The San Francisco Giants opened the game with some encouraging contact, but their approach quickly worked against them. Manager Tony Vitello pointed to a trend of hitters getting underneath pitches early in the Giants' 6-2 loss against the Baltimore Orioles.

“Guys were a little bit underneath the ball… a large percentage of our initial outs in the game were flyouts,” Vitello said. “Then they started mixing in off-speed, so it kind of became a high-low game…and we were chasing things a little bit after the fifth inning.”

While the at-bats were not without effort, the lack of adjustment allowed Baltimore to take control. The Giants’ early contact didn’t translate into sustained pressure, especially once they began expanding the strike zone.

Much like previous outings, one inning proved to be the difference. A soft hit and a couple of key pitches turned a manageable situation into a decisive swing in momentum.

Vitello acknowledged how thin the margin was: “If you could remove one pitch from that inning, it’s maybe a little bit less of a mess…but that’s baseball.”

That margin disappeared when Pete Alonso stepped in. Despite not being at his statistical peak early in the season, Alonso delivered when it mattered.

“He’s a threat at all times in the lineup,” Vitello said. “One was a walk, and then one was a two-strike hit on a pitch that was well out of the zone…in a way, he was really the difference in the game today.”

One of the more encouraging takeaways came defensively, particularly from Daniel Susac behind the dish.

“He can throw from a lot of different angles, almost kind of like an infielder…can throw from his knees,” Vitello explained. “He certainly gives us a great option back there… not just defensively, but his at-bats are always competitive.”

That consistency has even sparked discussions about expanding his role offensively, including potential designated hitter opportunities as the season moves along.

The larger concern remains the lineup’s inability to produce as a unit. While Vitello resisted labeling the offense as extreme, he acknowledged the inconsistency.

“There’s been games where we’ve really swung the bats well, and then there’s been games where we’re searching for runs,” he said.

Even in this loss, there were productive moments that failed to connect. “We were competitive… but we just didn’t produce. A lot of it is just stringing it together,” Vitello added.

The solution isn’t complicated, but it has proven difficult to execute — consistent contributions from all nine hitters. Until that happens, it seems the Giants will continue to leave opportunities on the table.

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