Kurtenbach: The SF Giants’ offense has flatlined, and it has Gabe Kapler flummoxed

San Francisco Giants: Since the All-Star break, the SF Giants have the worst offense in baseball, and it threatens to define their season.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Baseball has changed dramatically in the last year.

Even with the new rules, scoring runs is still critical to winning games.

And the San Francisco Giants don’t seem to be able to do it any longer.

If this team is to make something of this promising but perplexing season — if the next six weeks are to be anything other than an agonizing battle to hold on to a Wild Card spot, followed by a quick postseason exit — that has to change right now.

This season is on the verge of being defined, with the Giants traveling to Atlanta to face baseball’s best team, followed by a trip to Philadelphia to face their top rival in the Wild Card chase.

After a 2-4 homestand against the Rangers and Rays, during which the Giants only scored more than three runs per game once, this team is heading out on the road with no momentum. They’re only hitting the road these days.

These Giants’ bats have no juice. This squad has bad luck.

The Giants have done the following in the last month:

• the National League has the fewest runs per game, home runs, and stolen bases.
• baseball’s fewest total bases
• the National League’s most at-bats per home run

And it has manager Gabe Kapler completely perplexed.

“During the game, I spoke with one of our hitting coaches. After Wednesday’s 6-1 loss, Kapler said, “We talked about a few different strategies we can work on to fix the offense.” “We have some guys who have a good track record of daily success. “We need more firepower.”

They certainly should. At the same time, since Kapler took over, the Giants’ mantra has been “get more out of less.” This necessitates proactive management. But the buttons Kapler pressed at the start of the season no longer work.

None of the buttons appear to be functional anymore.

In Monday’s game, Kapler chose not to use the platoon approach that the Giants have favored since his arrival, instead allowing lefty rookie Wade Meckler to hit against a lefty with the bases loaded and two outs.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Giants had a chance to tie the game at 6-1, but Meckler struck out.

On Wednesday, a nearly identical situation arose. In the bottom of the seventh, the Giants trailed 6-1. With a lefty on the mound, the bases were loaded. Meckler was scheduled to appear. There was one out this time.

And Kapler chose to pull Meckler in favor of pinch-hitter Austin Slater, who had gone 0-for-16 in his previous 16 at-bats.

To end the inning, Slater grounded into a double play.

Kapler’s gut instinct backfired. Then his data-driven decision backfired.

So it’s not surprising that Kapler was irritated when discussing the two decisions in his postgame press conference on Wednesday.

“We’re trying to make as many decisions on the margins that will help us win baseball games as possible,” Kapler explained.

However, the difference between good and bad offense for the Giants these days is well beyond the margins.

Perhaps a day off will help this team’s bats. It’s as plausible a solution as Kapler and “one of our hitting coaches” concocted during Wednesday’s game.

(Did Kapler just realize there was a problem with the offense on Wednesday?)

The good news is that the Giants still have a chance to make the playoffs after this homestand. However, the margins are narrow.

And, while the quality of the National League suggests that San Francisco can finish the season with a slightly below-.500 record and still make the playoffs, that kind of record will be difficult to achieve if the Giants’ bats remain limp.

Not only is it difficult to win games with few runs, but this team has been operating with two starting pitchers for weeks.

This season, no team has thrown more relief innings than the Giants. To date, those innings have been of high quality (3.70 ERA, 5.6 WAR for relievers), but something has to give. Anemic offense puts more pressure on relievers, whether traitional or converted starting pitchers.

Either the batters’ bats or the pitchers’ pitches will crack.

It’s pointless to go back and re-litigate the trade deadline — what big bat actually moved?

Complaining about who isn’t in the Giants’ lineup these days is also pointless.

The Giants were outclassed by a bottom-dollar winning machine in Wednesday’s rubber match against the Rays.

They will now face two winning machines with identifiable players. The Braves are the opponents in six of the next nine games. This road trip and return series with Atlanta are preceded by series against the Reds, Padres, and Cubs — all teams capable of knocking the Giants around.

The solution to ending the skid is straightforward: score more runs.

But if the Giants don’t start hitting soon — really soon — this season will be defined by futility.

How do the Giants accomplish this?

That is anyone’s guess, including Kapler’s.