SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants hope that Marco Luciano will develop into the type of player who is in the lineup every day, and they’re confident that’s in his future. But on his first night in the big leagues, Luciano got a taste of what life is like for most of the 2023 Giants.
In his third at-bat, Luciano was replaced by a pinch-hitter because the bench felt Joc Pederson was a better choice to lead off against a right-handed reliever. Michael Conforto was once a top prospect, too, but he was also hit for on Wednesday to get a better matchup. Alex Wood, a former All-Star who has made no secret of his desire to start, came out of the bullpen in the fifth and soaked up three innings.
The Giants used 12 position players and six pitchers in an 8-3 win over the Athletics, their second straight. This is what they do, and what they will do the rest of the way as they push for the playoffs, even if it sometimes turns a crowd’s cheers into groans.
“We have to think of this as a two-month playoff push,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “No one person in isolation is more important than the 26 puzzle pieces fitting well.”
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That includes Luciano, who received a standing ovation before his first big league at-bat and hit the first pitch to the track in right. He bounced back to the mound the next time up and then gave way to Pederson.
That move didn’t lead to anything, but Slater-for-Conforto turned into a two-run homer that gave the Giants a lead that held up. They also got a two-run homer from J.D. Davis, who fixed his approach during an early BP session with hitting coach Justin Viele that included a drill where Davis did nothing but try and hit grounders to short, which was meant to shorten his swing.
Luciano didn’t have a hit, but fellow rookies Casey Schmitt, Luis Matos and Patrick Bailey all doubled. The team-wide effort led to the biggest offensive outburst in eight days. How much can that help a struggling group?
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"A lot. A lot," Slater said. "We definitely needed this."
The Giants needed a couple of wins, too, because the A's are the type of opponent you have to take advantage of when you're fighting with so many other teams in the postseason race. The next six weeks feature just about nothing but contenders, starting Friday when the Boston Red Sox visit. After that, it's the Arizona Diamondbacks, A's again, and then the Texas Rangers. And then it gets really difficult.
It's the type of stretch that means it's mandatory that it's all hands on deck from here on out, even if that puts some in unfamiliar situations.
Kapler said he would talk to Luciano about the pinch-hit decision, although he didn't feel it was really necessary. Wood has been in the office a few times, and it's possible that he'll soon pitch his way back into the rotation. But on Wednesday, that wasn't the job, and he understood.
"We've got a really tough schedule in August so every win matters," Wood said. "It's just show up and go to work."
