With Thairo Estrada slumping, could SF Giants shake up middle infield?
With a .456 OPS over his past 30 games, Thairo Estrada sat Sunday in favor of Brett Wisely and Tyler Fitzgerald.
DENVER — Walking into the visitors’ clubhouse Sunday morning, Tyler Fitzgerald and Brett Wisely couldn’t help but smile when they saw the Giants’ lineup card. It featured the pair of streaking rookies up the middle, with the slumping Thairo Estrada taking a seat.
“We saw it this morning and we were both pretty excited about it,” Fitzgerald said. “We love Thairo, obviously, but it’s just someone that I’ve played with in the minor leagues. It’s fun and it’s pretty cool to see. It’s kind of comforting knowing that one of my good buddies is up the middle with me.”
Formulating his lineup for the Giants’ series finale against the Rockies, manager Bob Melvin said he felt the need to ride the hot hand and didn’t rule out penciling in Fitzgerald and Wisely together more often if their trends continue at the plate.
“We’ll see,” Melvin said. “At this point in time we just have to run what we think is the best lineup out there on any particular day. Wisely sitting (Saturday) gave Fitzgerald a chance, and Fitzy rewarded us with a good game. He’s played well here recently, too.”
As for Estrada, who missed three weeks with a left wrist sprain and was hit in the hand by another pitch Saturday, “He’s been banged up, there’s no doubt about that,” Melvin said. “He’s probably not at 100% right now. Whether it’s affecting some of his swings, I’m not sure.”
Fitzgerald delivered the bulk of the Giants’ offense in their 4-3 loss Saturday night with a home run and an RBI double, while Estrada went hitless, lowering his batting average to .219 and OPS to .610, both of which would be career-worsts over a full season.
Since returning from a left wrist sprain July 9, Estrada has three hits in 29 at-bats, a .103 batting average. Over his past 30 games, dating back to the end of May, Estrada owns a slash line of .175/.210/.246, a .456 OPS, with five extra-base hits, two walks and 23 strikeouts.
“It’s not easy,” Estrada said through Spanish-language interpreter Erwin Higueros. “This is the first time in my career that I have had this bad streak.”
It doesn’t help that Estrada has run a .211 batting average on balls in play over the past 30 games, compared to a league average of .289, and he joked, “things go well with me as long as I don’t hit it straight to the infielders.”
Melvin said Estrada would “never let on” that anything is awry physically, but after some prodding from reporters, the second baseman acknowledged that his injuries this season have taken a toll. He leads the team with five hit-by-pitches, and often they have gotten him on his hand, wrist or forearm. Last season, Estrada missed a month after being hit by a pitch and fracturing his hand.
“It’s not an excuse for what’s going on, but it kind of puts you on the defensive side,” Estrada said. “When you’re beginning to feel that you’re getting into a groove, all of a sudden that happens to you. … It’s been a year where I try to overcome an injury and here comes another one. First it was the thumb, then the wrist, then the hit-by-pitch. There are so many things that are happening that are getting in the way of me getting into a groove.”