The San Francisco Giants endured a frustrating night in a 9-0 loss to the New York Mets, with defensive inconsistencies once again overshadowing flashes of promise on the mound.

Manager Tony Vitello didn’t mince words when evaluating the defensive effort behind starter Landen Roupp.

“Make the defensive effort tonight overall - not as good as our pitcher threw,” Vitello said. “I don’t like saying ‘deserved’ because this isn’t an easy game, but I definitely think he threw better than what the box score says.”

Vitello emphasized that the issues extended beyond one moment, pointing to a recurring theme over the past two games.

“You’d be hard-pressed to find an inning where they scored where there wasn’t potential for the inning to be over,” he explained. “There was a free pass in there, or we got behind in the count, and that’s what gets you in trouble.”

Facing a lineup anchored by Francisco Lindor, the margin for error was already slim. Falling behind only made matters worse.

“When you’re behind in the count against good teams, they’re going to capitalize,” Vitello said. “Now your pitcher has to get four or five outs in an inning - that’s a tough ask against that group.”

While the defense struggled, Vitello was careful not to single out individuals, instead stressing the need for cohesion.

“I wouldn’t point the finger at anybody, and I definitely wouldn’t say anyone was outstanding the last two nights on the pitching and defensive end,” he said. “They’ve got to work together. When we’re attacking, it’s a lot better - and when your pitcher is doing that, you’ve got to reinforce it by making the plays.”

Offensively, the Giants’ early-season inconsistency remained a concern. The team has alternated between high-scoring wins and quiet losses, a trend Vitello believes goes beyond mechanics.

“You can only go off the sample size, and right now it’s been kind of either-or,” he said. “But it’s never just one thing. One of those things is emotional. Nine innings is a long time, and there are a lot of ups and downs.”

Even in a game that slipped out of reach early, Vitello noted the importance of maintaining approach and rhythm at the plate.

“If you watch closely, you can see when a guy’s in the right spot in the box and when he’s not,” he said. “We’re just trying to get guys into a rhythm.”

Despite the lopsided result, Roupp’s demeanor stood out. Vitello appreciated the right-hander’s competitive fire, even as frustration showed.

“There’s no point in fake reactions - I don’t like when guys do it for show,” Vitello said. “But if it means a lot to you, your natural reaction is going to come out. He was pissed at times, but that just shows he’s competing.”

Vitello added that Roupp handled the adversity the right way.

“I didn’t see anything other than him handling it as well as he could have,” he said.

For the Giants, the takeaway is clear: Cleaner execution, better situational awareness, and emotional steadiness are all needed to prevent games like this from becoming a trend.

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