It was a rough weekend, but one we should have seen coming. The Nemesis came into Oracle and took all three games, behind new Bum Trevor Bauer and Walker Beuhler and Julio Urias, to make it seven straight. The Padres are on a tear as well – they’ve won nine in a row! After three weeks in first place, the Giants have dropped to third in the division where everybody expected us to be.

I thought we were going into the weekend with the top of the rotation, but the front office continues to experiment early in the season, which has been its m.o. all three years of the Farhan Zaidi administration. It can be disconcerting not to have a set lineup until July, but that’s how this comes together with the moneyball system – lots of moving parts, little patience for slumps, shuffle guys til you find the right ones.

I jumped the gun to claim a starting rotation. We haven’t had a fifth starter yet, and the front office and Kap are right: there’s simply no good reason to go to a four-man rotation or overwork Gausman, Cueto, Wood and DeSclafani in games in April and May and early June.

That said, the fifth starter, like the bullpen, remains an issue. Management decided this weekend to give a veteran guy trying to make a comeback a shot – a former Bay Area star – and it was the right move. In fact that guy wasn’t the problem.

Our bats fell silent and our defense fell off. We have been playing outstanding defense to start the season. It has been crisp, a joy to watch. But over 162 that tends to even out. This weekend it may have started to do just that. I hope we can shake off the losses and get back to form and it isn’t at trend.

Giants 1, Dodgers 2

Game one was a hard fought defensive battle and the Giants showed real promise, keeping it tight for nine. Trevor Bauer was incredibly good. In fact, the only run the Giants scored was on an error by Bauer. Alex Wood was good against his old team, but not quite good enough – which is our story against this team right now: they’re better than us.

Giants 3, Dodgers 6

Game two was evidence the front office intends to use the early months of the season to try guys out, to experiment and combinate. Kapler started Scott Kazmir in the fifth starter position. The 37-year-old was good. He allowed only one run and two hits in four innings. The three-time All-Star struck out two, walked none and threw 55 pitches. But the Giants couldn’t contain the opposition. A Muncy splash homer and a Barnes homer; a Pujols RBI, some guy named Beaty driving in runs. ugh.

Giants 5, Dodgers 11

Sunday was ugly. DeSclafani was jacked early and often including for a grand slam by Lux. He gave up 10 earned runs! There’s no coming back from that. To their credit, the ‘pen held, which is nice. But this was an ugly day at the yard.

Welp. Being in first for 21 days was fun while it lasted!

shake it off and move on!

let’s go Giants!!