NEW YORK -- Before the final game of an 11-day trip, manager Bruce Bochy and his staff discussed lineup changes that could spark a dragging team.
But ultimately, with three position players still on the disabled list, the Giants took the field at Yankee Stadium with the same look. There are no significant changes to be made, really, and Bochy hoped his leftover regulars could find their way.
They didn't and the Giants didn't, falling 5-2 to finish off a three-city tour. The Giants lost seven of eight to the Padres, Red Sox and Yankees, going down to a number of issues. Bochy listed them off.
The starting pitchers had a rough time throughout, and Jeff Samardzija gave up five runs and two more homers. The same mental lapses that showed on defense popped up on the bases. More than anything, the Giants were done in by failures at the plate. They left 10 on base Sunday and went 9-for-72 with runners in scoring position on the trip.
"We had some guys cold with the bat," Bochy said. "We go as they go."
This team is built to rely heavily on Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt, and all had a rough time. Posey drove in two with a single Sunday, but was 7-for-30 on the trip with four RBI. Crawford, the team leader in RBI, didn't drive in a run on the trip, going 6-for-33. Belt fought to find his normal approach, finishing 2-for-33 with 17 strikeouts. He didn't drive in a run in eight games.
Belt said the trio isn't feeling any added pressure.
[RECAP: Instant Replay: Samardzija, Giants drop finale to Yankees]
"I've had plenty of chances to drive in runs," he said. "I didn't get the job done. That's the way it is. I don't think we've put any more pressure on ourselves but you obviously see what happens when you have holes in the lineup. We all are just slumping at the same time."
Bochy said Belt will get an off day soon (it won't be Monday, with Posey catching Jake Peavy) to clear his head. He has considered moving him out of the three-spot, but with Hunter Pence, Joe Panik and Matt Duffy unavailable, some changes simply look like shuffling deck chairs.
"He's fighting it right now," Bochy said. "You can tell, he's pressing. We need to get him going. This guy made the All-Star team."
The Giants need to get a lot of guys going, and that includes Samardzija. He gave up two early homers, then settled in, and then got knocked out by a flurry of hits. Samardzija has given up 19 runs in his last four road starts, and the final three Sunday hurt. Bochy knew Joe Girardi had announced that Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances were unavailable after carrying a heavy load the first two games. The Giants felt OK when they were down just two.
"I was hoping to keep it close," Bochy said. "I knew their situation."
The rest of the Yankees bullpen has struggled this season, but with the way the Giants are going, it didn't matter. They never got all that close, finishing off the rough trip quietly.
The schedule doesn't get any easier. Another three-city trip is coming up, with a spunky Phillies team, the first-place Nationals, and the Marlins, who are fighting to stay in the playoff race. The Giants have a week at home to get right, and Samardzija said the clubhouse is confident, noting it's a "strong-minded and strong-willed" group.
"We're going to go home and regroup," he said. "Put this behind us."
