Sean Manaea, SF Giants get walloped by Nationals in 11-6 loss

The SF Giants offense woke up late, and it was far from enough to comeback from a 10-1 deficit against the Washington Nationals.

The SF Giants dropped their final game of the homestand to the Washington Nationals, losing 11-6 in front of a half-filled Oracle Park. As the Giants prepare to head back on the road, they fell to 16-20 on the season and 10-10 at Oracle Park. They have now lost three series this season to teams that lost at least 96 games in 2022 (Royals, Tigers, and Nationals).

Sean Manaea throws a pitch against the Nationals at Oracle Park on May 5, 2023 / D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

Giants southpaw Sean Manaea breezed through a 1-2-3 first inning, but that was as good as it would get for the veteran. After striking out Jeimer Candelario at the start of the second inning, Manaea walked Alex Call and surrendered a pair of singles.

Manaea nearly escaped the second having allowed just one run, but with two outs, Riley Adams clobbered a hanging 1-2 slider 413 feet down the left-field line to give Washington a 4-0 lead.

Another one-out walk opened the door for further unraveling in the top of the third. J.D. Davis mishandled a grounder by Candelario, putting runners on first and second with one out. While Manaea recorded the second out of the inning, he was unable to get the third. After allowing a walk, single, and triple to the next three hitters he faced, Giants manager lifted Manaea for young righty Tristan Beck (Giants #19 prospect). 

While only four of the eight runs Manaea allowed were earned, his ERA is still an abysmal 7.96 after his outing on Wednesday afternoon. With lefty Alex Wood amidst a rehab assignment at Triple-A and Kyle Harrison (Giants #1 prospect) seemingly figuring things out at the highest level of the minors, Manaea's struggles have likely cost him a spot in the starting rotation.

Beck saved the Giants bullpen, surrendering two earned runs on six hits and a walk across 5.1 innings pitched with three strikeouts before Cole Waites (Giants #26 prospect) allowed a run to score in one inning of work.

While Beck was an effective strike-thrower and flashed his starter potential, he now seems like a prime candidate to be optioned in the coming days if the Giants activate Alex Wood from the injured list.

Offensively, recent call-up Casey Schmitt built on his magical debut with a pair of hits, including a third-inning double that enabled him to score San Francisco's first run of the game. However, the Giants would not score again until the sixth. In an otherwise forgettable game, Giants outfielder Michael Conforto recorded his first hit in more than a week, blasting a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth. LaMonte Wade Jr. then tied Davis for the team lead in homers on the season, hitting a two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth for his seventh of the year.

The SF Giants will now head to Arizona, where they will start a four-game series against the Diamondbacks on Thursday. The team has not announced any of their scheduled starters for the series. First pitch on Thursday is scheduled for 6:40 PM Pacific.