Is this an omen? Like Benny the Jet knocking the cover off a ball in “The Sandlot” — is Gregory Santos botching a perfect game with two outs in the 9th a sign of terrible things to come? Is this 2026 bullpen going to be the death of the San Francisco Giants? Did not the soothsayer warn Julius Caesar to “beware the ides of March” before his assassination by the Roman senate? And here the Giants are, on the 15th, smack dab in March’s ides, bringing the Scottsdale faithful to their feet in the 9th only
to have them slump down in their seats as a walk, followed by an RBI double claimed perfection, a no-hitter, and a shut-out in quick, successive stabs.
Disappointment in Spring Training, as Bryan points out, is never a good look… but so is getting carried away by Spring Training one-offs.
The perfect game would’ve definitely improved vibes in the moment, but losing the achievement on the 27th man hardly takes away from how well the Giants are playing as a whole. If Santos had sealed the deal, I doubt teammates would’ve flooded out of the dugout into a celebratory dogpile at the mound. The crowd in attendance would’ve cheered, strangers would’ve exchanged hi-fives, guffawed incredulously, and that would’ve been the extent of it. Fans at home would’ve checked the box score and smirked at the five-pitcher perfect-o. That’s kind of neat, some would think to themselves before seeking out more substantial things to sink their teeth into, like Robbie Ray’s 8-strikeout performance over 5 innings pitched, or Grant McCray’s beautifully caressed bunt up the third base line, or Jerar Encarnacion’s lumberjack cut in the 2nd.
Nearly ten days ago, on March 6th, I wrote about how Encarnacion’s slow start meant “the big man was in serious danger of getting left behind” in San Francisco’s developing outfield race. The next day, after reading my post and resolving to prove me wrong, Encarnacion went 3-for-3 with a double and 2 runs batted-in in a game against Texas. Including those results and his mash from this afternoon, he’s now collected 9 hits over his last 20 at-bats, including 4 extra baggers, 9 RBIs and just 3 strikeouts.
Luis Matos, who was the hot hand a week-and-a-half ago, has cooled considerably. He’s gone 2-for-18 with no extra baggers, no RBIs, and has now seen his no-strikeout-spring blemished by two K’s, including one today. While Matos and Encarnacion are not mutually exclusive options for the Opening Day roster, their option-less inflexibility, as well as their right-handedness, puts them at odds with each other for many. While the Giants did beat the Brewers 7-1 today, the real competition of Spring Training are these internal battles. Matos had his moments with runners on base today and didn’t do much. He struck out with Matt Chapman on 2nd in the 1st, then rolled weakly to short with the bases loaded in the 2nd and can’t really take credit for David Hamilton’s two-run throwing error.
Meanwhile Encarnacion made a cutter disappear in a puff of smoke and won the day. Things are getting interesting.
And on the mound, Robbie Ray looked regular-season ready in his fifth start of the Cactus League. He threw 64 pitches over 5 perfect innings while striking out 8 Milwaukee batters. The approach was simple and to the point: Heavy on the four-seamer with the hard slider peppered in just enough to keep hitters on their toes. He snuck a dozen fastballs by hitters for called strikes. 6 of his K’s came on the slider and 6 of the 8 swings taken at the pitch were whiffed. What made his outing so successful was not the swing-and-miss stuff, it was his efficiency. He fought back into counts and kept balls in play grounded, which are not necessarily well-established aspects of his game.
Perfection was out of reach in today’s 7-1 win. But that’s okay. Ten days out from Opening Day, fans aren’t picky right now. Entertaining works, so does promising, or intriguing — descriptors that fit the Giants’ Cactus League performance so far.
Other things of note:
Matt Chapman’s 3-for-3 day, including two more doubles, improved his Spring Training totals to 13-for-29 with 8 extra base hits (6 2Bs, 2 HR). He frankly looks bored at the plate.
Grant McCray singled twice with two stolen bases, before he was picked off from second attempting to swipe a third. That being said, the outfielder continues to put on a pointed display for Tony Vitello and the coaching staff. The Giants don’t need him to be a power-threat, they need him to be fast. So far, McCray has matured into this understanding: He’s walked more (7 BB) than he’s struck-out (6) so far, he’s bunting, he’s being aggressive on the bases. If he can show he can consistently get on base and turn dinky singles into scoring threats with his speed, he’s going to find his way onto the big league roster.
