SAN FRANCISCO — After Friday night’s lifeless loss, manager Bruce Bochy said it was time for the lineup to show some urgency. Bochy showed some while putting it together a day later, making a big change.
Andrew McCutchen, who has hit third much of the season, was moved up to the leadoff spot. Bochy put speedy rookie Steven Duggar behind McCutchen in a bid to provide a spark at the top of the order. They’re followed by Brandon Crawford, hitting third for the first time this year, and Evan Longoria.
McCutchen started in the leadoff spot 236 times for the Pirates but most of those games were early in his career.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
“We just wanted to shake it up a little. It’s a little different look to see if we can get going offensively,” Bochy said. “Cutch is a threat, a good on-base guy, and he can steal a base.”
The Giants saw on Friday how important it can be to play small-ball. Hernan Perez scored a huge run after stealing third off Madison Bumgarner. The Giants managed just one run on a pair of doubles, and they’re averaging just 3.6 runs per game in July.
“We’ve got to create those situations and do what we can to put some pressure on the other club,” Bochy said.
--- The Giants saw Jeurys Familia pitch two innings against them in his A’s debut last weekend. On Friday, Joakim Soria pitched a scoreless inning for the Brewers. Tonight, Mike Moustakas is hitting third for Milwaukee. Moustakas was acquired on Friday night. Bochy shook his head while talking about the run of bad luck in facing big acquisitions.
San Francisco Giants
Find the latest San Francisco Giants news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
“They’re just getting better, they’re just getting better with a new acquisition,” he said of the Brewers. “It makes them even tougher.”
--- Matt Cain, Ryan Vogelsong and Brian Wilson were added to the club's Wall of Fame in the afternoon. On my Instagram page, there's video of the them seeing their plaques for the first time, as well as some speeches. You can find those on the Instagram Story.