TortureCast (SF Giants Podcast)

The MLB season is officially over, and it ended in agonizing fashion with the Dodgers squeaking out their second consecutive championship over a Toronto Blue Jays team that just couldn't put the nail in the coffin. We beat the dead horse that should have been a ring for Toronto, but before that, we break down Tony Vitello's presser at Oracle, Gold Glove wins for Bailey and Webb, and some new coaching hires. We'll be back periodically throughout the offseason as news breaks, but thank you for your continued support as we close out season 15 of the TortureCast.www.torturecast.com@torturecastfacebook.com/torturecast

Today, the Giants announced that University of Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello will be their new manager. Vitello becomes the first college coach to move directly to MLB manager without previous professional coaching experience. He turned a Volunteers team around, accruing a .722 winning percentage, and winning the 2024 College World Series and was named Coach of the Year. This could be exactly what the Giants need, or it could flame out in horrible disaster, but they had to try something, and this is Buster Posey's first crack at "his guy" to helm the ship. The whole gang is back together (Willie, Eric, and Chad) to talk about Vitello and to preview the World Series, which unfortunately has that team in blue in it...again.www.torturecast.com@torturecastfacebook.com/torturecast

Chad and Eric conduct a partial autopsy on the corpse of the 2025 San Francisco Giants, but before that, there's a long conversation about who the Giants are going to replace Bob Melvin with. That's right, after signing Melvin to an extension on July 1, the Giants parted ways with Melvin and now will search for their next skipper. No, it won't be Bruce Bochy, who just ended his tenure as manager with the Rangers. So much went wrong for the Giants this year, but in the end, they missed the playoffs by just 3 games (they were 2 games back, but Mets held the tiebreaker over Giants). Heck, Ryan Walker blew three saves (all losses) in the last two weeks of the season alone! There are many other games to point to. The Giants are close, tantalizingly close, but they need more. Buster Posey said in this morning's interview that they can't keep doing the same thing and expecting different results, thus the Melvin dismissal. Hey, and we talk about the playoffs and give our predictions. Anyone but the Dodgers, right?www.torturecast.com@torturecastfacebook.com/torturecastinstagram.com/torturecast

We strung out this episode because during the recording, the Giants blew a 5-run lead they had in the 7th against the Cardinals, then Ryan Walker came in and failed to close out a 1-run lead, allowing 2 runs in the 9th. We waited out the episode to watch Wilmer Flores feebly strike out with the tying run on second to end the game and their official and mathematical hopes for the playoffs as they were eliminated. But, before coughing up their largest lead of the season, Eric and I break down what went wrong in the last two weeks that saw their once bright and resuscitated playoff hopes get extinguished in such a quick fashion. They've now lost 9 of 11 and can only achieve a .500 season by winning their remaining four games. They are likely headed to another losing season. This also means that the Giants have only made the playoffs ONCE in the last nine seasons. That is just one more than the Pirates. Will Melvin be fired? Who will win the Willie Mac? Will Adames reach 30 homers when it seemed like a lock when he hit his 28th 13 games ago? We review the playoff races and talk a bit about the ABS coming to MLB next season. Next episode will record on Monday, the night before the playoffs start when we'll give our playoff predictions. Alas, a Giants postseason will have to wait until at least next year.www.torturecast.com@torturecastfacebook.com/torturecastinstagram.com/torturecast

Chad and Eric were hopeful that their trip to Arizona would bear witness to the Giants leapfrogging the Mets into the third wild card position, but instead were witness to the final nail in the coffin to their postseason hopes. Although we did get to see Bryce Eldridge's Major League debut, we also witnessed an 8-1 drubbing followed by a walk-off win for the Diamondbacks on a game which the Giants led by four runs. It was a frustrating experience, but it does give clarity to the fact that this team is not ready for the playoffs. We chat about the season that could have been and our experience at Chase Field. www.torturecast.com@torturecastfacebook.com/torturecastinstagram.com/torturecast

Chad traveled down to Arizona to meet Eric for a couple of Giants games, but we wrapped up the last 10 games in a special live and in-person episode! We thank the Mets for their 8-games losing streak that enabled the Giants to get to within 1 1/2 games, despite the Giants going 4-5. And, our timing couldn’t be better because Bryce Eldridge has been called up and we should be seeing him the next two nights at Chase Field. Join us for a fun and rare episode!

...they pull us back in. Yes, we are all Al Pacino. The Giants have suddenly forgotten how to lose. In fact, they've only lost one of their last 11 games and suddenly find themselves two games above .500 and four games back of the Mets for the third wild card with 22 games to play. We are still in snowball's-chance-in-hell territory, but it's better than last week and the week before that. This remarkable surge has been powered by the long ball with the Giants homering in 17 straight games (and counting), breaking the SF record. The NY Giants record is 19. During that streak, they've hit 36 of their 150 homers which is 24%...in just over two weeks! Willie Adames hit four bombs this week and is only four away from 30 and would become the first Giant to do so since Barry Bonds. Devers hit five this week (including a HR trot that technically lasted an MLB-record 8+ minutes!) and has 30, 15 with each Boston and SF. Chad and Eric chat about this surge, talk about their realistic chances for making the playoffs, and reveal that they will be at Chase Field on September 15 and 16 to watch the Giants take on the Diamondbacks. We'll even resurrect the bonusode!www.torturecast.comfacebook.com/torturecastinstagram.com/torturecasttorturecast@gmail.com

Just when they had us down, they sweep us back into their arms. Well, maybe not quite yet, but the Giants have quietly put together a 4 game winning streak and are 3 games under .500. Their offense is finally clicking, and they've even homered in 10 straight games. Devers went off tonight in game 2 of their series against the Cubs, going 4-4 with 2 bombs, a double, and 5 RBI....right after I put in the notes about his poor splits in SF vs BOS. He raised his OPS by 50 points with the Giants in ONE game! Eric and Chad chat about the good week in Giants baseball, and look towards a favorable September schedule, where the Giants will play 6 games against the Dodgers, the only winning team in their last 29 games. Now, we're not saying they are going to sneak back into playoff relevance, but we are saying if you were to line up the possibility, this would be the way to do it. We review who's hot and not, injuries, and even talk about Big Dumper and the Freak for a spell.www.torturecast.com@torturecastfacebook.com/torturecasthttps://www.instagram.com/torturecast/

We came up with this title at the end of this episode. If you're brave enough to listen to the end, you'll understand why. But seriously, the Giants have lost 15 of 17 at home and are no where close to orbiting the playoffs. They would have been if they had just played 7-10 in that stretch. They went 2-4 for the week and are now a solid 5 games under .500. So, what are we looking for? Good coaching, quality ABs, playing time for the younger players and prospects, less mental mistakes on the field, anything to give us a glimmer of hope for surging back to .500 and something to build upon for 2026. We also discuss the minor controversy of Heliot Ramos' statement about fans, and wonder if players really tell the truth about things that happen out of the view of reporters and fans alike. One thing is clear, the players have Bob Melvin's back, despite the ire that he has drawn from some of the fan base. We also talk about who's hot, who's not, and that we really don't miss Camilo Doval, and you're welcome, Yankees fans. Have fun with him!www.torturecast.com@torturecastfacebook.com/torturecasthttps://www.instagram.com/torturecast/

The Giants may be a bad team after all. They followed up a historic winless six game homestand with a 4-2 roadtrip, and came right back home and lost five of six, meaning the Giants have lost 13 of their last 14 at home. They last time the franchise did that was 1940 in New York. They are below .500 for the season, on the road, and at home. Their only winning month is April. Their second half is atrocious, and they are 18-33 since being tied for first with the Dodgers on June 13. This is their fourth consecutive season of having a winning record in the first half, followed by a second half collapse. Visions of the postseason snatched away by ineptitude of the summer. But why? What is happening? The players don't know, BoMel doesn't know, but we all know that they stink and they have for quite some time. Their hitting is near the league bottom, they can't hit with runners in scoring position, and they are striking out at a prodigious rate. And don't get us started on the physical and mental errors on the field and basepaths (we're talking about you, Ramos!)With 41 games left, the Giants' postseason chances are essentially zero. What can we look forward to? An Eldridge call up? For Logan Webb to regain his composure? For Melvin to stop being so passive with his coaching and maybe light a fire under their collective asses? At least the anxiety of watching the Giants in the postseason won't be a reality, but when we look back, we realize that we've only experienced that anxiety one time in the last nine seasons. Their glory days are far behind them and may not be getting any closer to rekindling them if management doesn't find a solution soon.www.torturecast.com@torturecastfacebook.com/torturecast

We last recorded in between trades, but we break down the Yaz and Doval trades from last week. All in all, the Giants received eight players for the three they traded away, and with Yaz and Rogers being free agents of the end of the year, it made sense to exchange rentals for potential future talent. But, it is weird seeing Yaz in Royal Blue, Rogers in the throwback Mets unis, and Doval in Yankee grey. Posey also played with all three, and he admitted it was tough making that phone call to his former teammates. As far as their performance on the field, they followed up a horrible 0-6 homestand with a 4-2 road record against the same Mets and Pirates. With the focus on the future seasons, no one is holding their breath that the Giants will make a run at the wildcard, a position they solidly held for the entire season until a few weeks ago. That said, it will be a good opportunity to showcase new blood in the majors and minors. Bryce Eldridge is HOT in Sacramento, blasting four bombs in his last three games, but Posey said they aren't rushing him up. And...the first female umpire in MLB history will be working the plate during the second game of a double header this Sunday in Atlanta. It's crazy that this hasn't happened sooner, especially with female officials in the NBA and NFL. We also ponder what happened to LaMonte Wade Jr's ability to hit a baseball, as he was released by the Angels over the weekend. Late night LaMonte might have had his last day in the majors.www.torturecast.com@torturecastfacebook.com/torturecast

After the Giants defeated the Dodgers on June 13, they were tied for first place in the NL West with LA and held the 4th best record in baseball. Since that time, they have been the worst team in baseball (yes, even worse than the Colorado Rockies), going 13-26 and plummeting out of the playoff race. They had an 0-6 homestand, something the Giants haven't done since 1898! They've lost 12 of 14. They are nine games out of the west and six behind in the wild card. They also have the worst record since the Devers trade. So, what went wrong? How did one of the best teams in baseball in mid-June suddenly implode? You can certainly point to situational hitting. The Giants went 0-22 with runners in scoring position during the Mets sweep at home. Untimely bullpen moves seems to be Melvin's calling card, yet he was signed to a one year extension in the middle of this slump. Pitching has gotten worse with a 4.35 team ERA during this stretch, and they've been outscored 4.9 to 3.7 on average. The silver lining to this is that the collapse happened so quickly, that Buster Posey could pivot from being buyers to sellers. They started the sale by trading fan-favorite Tyler Rogers to the Mets for three players. It's a two-month rental for the Mets and there's a good chance that the Giants re-sign Rogers for 2026. The deadline is this evening, so we'll see if the Giants can fleece another desperate team for an arm and maybe this season won't be a complete waste. The three of us break it down in this eulogy of the 2025 season.www.torturecast.comfacebook.com/torturecast@torturecast

Patrick Bailey's walk-off inside-the-park homerun on Tuesday night is something that will be burned into Giants' lore for decades to come. Pagan's similar feat happened 12 years ago, and we still talk about it. This one was better. We open the episode discussing Bailey's round-tripper and how the Giants have picked themselves up after a horrific streak to end June. Getting swept at home by the Marlins and losing two of three to the lowly White Sox put them 9 games behind their rivals, but since then, they have won 6 of 8 and the Dodgers have lost 6 in a row, closing the gap to 5 games. Three Giants pitchers were selected to the All Star Game (Webb, Ray, Rodriguez) and the mid-summer classic will feature the ABS challenge system, which is eventually coming to the big leagues. Although Devers has been meddling in mediocrity since coming to SF (.225/2/9), Adames seems to be waking up, hitting .313 with a .910 OPS over the last 2 weeks. Justin Verlander is flummoxed, and although he isn't having a great year, it's not catastrophic. Even a pitcher with his stats (4.70 ERA, 1.41 WHIP) should have a couple of wins on a winning team. Yet, he is winless in 15 Giants starts. He'll tie the MLB record if he doesn't win his next start. However, the pen has blown 6 leads for him, and he has the second-worst run support of any starting pitcher in the bigs (26 runs in 15 starts). Heading into LA is big. The set up the rotation with Webb, Roupp, and Ray, but the Dodgers counter with May, Ohtani, and Yamamoto. They will be anywhere between 2 and 8 games back of the Dodgers after this series, a huge potential swing. www.torturecast.comfacebook.com/torturecast@torturecast

In a truly stunning, out-of-left-field event, the Giants traded for slugger Rafael Devers. It really did come out of nowhere, but it's genesis was the discontent that was brewing in Boston after Devers was not being treated like a franchise player, being promised third base, only to have Alex Bregman usurp it. The Giants gave up relatively little as a price for securing Devers for the next 8 1/2 years. This was not a rental, and often 2 month rentals end up costing teams a LOT more than what the Giants gave up. All told, the Giants traded away Kyle Harrison, Jordan Hicks, and two prospects. Even the AAV for Devers is under what the market would bear now and certainly what it will bear in several years. Devers is in the prime of his career at age 28. Buster Posey made this happen, and he is the man right now. Eric, Willie, and Chad discuss this blockbuster and can't find a comp to it in recent Giants history. We are all excited, but if the Giants would just actually perform on the field. After briefly tying the Dodgers for first place in the NL West over the weekend, they have lost 4 in a row and 5 of 6 overall. Let's hope they snap out of it with the help of their new shiny star.@torturecastfacebook.com/torturecasttorturecast.com

It's in the title. The Giants are on a 7-game winning streak, bookended with our recording of 315 during game 1 of the streak and tonight's recording of 316 during the 7th game of the streak. They're just 1/2 game back of LA and if they complete the sweep of the Rockies tomorrow, the Giants will go into Chavez Ravine tied for first. This incredible streak started with six consecutive one-run wins and eight consecutive one-run games overall, both franchise records. They haven't lost since Buster Posey shook up the roster, DFA'ing LaMonte Wade Jr. and calling in some journeymen. Although the new guys haven't contributed much statistically speaking, something has happened to their ability to come back and hold on to tight games, get knocks in clutch situations in between droughts of hits. Some may call it a lucky streak, but it also shows the strength of the pitching staff and their resolve. Either way, wins are wins, and the Giants are hot. Let's hope it continues. Oh, and the pope was seen today wearing a White Sox hat, so that was cool.www.torturecast.comfacebook.com/torturecast@torturecast

It must have been somewhat depressing or bittersweet for Buster Posey to make the decision to DFA LaMonte Wade Jr., a consistent player in this lineup that suited up with Posey for the 2021 season when they both performed well and won the NL West as teammates. Yet, it was a move they had to make. The Giants ranked last or near last in all offensive categories at first base. It also serves as a wake-up call for other players that are underperforming this year. The Giants also DFA catcher Sam Huff, which is a little puzzling considering he was the NL Pitcher of the Month's (Robbie Ray) main backstop and brought up two journeymen from Sacramento and signed another free agent journeyman. The Giants were in an incredible streak of 16 games of scoring 4 runs or less, averaging only 2 during that streak, yet their team ERA was an unbelievable 1.77, making them a competitive 7-9. The moves worked, at least for game one, as the Giants roared back from a 5-0 deficit to clip the Padres 6-5 after two heart-wrenching extra-inning losses to their southern rivals. Eric and Chad break it down and even bring in some baseball superstitions that the Giants may want to consider going forward.www.torturecast.comfacebook.com/torturecast@torturecast

We are one-third of the way through the season, and it's episode 314. So, pi. Anyhoo...we are beginning to fear that the Giants are whom they've been the last few years, aside from the outlier of the 8-1 start. Since then, they've been mediocre. They're bullpen is the best in baseball, by a lot, but starting has been middle of the pack (aside from Ray and Webb), and their biggest problem is their anemic offense. Only five Giants are hitting above .250, and the rest of the team is below .225. They are in the lower quarter in most offensive stats. The spunk they showed with comeback wins earlier in the year seems to have vacated the bench. The Giants have re-settled on Doval as their closer, Birdsong is in for Hicks, and Harrison is temporarily in for Verlander as he nurses his right pec. Posey said they will mix in more at first base to help the struggling Wade, but Bailey IS their catcher, and Adames is "a dude," so don't expect any changes there.www.torturecast.com@torturecastfacebook.com/torturecast

After an impressive 8-1 start to the season, the Giants have come back to Earth, going 17-18 since and have lost 5 of their last 6. That said, they are only 4 games out of first and hold the final wild card spot, the path that seems most likely for their entry into the postseason. They lost 4 of those 5 games by just one run, and the other by two. They are not getting crushed...just missing. One of the reasons is Jordan Hicks, who has compiled a 6.55 ERA this year and a .293 batting avg against. It's not just this year...over his last 9 starts last year, he had a 6.44 ERA and his BAA was over .300. We think those 18 starts is a sufficient sample size, and maybe his time as a starter should end. Options? Birdsong first, Harrison next. We also critique LaMonte Wade, Jr. and his anemic offensive stats and hitting metrics. He's just cold. And his defense ain't cutting it, unlike Patrick Bailey's. We chat about how to potentially solve these issues, and Eric has some important and heartfelt words at the end of the episode, so don't miss that.www.torturecast.comfacebook.com/torturecast@torturecast

The Giants have gone 14-13 since their 8-1 explosive start. That doesn't sound amazing, but it's still good for the 4th best record in all of baseball. Unfortunately, the NL West has the two best teams in baseball with the Dodgers having won 8 of 9 games and the Padres have won 6 in a row. That said, the Giants are in the best shape at this point in the season since 2021. But...there are concerns. Many hitters are at or below .200. Their offense is average at best, and their starters are also around the average mark. So, why are they "overperforming?" Some of it has to do with their torrid start, but defense and other metrics creep in to alter a few losses to wins. Their expected W/L is only off by one. However, this could catch up in time. Chad and Willie discuss this and review the first quarter of the season and grade all facets of the Giants' game. We also go off on a tangent about Buster Posey's chances for the Hall of Fame in 2027...mostly inspired by Chad's recent visit to Cooperstown.www.torturecast.comfacebook.com/torturecast@torturecast

So, the title of this episode is not lying. As of the evening of April 6, the Giants do indeed have the best record in baseball. No matter that it's only been nine games. Hey, it's one of the best starts in franchise history, with most great starts ending in the postseason, so there may be something to glean from that. Clearly, this team is exceeding our expectations, even after a great spring. There is an energy about this club. There is a feeling amongst the fans. Something may be different this year. Is it the new guys? Is it Bustermonium? Who knows, but the fellas are gellin' with a 8-1 record, two walk-offs during the home opening series, and they are in first place. Might this come crashing down on their next road trip through Yankee Stadium, Philly, and Anaheim? Maybe, but let's enjoy great baseball while we can, and Willie, Eric, and Chad have a great time just being giddy about this team. Oh, and don't forget to check out Chad's Oracle Park food review on YouTube!www.torturecast.comfacebook.com/torturecast@torturecast