For San Francisco Giants starter Robbie Ray, Monday night’s 12-2 loss against the Arizona Diamondbacks was less about one inning and more about an entire lineup that appeared comfortable from the opening pitch.

Arizona struck early and often against Ray, highlighted by a first-inning grand slam by Nolan Arenado that immediately put the Giants in a deep hole. From the left-hander’s perspective, the Diamondbacks seemed unusually prepared for nearly everything he threw.

“To me, it just seemed like they were kind of on everything,” Ray said afterward. “I don’t know if it’s something I’m doing on the mound or from tipping my pitches or what’s going on.”

Ray acknowledged that one of the most frustrating parts of the outing was the lack of swing-and-miss stuff that has typically defined his success throughout his career. Arizona’s hitters consistently made contact, worked counts effectively, and rarely expanded the strike zone.

“There was not a lot of swing and miss tonight, not a lot of chase,” Ray said. “It’s one of those things I just have to go to the drawing board and figure it out.”

After struggling heavily with his fastball early in the game, Ray attempted to adjust his pitch mix and search for anything that could slow Arizona’s momentum. While his fastball normally serves as the foundation of his approach, he leaned more heavily on his curveball as the outing progressed.

“I was just trying to figure something out,” Ray said. “Felt like maybe the one pitch they struggled with was the curveball a little bit, so I tried to throw a few more of those.”

Despite the disappointing result, Ray said physically he actually felt strong heading into the start. He explained that his mechanics, warmup routine, and command all felt normal before the game began, which only added to the confusion surrounding Arizona’s offensive success.

“Baseball’s funny because tonight was the best I felt in the bullpen all year,” Ray said. “I felt like my mechanics were really good. I felt like my pregame warmup felt really good.”

Ray also mentioned that several hits came on pitches located well outside the strike zone, though he credited the Diamondbacks for capitalizing whenever they recognized what was coming.

“Hitters are good,” Ray said. “If they know what’s coming, they’re going to hit it.”

The left-hander exited after being struck in the quad by a comebacker in the fifth inning, though he downplayed any concern afterward.

“Just got me in the quad,” Ray said. “I’m good.”

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