Kapler hopeful Posey will be ready for Padres series

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As he talked about his team earlier this week, Gabe Kapler made it clear what was at the forefront of his mind. 

"Everything right now is based around getting through this off day as healthy as possible," Kapler said. 

The Giants might do that, but just barely. 

Two more key players were removed because of injury concerns in a 6-5 loss to the Rockies, but the Giants are optimistic in both cases. Buster Posey felt his right hamstring tighten up as he tried to stretch a single into a double in the fifth and was pulled two innings later, but Kapler feels good about his chances of being in the lineup Friday when the Padres come to Oracle Park. 

Wilmer Flores suffered a contusion when he fouled a ball off his knee during a ninth-inning rally that fell short, but Kapler said there are no long-term concerns. Alex Dickerson, who has been fighting right shoulder soreness, pinch-hit late and is doing better, Kapler added. 

The Giants have been the walking wounded for a few weeks now, losing Donovan Solano, Mike Yastrzemski and Tommy La Stella to the IL and seeing just about every other starter miss innings or games with soft tissue issues. They have survived because of stellar starting pitching, but Logan Webb couldn't keep the run going Wednesday. 

Webb, who likely will lose his rotation spot with Johnny Cueto returning Sunday, was perfect through four but then allowed six of seven Rockies to reach. He was charged with six runs in the fifth inning, and the Rockies made that stand through the end, holding on with the tying runner on third in the ninth. 

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That clinched a series loss for the Giants and a 2-4 road trip through San Diego and Denver. Some of the losses were nail-biters, but that was no consolation to Kapler.

"I don't think it's any secret that we were fairly banged up this entire trip. It's not to make an excuse for the record on the trip, and we have to play better baseball," Kapler said. "We have to make more pitches and get on base more. That's how you win baseball games. But ultimately I think we were fairly banged up and we were protecting players."

Kapler said he's looking forward to being closer to full strength for the third series of the season with the Padres, but just getting bodies back won't solve all the issues. The bullpen in particular had a rough stretch. After Jake McGee and Camilo Doval gave up six runs in the seventh inning Tuesday, Matt Wisler doubled down on Webb's issues by allowing an RBI single to the opposing pitcher and then hanging a slider that went for a two-run single.

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There are no banged-up players returning to the bullpen anytime soon, but getting Cueto back should help soak up some innings that have been left to relievers, and perhaps the lineup will finally take the lead for a bit. Full strength or not, Kapler said he simply wants to see better baseball than the Giants played over the last six games. 

"I just want us to take responsibility here," Kapler said. "I think there were some moments of kind of coin-flip, could've gone our way, could've gone the Rockies' way -- and from my perspective, you think back to the moments that we could have capitalized on and didn't. We believe in ourselves, we believe that we're a really good baseball team. And if we're going to be the best that we can be we have to capitalize on those moments and not leave anything up to chance. 

"I think it's a good time for us to just kind of take it on our shoulders and say we're going to be better going forward."

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