LOS ANGELES — Willy Adames took accountability for a boneheaded base-running mistake that resulted in him being doubled up at second base late in the Giants’ loss to the Dodgers.
“That mistake is probably the most ashamed that I would feel playing the game,” the veteran shortstop said after the 4-0 defeat. “I know that can’t happen. It was my fault. That’s on me.”
Adames knew he had screwed up about the time he touched third base, when the roar of the crowd told him that the fly ball off Drew Gilbert’s bat had been caught on the warning track in left-center field. There was only one out, and Adames didn’t tag up.
Center fielder Andy Pages fired the ball back to cutoff man Mookie Betts, who was able to lob it casually to Miguel Rojas at second base and double up Adames to end the seventh inning. He had made it far enough that he wasn’t even in the camera frame when the throw arrived.
“I honestly thought it was going to be a double,” Adames said.
The $182 million, ninth-year vet confirmed that he made a mental lapse that would be egregious from one of manager Tony Vitello’s former college players, let alone a big leaguer awarded the largest contract in franchise history.
Before the play, Adames was doing what he normally does, chatting up the player nearest him. In this case, it happened to be Betts, the Dodgers’ shortstop. For pretty much the entirety of Gilbert’s at-bat, Adames was yapping it up with Betts and even had his back turned to home plate more than once split-seconds before Shohei Ohtani began his delivery.
“I do that every time,” Adames said. “If it was because of that, I’d make mistakes every two days. It’s just my fault. It’s something that can’t happen. There’s no excuses for it.”
Third base coach Hector Borg was no help: Adames said he didn’t see or hear any direction from the coach’s box to shift into reverse and hustle back to second.
Vitello didn’t seem to take issue with Adames’ blunder or his actions leading up to it, simply saying their base-running on the whole had to get better. The rookie manager left him in the game and hadn’t spoken with his shortstop before he met with reporters postgame.
“The inning’s over-with so he goes back out there. At that point we’re trying to come back. There’s no sense in dwelling on it,” Vitello said. “Whatever the mistake was there, we’ll clear it up.”
As a team, the Giants have run into 14 outs on the bases, tied for the fifth-most in the majors. By run value, they are tied with the Angels as the worst team in the majors on the bases.
“It’s something we need to get better at,” Vitello said. “When we get back to San Francisco, I’ll be standing there with a Fungo and whoever wants to get better at it can.”
Vitello said he didn’t believe there was any accountability necessary for one play that didn’t alter the outcome of a loss where his team struggled to get anything going offensively.
Adames already received plenty from Giants fans on their last home stand, when he was booed after muffing a ground ball. Returning to the dugout, he slammed his glove in a rare display of frustration from a player who almost always accessorizes his uniform with a smile.
Since that ugly loss over the weekend, Adames has hit safely in all four games, including three straight multi-hit efforts. He’s raised his batting average to .222 from .197 at the end of April.
“I think a big thing for Willy is he kind of fought through a rough patch there swinging the bat,” Vitello said. “He showed up everyday at the park and was on a mission to work on his game.”
The Giants have a chance to win their four-game series in Los Angeles on Thursday, then have a quick turnaround following the night game to begin a weekend set against the A’s in Sacramento. Adames has played all but one game so far this season. The schedule presents a natural opportunity to get him off his feet and show some accountability.
Adames didn’t protest when asked about coming out of the lineup.
“That’s not my decision,” Adames said. “If (Vitello) does it, then that’s OK. He’s the boss.”
