Giants' errors outnumber hits in ugly loss to Marlins

SAN FRANCISCO — In a forgettable season, the Giants still set new standards in futility.

They made a season-high four errors and managed only two hits in a 6-0 loss to the Florida Marlins on Tuesday night at AT&T Park, one of their most unsightly games of the year.

“If you have more errors than hits, that’s not a good night,” manager Bruce Bochy deadpanned. “We just didn’t play well.”

While starter Kevin Correia and the defense had a poor night, the hitters were absolutely befuddled by Marlins starter Ricky Nolasco.

After Randy Winn’s first-inning grounder under the glove of first baseman Mike Jacobs was ruled a hit, Nolasco set down the next 21 Giants. The next hit was Pablo Sandoval’s double with one out in the ninth.

Although Bochy admitted the first hit was “debatable,” he wasn’t in the mood to debate it. To him, all that mattered was the Giants played a terrible game.

“It’s going to happen,” Bochy said. “You don’t like to see it, but they (young players) are going to make mistakes. Tonight was an off night for us defensively. We made Kevin work a little harder.”

First baseman Travis Ishikawa made two of the errors, each contributing to runs in the first two innings.

Ironically, Ishikawa is unquestionably the best defensive first baseman the Giants have put out there this year. In fact, he’s the only one who is a natural first baseman.

“He’s very good defensively,” Bochy said. “This was more of an aberration for him. There’s no concern with him.”

Third baseman Ryan Rohlinger also made a bad throw and second baseman Emmanuel Burriss dropped a routine popup.

Correia also got himself in trouble with an ill-advised throw to third on Nolasco’s bunt in the second, too late to get the runner. Correia said catcher Bengie Molina correctly called for him to throw to third, but he didn’t get to the ball in time.

Correia’s most egregious mistake, however, was a pitch to Nolasco in the fifth. The pitcher yanked a two-run double, turning a 3-0 game into a 5-0 game.

“I can handle all of the other stuff that happened, some of it out of my control,” he said. “It was all about that pitch to the pitcher. It wasn’t the right pitch.”

While the Giants could do nothing right, Nolasco could do little wrong on the mound. Not a single player on the roster had ever faced him, and they learned some hard lessons.

“He was good,” Bochy said. “There’s no getting around it. He was really good tonight. That was one of the better games thrown against us.”

It could have been a much more dramatic night if the first-inning call on Winn’s grounder had gone the other way. Jacobs went to his left and reached for the ball. He said afterward he should have made the play.

“He took three steps and had to stretch in an awkward position,” said official scorer Chuck Dybdal. “Winn was getting down the line OK. Are you going to tell me he was going to throw him out?”

A Marlins PR official asked Dybdal to review the play, but not until the seventh inning.

NOTES

An MRI of Jonathan Sanchez’s right shoulder revealed no structural damage, only a mild rotator cuff strain and a tight posterior capsule, according to a team spokesman.

Sanchez is expected to resume throwing by the end of the week.

Noah Lowry could get on a mound as soon as this week, although it remains to be seen whether the left-hander will pitch in a game this season.

“He’d like to (pitch in a game) just for his peace of mind going into the winter,” Bochy said. “It would probably help him, but if there is any risk involved, we’re not going to do it.”

Contact Staff Writer Jeff Fletcher at 521-5489 or jeff.fletcher@pressdemocrat.com