Loftin followed with RBI singles against San Francisco relievers Sam Hentges and Keaton Winn after Mahle exited with two on and nobody out.
Mahle had allowed only Carter Jensen’s solo homer through five innings and had just come off seven innings of one-run ball against Colorado.
San Francisco briefly moved ahead in the fifth on Jesus Rodriguez’s two-out double, Drew Gilbert’s RBI single and Heliot Ramos’ RBI fielder’s choice, but left a bigger inning on the table.
Royals starter Luinder Avila limited the Giants to two runs over a career-high 6 1/3 innings, striking out seven and helping Kansas City secure a second consecutive 3-2 win.