SAN FRANCISCO -- With two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth inning Wednesday, Wilmer Flores hit a sinking liner to center. Kansas City Royals outfielder Kyle Isbel got a good jump and made a sliding grab to preserve a four-run lead, and from there, it was a very, very quiet afternoon at Oracle Park.
Logan Webb lasted just four innings, and with the offense slumping, the day became about preserving a tired bullpen ahead of a three-city road trip. Spencer Bivens, Jordan Hicks and Erik Miller were at least able to do that, soaking up the final five innings of an 8-4 loss to the Royals that cost the Giants the final series of their long homestand.
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SIGN UP HERE The Giants went 5-4 back at Oracle Park, which has become the norm since a hot start to the year. They're 29-21 overall, but 17-17 over their last 34 games, and the culprit often is the same.
There were a couple of big offensive nights on the homestand, but over the last five games, the lineup managed just 12 runs. With a banged-up rotation, the Royals went with a bullpen game Wednesday. Other than that moment when the bases were loaded for Flores, they were never threatened.
Unexpected
Webb can be prone to rough first innings, so it wasn't a shock when the Royals started the day with three singles, scoring a run before the Giants' ace recovered with three straight strikeouts. But it was surprising when things didn't get any better in the second.
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The Royals had three more singles in that inning and scored two runs, and an error by LaMonte Wade Jr. helped lead to a three-run fourth. The big blow was an oppo blast by Salvador Perez, who became the 79th right-handed hitter to reach the arcade at Oracle Park.
Webb was charged with a season-high six earned runs, although only three of them were earned. He gave up 10 hits for just the fourth time in his career, and his four innings were a season-low.
Signs of Life
With a bullpen game on the other side, Bob Melvin mixed things up a bit with his lineup. Patrick Bailey hit eighth and Wade ninth, but both had positive days.
Bailey jumped on a hanging slider from right-hander Steven Cruz in the fourth and hit a solo shot to dead center, his first of the year and first since last Sept. 24 at Chase Field. He also drew a walk, raising his OPS from .474 to .507.
Wade walked in his first two plate appearances and had a hard single while leading off the ninth. He has lost playing time lately, but the Giants should face a pair of righties to start the road trip, and Wade is likely to start both games.
More Like It
Hicks' first relief appearance resembled a lot of his starts, but he cruised through the eighth inning Wednesday. The right-hander got Maikel Garcia to ground out on a 97 mph sinker, Bobby Witt Jr. to pop up a 96 mph sinker, and Vinnie Pasquantino to ground out on a 98 mph sinker. He buzzed through the top of Kansas City's lineup on seven pitches, six of which were strikes.
The best pitch was a slider that Witt swung through, but what was most notable was all the sinkers. That's the pitch Hicks relied on as a starter, but he threw primarily four-seamers when he made his first relief appearance of the year on Monday night.