San Francisco Giants lack resources to win games with an experienced reliever….

Tyler Rogers blew a save in the ninth inning, which caused the SF Giants to lose their game against the New York Mets on Sunday.

The Giants had an opportunity to sweep the weak Mets and seal the deal, but Rogers once again demonstrated why he shouldn’t end games.

The SF Giants are too poor to attempt to win games with a seasoned reliever.

The good news is that Camilo Doval, a dependable closer for the Giants, is often dependable in the ninth inning. The unfortunate issue is that the Giants utilise Doval so frequently—often not in save situations—that the team frequently finds itself in a position where it needs to rely on one of its other bullpen pitchers to finish the game.

Tyler Rogers is that pitcher most of the time. Considering that Rogers has been among the Giants’ most reliable and successful relievers over the past few seasons, this makes sense. As a set-up guy in the eighth inning, he is quite effective. He just does not fit with the ninth inning, though, for some reason.

This isn’t an excessive response to the game on Sunday. Rogers has converted 19 save opportunities in his career; on Sunday, he botched his 20th career save opportunity. That represents a 19/39 conversion rate for opportunities to save. That is simply unacceptable—less than 50%.

In addition, his lifetime ERA in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, are 2.30 and over 4.00, respectively. That difference is quite remarkable.

As he gains more insight into the club, manager Bob Melvin will need to adapt. Maybe the next time Doval needs a break, Ryan Walker could pitch in the ninth inning rather than Rogers for the team. Two of the hardest hitters in the Mets order, Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor, were both retired by Walker during a fantastic eighth inning on Sunday for the Giants. He also boasts more conventional closing stuff, including a wicked slider and fastball in the upper nineties.

Rogers continues to be an important member of the team’s bullpen. But he has repeatedly shown that he is not a reliable enough pitcher to manage the ninth inning. The Giants will need to win close games in which Doval is unable to seal the deal if they hope to make the playoffs in 2024. The game on Sunday served as further proof that Rogers should only be the closer in dire circumstances.