Devers wears golden sombrero in SF Giants’ 4-2 loss to D-Backs

The Giants scored three runs or fewer for the 4th straight game as Logan Webb took a tough loss Monday night

Monday night was typical for how things have been going for the San Francisco Giants. Christian Koss hit a game-tying home run in the 8th inning, that turned into a ground-rule double, that turns into a hamstring strain, an ejected manager, and a 4-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

With the Giants trailing 3-2 in the 8th, Koss drove one over the wall in left-center off of winning pitcher John Curtiss (1-0), who has too many consonants at the end of his name. The drive eluded left fielder Tim Tawa but was snagged by a fan just before it appeared to hit the yellow line. Umpires ruled the hit a ground-rule double due to fan interference, despite it being a Diamondbacks fan snagging the ball with his glove hitting the yellow home run line.

Koss then had to leave the game for a pinch-runner after appearing to strain his hamstring, the third time a Giants third baseman has been injured in the last three weeks. Of course, the Giants still had a runner in scoring position with one out, which can mean only one thing in 2025: Two strikeouts, and zero runs.

Rafael Devers had one of the strikeouts, earning the infamous “Golden Sombrero” by striking out four times in one game. For the record, five strikeouts in a game is a “Platinum Sombrero,” while the rare six-strikeout game is known as the “horn,” after free-swinging first baseman Sam Horn.

What’s truly wild about the Koss non-homer is that almost exactly three years ago, Joey Bart lost a home run to fan interference in the same spot, to what very well might be the same fan. How many adult men can there be who wear gloves to a baseball game and routinely try to take fly balls away from their own team’s fielders?

If you’re considering wearing a glove to a baseball game, ask yourself a few questions:

1. Am I in elementary school?
2. Is there any chance the manager asks me to take the field and help out?
3. Do I have soft, easily-breakable bird-like bones in my non-throwing hand?

If the answer to these questions is “No,” leave the glove at home, slugger.

Logan Webb had a hard-luck outing once again, falling to 7-6 after going 6 ¹⁄₃ innings and giving up three runs and striking out seven. He almost made an incredible, if inadvertent, defensive play to retire Jack McCarthy in the 4th inning.

His first run was earned, sort of, after Alek Thomas, who went 3-for-3, doubled and then scored when Patrick Bailey’s throw to first on a sacrifice bunt short-hopped first baseman Dominic Smith.

Look, I don’t want to second-guess the official scorer or criticize a new Giant like Smith, but that’s a throw that 95% of major-league first basemen come up with, a group that includes LaMonte Wade, Jr, Wilmer Flores, and 57-year-old J.T. Snow. Webb then induced two ground-ball outs and a strikeout, so I’m unsure why the run was earned.

Webb gave up his second run to the purple-haired Lourdes Gurriel with two outs in the 6th inning, and my theory is that he was jinxed by Arizona’s announcers declaring that he was “doing Logan Webb things” by getting ground ball outs and strikeouts all night.

Webb appeared upset after the big drive, shouting into his glove. We assume he was shouting about his pitch location, though he could have heard the news that his beloved Sacramento Kings were going to sign Dennis Schroder to a big free agent deal.

One good moment for the Giants offensively that didn’t involve a jackass in shorts ruining everything happened in the top of the 7th inning. Smith doubled and Willy Adames hit an infield single to chase Arizona starter Ryne Nelson (6 ²⁄₃ IP, 5H, 7K). Tyler Fitzgerald, recently returned from his exile to Sacramento to replace the injured Casey Schmitt, hit his second double of the game to score both runners and tie the game.

Fitzgerald had two hits and so did Smith. But the Giants 2-3 hitters combined to go 0-for-8 with seven strikeouts — Heliot Ramos flied out to center in one at-bat.

The Diamondbacks tacked on an insurance run in the 8th when Eugenio Suarez hit his 11th home run of the month, his 26th home run of the season, and the 301st home run of his career off Tyler Rogers in the 8th. Ramos made a valiant effort to climb the wall and snag it, but the ball went two rows deep into a group of fans who didn’t have gloves, a net, or apparently, depth perception.

It’s the third straight loss for the Giants and the fourth straight game they have scored three or fewer runs. The lack of offense has been a constant problem, exacerbated by every third baseman they have going down with injury when they’ve started to hit well. Is Wisely the new third baseman? Does he want to be, or is he afraid of the legendary Third-Sacker’s Curse?

It’s possible that the Giants lost motivation after a curious promise from broadcast Duane Kuiper, who promised to jump in the right field pool at Chase Field should the Giants sweep the series — wearing a leather thong.

So maybe there’s a silver lining to this loss.