SAN FRANCISCO -- Losing Matt Chapman to the injured list for the second time this season hurt, but the Giants could at least take some solace in knowing that they had another natural third baseman -- Casey Schmitt -- who could replace him in the interim.
Now, their depth is likely to be tested even further.
Schmitt exited Friday night’s series opener against the Rays after taking a 93.3 mph fastball off his right forearm in the eighth inning, adding even more sting to a 7-6 loss that extended the Giants’ losing streak to a season-high-matching six games.
Schmitt dropped to his knees in pain after he was struck by the first-pitch heater from right-hander Edwin Uceta to lead off the bottom of the eighth, drawing immediate attention from team trainer Anthony Reyes. After a brief examination, Schmitt was forced to depart the game, with Tyler Fitzgerald coming in to pinch-run for him.
X-rays came back negative on Schmitt, who was diagnosed with a right forearm contusion and will likely miss at least a couple of days. With Chapman and Schmitt both down, the Giants could lean on Christian Koss or Fitzgerald to fill in at third for now.
“I dodged a bullet with it not being broken,” Schmitt said. “It doesn’t feel great, but there’s not really much you can do about it. We’ll see how it feels tomorrow and try to get out there as soon as possible.”
Schmitt’s injury scare nearly sparked a late rally for the Giants, who went on to load the bases with no outs after Jung Hoo Lee singled and Koss reached on another hit-by-pitch. Still, San Francisco couldn’t snap the 6-6 tie after Patrick Bailey lined out and Drew Gilbert and Heliot Ramos grounded into forceouts to end the inning.
The Giants’ inability to capitalize opened the door for Tampa Bay to score the decisive run in the top of the ninth, when Yandy Díaz delivered a go-ahead single off All-Star Randy Rodríguez. San Francisco has now lost 14 of its last 15 home games to drop a season-high four games under .500.
It was a demoralizing end to a day that started with unfortunate news on Chapman, who was placed on the 10-day IL after an MRI exam revealed inflammation in his right hand, which he originally injured on a dive back to first base on June 8. Chapman said he received two cortisone shots on Friday, which he hopes will provide some relief and allow him to return after missing the minimum 10 days.
Chapman was cleared to return from his first IL stint after sitting out 23 games, though he admitted that he didn’t feel perfect when he came back last month, as the sprained ligaments in his hand didn’t have enough time to fully scar over.
The five-time Gold Glover tried to play through the discomfort, but the injury still seemed to hamper him at the plate, where he batted only .200 with a .655 OPS and four home runs over 31 games since his reinstatement on July 5. The Giants held Chapman out of their starting lineup on Wednesday in the hope that he’d feel more refreshed following Thursday’s off-day, but the two-day mini-break ultimately wasn’t enough to cure his ailing hand.
“I’ve just been trying to push through it and do what I can,” said Chapman, who was mired in a 6-for-45 (.133) slump with one extra-base hit and 14 strikeouts over his last 13 games. “I think just from constantly playing, the inflammation and stuff just kind of kept going. I couldn’t get ahead of it. We’re hoping that this cortisone shot and just letting that cortisone settle in can kind of get me over the hump. That way I can be productive and help the team win. I’m willing to push through anything for the team and try to help. These last few days, I just really felt like I couldn’t use my hand when I was swinging. It just didn’t feel right.”
Chapman said he’s accepted he might have to wait until the offseason for his hand to completely heal, but he still wants to try to get back as soon as possible to help put an end to the Giants’ recent woes.
“It has been a rough stretch,” Chapman said. “Obviously, we haven’t been able to get much going, especially at home. I feel bad for our fans because they came out here and they support us every single night. They pay their own money to come see us, and we haven’t been playing good baseball for them. Regardless if we win or lose, they stay all game. It’s packed. Everybody here feels it. We want to win for a million reasons, with fans being one of them.”