PHOENIX -- The visiting manager's office at Chase Field is a cinder block room tucked off a hallway in the clubhouse, with no windows and nothing on the walls. There's a small fridge and a few uncomfortable chairs. Sometimes, the desk is well-stocked with hot sauce.
It is not the type of place you would want to spend the final innings of a game, but when Giants manager Bruce Bochy started arguing a horrible call in the seventh inning Friday night, home plate umpire Andy Fletcher calmly stuck one finger out and sent him back to the clubhouse.
You would think that, as he watched the finishing touches of a 7-0 loss that had no redeeming qualities, Bochy would wonder how he will get through his final four-plus months as manager. You would be wrong. How do you weather the storm?
"Because you have to," Bochy said. "You've got to stay optimistic that hey, we're going to come out of this ... We're playing baseball. You're doing something you love to do. You keep pushing."
But sometimes, you can take a breather from behind closed doors. In 2007, Bochy's first season with the Giants, he was ejected six times while managing a 91-loss team. He's on pace to sail past that career high with this guns-blazing final campaign.
Bochy has been ejected three times through 43 games, putting him on pace for 11 in his final season. This was one of the most warranted early exits of his career. With two on and no outs in the seventh, Jarrod Dyson squared to bunt and got nicked on the hand holding the bat. The next batter, Eduardo Escobar, hit a bases-clearing triple to put the Giants in a 6-0 hole.
Sports
At that point, you couldn't blame Bochy if he kept walking and found the nearest bar. But he stuck around long enough to explain to reporters what he saw.
"They said he pulled back," Bochy said. "He offered to bunt the ball. That's not the right call there. I don't know how much that played into the game but the call was not right. He offered to bunt the ball."
Bochy was tossed for arguing a curious call, but you also could not blame anyone who decided they had seen enough of this game. The lineup left 10 on base and did nothing against Merrill Kelly, who entered with a 4.70 ERA and threw 50 fastballs. They averaged 91 mph and many leaked across the plate. The Giants didn't take advantage.
To pour some salt on the wound, the Diamondbacks got three hits -- including an RBI double -- from Adam Jones, an outfielder who was readily available after the Giants missed out on Bryce Harper. Some of the veterans in the clubhouse wanted Jones, but that is not what this season is about. The Giants are trying to find future contributors and maintain flexibility. It's not going well.
[RELATED: Why Giants moved Duggar to center]
Bochy had calmed down by the time the doors of that cinder block room opened. He'll come back tomorrow, ready for another fight, but you could see on his face that a performance like this did not sit well with him.
"I hope it doesn't with anyone," he said. "That's not what we're here for."
