San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello noted his club’s effort while acknowledging the physical and mental demands in a 2-5 loss to the Cleveland Guardians.
Speaking with reporters postgame, San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello acknowledged the frustration of Thursday’s 5-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians but believes his team cannot afford to spend much time dwelling on the result.
The Giants battled back after falling behind early and created opportunities to make the game competitive. For Vitello, that effort was one of the more encouraging aspects of the loss.
“The way you battled back was tremendous and made a really good outing of it,” Vitello said.
Vitello also discussed the difficult decisions that can arise during a game, particularly when determining whether to leave a pitcher in or make a change. While he acknowledged there were moments he would have liked to handle differently, he felt the Giants ultimately put themselves in position to win.
“You want to leave the game with the team having a chance to win, and we had that,” Vitello said.
One of the other areas Vitello addressed was Landen Roupp’s continued development. Roupp has faced a variety of lineups and situations this season, and Vitello believes those experiences will help him continue to improve.
“I just think it’s more experience to keep stacking it,” Vitello said.
Vitello also acknowledged that Roupp has had to adjust on the fly because of the way opposing teams construct their lineups. Rather than relying on favorable matchups, the young pitcher has been forced to learn how to attack hitters from both sides of the plate.
The Giants manager also addressed Willy Adames, who has continued to play while working his way back from an injury. Vitello said the team will need to manage Adames carefully with a doubleheader approaching and plenty of baseball remaining.
“He’s competing with whatever percent he’s at,” Vitello said. “I don’t even know if our medical staff could accurately say what that is.”
Vitello believes some of Adames’ recent defensive struggles are part of the adjustment process after returning to the field. He also pointed to the infielder’s offensive ability, particularly against quality pitching.
The Giants manager then turned his attention to the broader challenge facing the club.
Several younger players are navigating the physical and mental demands of a long Major League season for the first time. Vitello specifically mentioned young players such as Christian Koss, Osleivis Basabe, and Bryce Eldridge as players who continue to work hard despite the grind.
“They’re working like it’s their first day on the job, and they’re trying to prove they belong here,” Vitello said.
Vitello believes that makes workload management especially important for the coaching staff.
“So it’s on us,” he said. “We need to manage their time a little bit better to make sure they got their legs underneath them.”
With the Giants continuing their road trip, Vitello's message was straightforward: the team needs to move forward quickly.
“I think where we’re at with our club, it’s time to turn the page quickly,” Vitello said.
The Giants will now look to do exactly that as they continue a demanding stretch of the season.
