PHOENIX — Taylor Rashi thought Bryce Eldridge received one.
Within the prime of the seventh, Rashi tried to sneak an 88.9 mph four-seam fastball previous Eldridge for a strike. Eldridge despatched the heater 407 toes to left-center discipline, the crack of the bat reverberating all through Chase Discipline. Rashi lifelessly hunched over, probably believing he’d be chargeable for Eldridge’s first hit, homer, run and RBI — multi functional.
Fortunately for Rashi, he was pitched at one in every of seven ballparks that would include Eldridge’s blast, one which registered at 105.9 mph off the bat. Heart fielder Jorge Barrosa tracked down the fly ball on the warning observe, calmly jumped into the padding for type and Eldridge remained looking for his first hit.
Eldridge ended the evening hitless over three at-bats because the Giants misplaced 8-1 to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday, their third straight defeat that places them two video games again of the Mets for the third and ultimate NL wild card spot. However with that one, loud swing, San Francisco’s supplied a glimpse of the superior energy he possesses.
“”I do know I hit it good, so I used to be simply hoping it was going to drop someplace,” Eldridge mentioned. “Barrosa made a good play, but definitely a confidence booster.”
“He looks good up there. He had some good swings,” mentioned supervisor Bob Melvin. “It’s too bad he didn’t get the one hit there, but certainly didn’t look like he was overmatched. Didn’t looked like he was nervous. I’m sure there were some nerves there, but looks pretty hitter-ish at the plate.”
Together with enjoying in his first profession sport, Eldridge had one other quite obscure first expertise: his first time utilizing a team-issued bat.
After studying of his promotion on Sunday on the OKC Will Rogers Worldwide Airport, Eldridge re-routed from Sacramento to Phoenix. Eldridge’s gear, nonetheless, was already en path to Sacramento, leaving him with out his instruments of the commerce. The one tools Eldridge had on Monday was from what he left in his automotive on the close by Papago Park, the staff’s minor league facility.
The checklist of things in Eldridge’s locker on Monday included a black first baseman’s mitt with the inscription “Wayne,” one in every of Eldridge’s nicknames. Individuals started calling him “Wayne” as a result of his first identify usually auto-corrected to “Bruce,” prompting somebody to name him “Bruce Wayne,” the alias of Batman.
No quantity of familiarity together with his gear would’ve helped him in opposition to the Diamondbacks’ Zac Gallen, who allowed one run over six innings with six strikeouts.
Gallen, a one-time All-Star, gained each battles in opposition to Eldridge, getting him to floor out of their first assembly and hanging him out of their second assembly. Nonetheless, Eldridge held his personal in opposition to one of many sport’s higher right-handed pitchers, having some spectacular takes on changeups out of the zone.
“I think that’s a good start facing a guy like him,” Eldridge mentioned. “I had fun. He had a good plan against me, and it as fun to get to face him and I felt like I belonged. I feel like I competed and did my best.”
Added Eldridge: “We have a good idea of what these guys are trying to do. I think just being able to spit on those definitely gave me some confidence, not going to try and reach down low for those ones.”
The 20-year-old’s deep drive Casey Schmitt’s third-inning solo homer was nearly all of the Giants might have fun on an evening the place they mustered two lone hits — each off Schmitt’s bat.
Proper-hander Kai-Wei Teng pitched a serviceable 4 innings, permitting one unearned run on an errant pickoff try. As soon as Teng departed, the Diamondbacks tagged the Giants’ bullpen for seven runs, six of which got here in a game-deciding six-run sixth.
San Francisco’s bullpen has been one in every of this staff’s strengths even with a rotating solid of characters, however that unit’s lack of depth has been uncovered in latest days. Throughout this three-game shedding streak, the Giants’ relievers have allowed 19 earned runs over 14 innings.
“(Joel) Peguero and (Joey) Lucchesi might be our most trusted arms down there (minus Ryan) Walker,” Melvin mentioned. “We’re just trying to get through that inning and gave up a six spot. Just middle-of-the-plate pitches.”
Initially Revealed: September 15, 2025 at 9:09 PM PDT
