Giants fall to Braves 8-1

ATLANTA - Manager Bruce Bochy and Giants players insist their focus has not shifted.

Despite being eliminated from playoff contention, they say they’re determined to win as many games as possible and finish the season with some of their best baseball.

Words do not always match actions.

The season isn’t officially over for the 2019 Giants, but after Bochy reached the 2,000-win club earlier this week, there’s little left to play for. That much has become apparent during the team’s trip to Atlanta, where San Francisco lost 8-1 on Saturday in another humdrum performance.

After a 6-0 blowout loss in the series opener on Friday, the Giants were shut out for the first six innings while their pitching staff couldn’t contain an Atlanta lineup missing several regulars.

Every pitcher who takes the mound and every hitter who steps into the batter’s box is no longer tasked with keeping the Giants alive in a playoff race, but instead with reminding key front office decision-makers what they can contribute to the 2020 club.

If the team’s last two games are any indication of what’s to come, the Giants’ roster may change even more drastically next year than it did this season. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has cycled through a National League-record 64 players and while many are no longer with the organization, several who are occupying lockers now may not make it to Scottsdale next spring.

The Giants’ starting pitcher, Johnny Cueto, is expected to play a significant role in next season’s rotation, but Cueto encountered command issues on Saturday for the first time since returning from Tommy John surgery. Cueto issued five walks for the 11th time in his career and threw more balls than strikes in four innings against Atlanta.

Cueto tossed five scoreless innings in each of his first two outings, but his failure to consistently find the strike zone against the Braves served as a reminder of how important Cueto’s success is to the Giants’ overall team ?success. If Madison Bumgarner opts to sign elsewhere in free agency this offseason and Cueto regresses next year, it may be difficult for the Giants to have any chance of entertaining realistic visions of a postseason race deep into the summer.

Cueto doesn’t have to worry about his 2020 role, but Saturday’s first reliever out of the bullpen, Dereck Rodríguez, will enter the offseason with a lot to prove. Following an outstanding rookie season last year, he has spent time in the Giants’ rotation, the bullpen and in Triple-A during a frustrating season.

Rodríguez allowed a two-run home run to Braves catcher Francisco Cervelli and watched his ERA climb to 5.06 near the end of a season that will leave Zaidi wondering how Rodríguez fits into future plans.

Restructuring the Giants’ starting rotation will be a primary task for the front office this offseason, but the team’s lineup is long overdue for an overhaul and has emerged as an even greater issue.

The Giants’ front office understands it cannot enter next season with a core of Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt and an expectation that each player will finish with 500-plus plate appearances. Rethinking the distribution of playing time and adding power to the roster will be primary points of focus for Zaidi and Co., in what promises to be one of the busiest winters for the organization in recent history.

Outside of needing to make more significant changes to the top of the roster while still adding quality depth, the Giants will conduct a managerial search and have plans to hire a general manager, too. There will likely be a high rate of turnover on the coaching staff and an even larger push to rely on behind-the-scenes analysts to help make day-to-day decisions on the field.

Even the dimensions of Oracle Park could change as the Giants have posted an abysmal .230 average and .655 OPS in 75 home games this season.

After being given a full season to evaluate every level of the organization, there’s no telling how Zaidi will manipulate the Giants’ roster and what it will look like when the team enters spring training in February. What’s abundantly clear is that games like Saturday’s have become far too common for a Giants organization that must soon embrace more change.