Giants Notebook: Matt Chapman, Willy Adames and Casey Schmitt

DENVER, Colo. –– Despite getting the Colorado Rockies at just the right time before an upcoming weekend series at the Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Francisco Giants received bad news about Matt Chapman.

That didn’t stop the Giants from going out and doing what they had done the previous five days: win a one-run ballgame.

Minus the team’s All-Star cleanup hitter, San Francisco put together a ninth-inning rally to sink Colorado, 6-5, and get to within 0.5 game of first-place Los Angeles.

“The at-bats got so much better (in the ninth) than basically the entire game,” manager Bob Melvin said in his office on the visiting side of Coors Field. 

The discourse before the contest centered on the loss of Chapman who was placed on the 10-day injured list for right hand inflammation on Tuesday, retroactive to June 9. Diving back to first base on Sunday, Chapman jammed his throwing hand. He finished the game to ensure San Francisco’s 4-3 win over Atlanta to complete the three-game sweep.

“I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but for him to have that kind of reaction, I kind of knew that — he’s pretty tough guy and he can take a lot of pain — so the IL wasn’t a surprise,” manager Bob Melvin said on Tuesday. “How long it’s going to be is still to be determined. He’s going to see Dr. (Steven) Shin on Friday in L.A. We’ll have a better idea how far it’s going to be, but it could be more than 10 days.”

The 32-year-old leads all Giants’ position players in wins-above-replacement, both bWAR (2.9) and fWAR (2.5). He’s hit .243 with 12 home runs and 30 RBI, but has come on strong as of late. Chapman entered Sunday batting .380 (14-for-36) with four doubles, three homers and five runs batted in over his previous 10 games.

How would the Giants replace such productivity on both sides of the ball? The boost from going to Coors Field might be more than enough during the three-game series.

Melvin acknowledged the environs in Denver being ripe to produce a long ball or two. When Chapman — six homers away from 200 in his career — hits a dinger, the Giants have won 78% (29-8) of the time since signing the club ahead of the 2024 campaign. Now, the team will need to find a different way to win.

“Every team goes through injuries, so we’ve actually been probably pretty lucky as far as injuries go this year, some guys are probably a little bit more valuable than others,” Melvin mentioned.

In a corresponding move, INF Christian Koss was promoted from Triple-A Sacramento. Casey Schmitt received the start at third base on Tuesday.

The Replacements

“Obviously (Chapman) means a lot to us,” Melvin admitted. “But, you know, Casey gets a chance to play the position that he’s used to playing. Everybody’s going to pick it up a little bit, and until he comes back, it’s something we have to deal with.”

Schmitt has struggled to find sustained success with San Francisco since making his debut in 2023. 

The 26-year-old was drafted as a third baseman out of San Diego State University, but has played all around the diamond during his three years with the club: 53 games at second base, 45 games at third base and 40 games at shortstop.

Melvin thinks this extended look at third base could see more offensive production from Schmitt.

“He’s a natural third baseman. There’s no doubt,” Melvin said. “And I think playing a position where you don’t have to think a whole lot — as opposed to having to play short every other day, play some second base, learning first base — that can kind of filter into the offense as well.”

Following a fourth-inning single off starting pitcher Carson Palmquist, Schmitt sparked the four-run rally in the ninth with a solo home run off closer Zach Agnos.

“To be able to come back and, really, at any point in time never feel like you’re out of a game, especially in a ballpark like this — we’re down three and now Schmitt hits a homer. Feels like it’s a completely different game to get a run right away like that,” Melvin said of the big blow. “We know a couple base runners and it can be a completely different game. And that’s what happened.”

Another one of those players poised to pick up the slack from Chapman’s absence is Willy Adames. After receiving his first day off of the season on Sunday, coupled with the day off on Monday, Adames came to the ballpark looking more refreshed than normal.

“A lot of what he brings to the field for us impacts us,” Melvin said of the 29-year-old shortstop. “So even though some of the offensive numbers have not looked like Willy Adams numbers, he’s still been influential as far as how the team plays. That doesn’t change at all. So get him back to the two-hole, where he started the season off, and after a couple days off, hopefully he’s refreshed.”

A sacrifice fly by Adames in his first plate appearance put San Francisco on the board in the first following a triple by Jung-Hoo Lee. While still in the midst of an 0-for-17 stretch, momentum was building.

In the fifth, Adames snapped the skid with a 439-ft home run that tied the game a two-apiece. 

Though Koss did not make an appearance during Tuesday’s victory, he was a notable presence in Denver. After being optioned to Triple-A on June 4, Koss spent all of two games with the Sacramento River Cats before being recalled. 

Koss, originally drafted by the Rockies in the 12th round of the 2019 MLB Draft, played his first season as a professional with the Grand Junction (CO) Rockies. Playing alongside current Rockies’ Brenton Doyle and Ezequiel, Koss’ 51 RBI was good for third-most in the Pioneer League. 

In December of 2020, Colorado traded him to Boston for LHP Yoan Aybar. Following three seasons in the minors with the Red Sox, the Giants acquired him at the start of 2024 and the 27-year-old made his debut on April 1. 

Can’t Hardly Wait

The Giants could potentially travel to Dodger Stadium for a three-game set with an eight-game winning streak and supremacy in the National League West on the line.

While they’ll be without Chapman, one player San Francisco would love to return off the injured list this weekend is Justin Verlander.

Sideline with right pectoral soreness since May 19, the three-time Cy Young Award winner could be lining up to make his return to the rotation in L.A. 

“He’s going to throw like a sim game type of thing on the field (in Denver),” Melvin said Tuesday. 

Verlander felt fine after throwing between 35-40 pitches on Friday at Oracle Park. If the same is true on Wednesday at Coors Field, a Sunday start for the 42-year-old would mean only three days rest instead of the usual four-day minimum. 

In 536 regular season starts during his 20-year career, Verlander has never started on less than four-days rest.

Left Of The Dial

Patrick Bailey was a late scratch from the starting lineup with a neck issue following batting practice. Andrew Knizner took his place and knew full well he’d have to catch every inning.

The Giants’ backup catcher may have gone 0-for-3, but he took a walk in the middle of the ninth-inning rally that Melvin made sure to mention. “Knizner’s at bat was huge, as far as the inning went, drawing a walk right there after being called upon — what, an hour before the game?”

Knizner is expected to start again on Wednesday and the hope is Bailey can return for Thursday’s day game.