SAN FRANCISCO — Bob Melvin has seldom changed the foundation of his starting lineup this season. On Monday, he shook things up.
Ahead of the Giants’ homestand-opening game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the manager rolled out his most unique lineup of the season:
Mike Yastrzemski (RF)
Matt Chapman (3B)
Heliot Ramos (LF)
Jung Hoo Lee (RF)
Wilmer Flores (1B)
Willy Adames (SS)
Patrick Bailey (C)
Luis Matos (DH)
Christian Koss (2B)
“Sometimes, when you’re a little stagnant, you change things up,” Melvin said.
Yastrzemski, who has a .656 OPS in May, remained in a familiar spot and LaMonte Wade Jr. was getting a day off, but the rest of the lineup looks considerably different:
Adames, who has a .750 OPS this month, has exclusively hit in the two-hole, but he moves down to the six-spot. Melvin said hitting Adames lower in the lineup could allow him to focus on driving in runs.
Chapman has hit cleanup in all but one game, but he takes Adames’ spot.
Ramos, San Francisco’s hottest hitter, starts most games against right-handed pitchers in the fifth or sixth spot but gets bumped up to the three-hole.
Lee has hit third in every game he’s started, but he’ll serve as the cleanup hitter for the first time in the majors. Lee could not remember the last time he hit cleanup, but told reporters it was either 2020 or 2021.
Flores has only started one game at first but he gets the start in place of the struggling Wade. Melvin iterated that Flores won’t play too much first base, adding that Wade will start tomorrow.
Up to this point, the only seismic change Melvin made to his lineup this season was promoting Yastrzemski to the leadoff in place of Wade. But the offense, given how it performed against the Chicago Cubs and Minnesota Twins, was in need of another jolt.
The Giants had a .233 batting average and .626 OPS during their recent road trip, scoring three runs or fewer in four of the six games. They averaged 4.5 runs per game against the Cubs and Twins, but they generated more than half of those runs in their 14-5, 11-inning win. San Francisco started the two-city tango by taking two of three from Chicago but was swept by Minnesota.
“That’s kind of how the way a season goes. There’s times where you shake the lineup up a little bit. There’s times when you let it run,” Chapman said. “I think Bo Mel’s just trying to get a few guys going. It’s pretty much the same six hitters at the top, but maybe flip-flop them a little bit and see if we can get something going.”
Chapman and Ramos certainly have it going right now, owning a .986 and 1.272 OPS this month, respectively. Ramos, in particular, caught fire during the recent road trip, going 10-for-20 with two homers, three doubles and seven RBIs. After making a costly baserunning mistake on Saturday, Ramos responded on Sunday by homering, reaching base four times and driving in a season-high four runs.
“You have to be super open,” said Ramos, who had a .662 OPS in April. “Whenever you’re struggling, I feel like it’s hard to admit it. It’s hard to be vulnerable and talk about what you’re struggling with. That’s something I had to give up myself and put it out there and open my mind.”
Ramos may have emerged from his cold spell, but Wade’s bat remains frigid.
Wade didn’t record a hit against the Twins this past weekend, entering Monday with the second-lowest OPS (.491) in baseball among qualified hitters. He entered the season as the Giants’ leadoff hitter but dropped to the bottom half of the lineup in April and hasn’t reclaimed his spot.
“Just getting him a little bit of distance here right now,” Melvin said. “The work he’s putting in is pretty extreme. It’s not like he’s sitting around pouting. He’s working like crazy. For a guy that’s had as much success as he has, this is really hard. The longer it goes on, the harder it is. So, just trying to give him a little bit of a mental break. That’s why he’s off today.”
Wade remains the Giants’ starting first baseman, but with Jerar Encarnacion nearing his return from the injured list, Wade could lose playing time if his bat doesn’t heat up soon.
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Encarnacion (left hand fracture) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento this past weekend and is eligible to return on May 26. With Flores occupying the designated hitter spot, Encarnacion will primarily play first base with the River Cats. Encarnacion possesses tantalizing pop, and while the Giants gave Wade a vote of confidence in the offseason, they can only exercise so much patience.
“The guy has a track record and multiple years of being one of the most patient hitters — (getting) on-base, clutch, all of the above,” Melvin said of Wade. “When he gets a couple at-bats under his belt that are good, he ends up hitting them hard and has nothing to show for it. Now, that gets even more frustrating. It’s just kind of snowballed on him to this point to where hopefully he can get a little bit of a mental break here.”
Worth noting
Tyler Fitzgerald (left rib fracture) and Casey Schmitt (left oblique strain) are continuing all baseball activity. They were both scheduled to be examined by Dr. Ken Akizuki, the team physician, on Monday night and could both begin rehab assignments Tuesday with Sacramento.
Tom Murphy (mid-back disk herniation) is continuing physical therapy for the next six weeks. He will then be re-evaluated.