SAN DIEGO — With two days to go until Monday’s Trade Deadline, the Giants scratched All-Star second baseman Luis Arraez from their starting lineup less than 20 minutes before Saturday’s 6-5 walk-off loss to the Padres at Petco Park.
Arraez is viewed as one of the Giants’ top trade chips this year, though the club said the 29-year-old infielder experienced cramping during pregame warmups and was removed from the lineup for precautionary reasons.
Osleivis Basabe got the start at second base in place of Arraez and quickly made the most of the opportunity. He belted a two-run shot off Padres starter Walker Buehler in the third inning to collect his first big league homer in three years and then tied the game for the second time with a two-run double off flamethrower Mason Miller in the top of the eighth.
“Tremendous, aggressive,” manager Tony Vitello said. “We talked earlier in the game about keeping it simple, just looking to do damage on pitches he can handle. He laid off some good pitches and took aggressive but loose, under control swings when he got an opportunity. It paid off for him.”
The Padres brought Miller on for a potential five-out save after the Giants loaded the bases with one out in the eighth. The two-time All-Star made quick work of Grant McCray, who went down swinging on three pitches. But Basabe managed to turn on a 102.9 mph fastball from Miller and knock it to left field for a stunning hit that made it 5-5.
Basabe’s drive had an exit velocity of 109.6 mph, making it the hardest-hit ball Miller has allowed this year.
“I was just looking for a good pitch and not trying to get too big with my swing,” Basabe said in Spanish. “He throws really hard. I was just trying to stay focused, take a good swing and focus on making good contact.”
Basabe’s heroics ultimately went for naught, though, as the Padres came back to win on Jake Cronenworth’s two-out, walk-off single off Dylan Smith in the bottom of the ninth.
Arraez, a three-time batting champion, entered Saturday leading the Majors with a .328 average. Arraez was also pulled from the Giants’ 7-0 loss to the Padres in the seventh inning on Friday night with what was described as another cramping issue.
Still, Vitello said he expected Arraez to return to action for Sunday’s series finale against the Padres.
“I would bet on it,” Vitello said. “But I would have bet on it today, too.”
Arraez, who joined San Francisco on a one-year, $12 million deal over the offseason, is considered a virtual lock to be traded in the next couple of days. The Giants’ other notable trade candidates include left-hander Robbie Ray, right-hander Tyler Mahle and outfielder Heliot Ramos.
With Arraez on the trading block, Basabe and fellow infielder Nate Furman — who was selected from Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday after catcher Jesus Rodriguez landed on the 10-day injured list with right elbow neuritis — could be in line to garner more opportunities at second base over the remainder of the season.
Furman, a left-handed hitter who was acquired from the Guardians in exchange for Alex Cobb last year, made his Major League debut on Saturday by entering the game as a defensive replacement in the bottom of the eighth.
Mahle also made what could be his final start for the Giants on Saturday, allowing five runs on five hits — including a two-run homer to catcher Freddy Fermin — over 5 2/3 innings. The 31-year-old struck out nine and continued to show an uptick in velocity, which could draw the interest of teams in search for more pitching depth leading up to the Trade Deadline.
Mahle said he’s trying not to dwell too much on what might be ahead for him in the coming days.
“I was just focused on today,” said Mahle, who has a 5.13 ERA over 18 starts this year. “I’m still kind of thinking about today. The game just ended. But I don’t know, we’ll see.”
