Tony Vitello’s move in ninth inning backfires as Giants suffer another late loss

SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants didn’t take batting practice on Monday afternoon, opting for a lighter day since they arrived in San Francisco at around 4 a.m. following a nationally televised game in Chicago. But just about every player took to the field in the afternoon to get some work in, and as those sessions came to a close, manager Tony Vitello walked back to the clubhouse with right-hander Keaton Winn.Whatever Vitello heard in that conversation was apparently enough. Four hours later, Vitello turned to Winn for a third straight day, and it cost him.Winn looked tired, hanging splitters and displaying less than his usual command, and the Washington Nationals scored three runs in the top of the ninth for a 4-3 win that was a gut punch to a Giants group that looked poised for a fifth win in six games. Vitello was left to answer for it, and while he wasn’t given much bullpen depth in his first year in the big leagues, he did have some other options Monday. Dylan Smith has very little MLB experience, but he looked right at home while picking up the save Sunday night, and he was relatively fresh.The better option was Logan Webb, who was at 99 pitches through eight innings. While Webb missed time with an injury, this was his third start back, and there was certainly more in the tank. Vitello chose neither, going with Winn, who had pitched on back-to-back days just three times this season before this three-game stretch.“He’s got, you know, experience of it going his way and not going his way, so he goes out there,” Vitello said of the decision to go with Winn. “And then as we navigate through the inning there’s obviously some situations in there you don’t want strikes, but we provided strikes, so to me that was kind of the difference maker.” Tony Vitello explains his decision to go with Keaton Winn instead of Logan Webb in the ninth inning pic.twitter.com/eEu62osvTE — SF Giants on NBCS (&commat;NBCSGiants) June 9, 2026 Winn hung splitters to CJ Abrams and Daylen Lile, and they drove in the three runs the Nationals needed. Those pitches showed fatigue, and it’s easy to explain. Winn is a converted starter and one of the strongest men in the clubhouse, but he threw 63 pitches over the last three days. While Winn does have some experience in the ninth, it’s all recent. In an odd way, Webb was the more experienced option. He has three complete games in his career and Winn has just two saves.Webb said he didn’t know what his pitch count was when he got back to the dugout after the eighth. Pitching coach Justin Meccage shook his hand and he figured his night was done, but then Vitello came over and asked how he was feeling. Webb told him it was up to him to make a call for the ninth, and a few minutes later Vitello returned and told him he would go with the bullpen.Webb said he “felt good” physically but understood the decision. “I was excited to watch Keaton throw,” he said. “We scored two there (in the eighth). It’s just unfortunate the way that inning unfolded.” "I don't regret that decision at all." Logan Webb discusses how he felt after eight strong innings tonight pic.twitter.com/gTVJY8xSqy — SF Giants on NBCS (&commat;NBCSGiants) June 9, 2026 The 40th loss of the 2026 MLB season had roots in the offseason, when the front office decided not to address the bullpen, signing only Jason Foley and Sam Hentges, both coming off shoulder surgeries. On Monday, the Giants paused Foley’s rehab assignment in Triple-A. His velocity has been down and he said he’s feeling shoulder fatigue. The front office was right about Winn’s potential, and Caleb Kilian has been a good find. But it’s not enough, and it was easy to see nights like this one coming. Vitello repeatedly used Winn, Kilian and Erik Miller on the trip and over the weekend, and Kilian was unavailable Monday. At the end against the Nationals, it was either Winn or Smith, who was picked up in a minor trade at the end of spring training. Vitello said Smith was going to get the 10th if it went that far. The first-year manager is playing short-handed every night, and there appear to be no solutions on the horizon. Ryan Walker has pitched well since returning to Triple-A, but the Giants seem in no rush to bring him back. Monday would have been an obvious day for a return, and they certainly could have used another experienced option instead of carrying three long relievers, but there were no roster moves when they returned home.Vitello said in the afternoon that Walker — who has allowed one run in seven appearances in Triple-A — needs to check some boxes. Among other things, the Giants would like to see him get more comfortable throwing multiple innings in an outing, although that doesn’t really make sense given his history and the needs of this current bullpen. The one thing the Giants do have is guys who can give them some length. On Monday night, Vitello went with what he had available. More often than not this year, it hasn’t worked out, but he said he didn’t feel impacted by the lack of a closer, an issue that has kept the Giants from finding any semblance of momentum even as the lineup has finally gotten going.“We’d be handcuffed as a coaching staff if we didn’t have a good team,” Vitello said. “We’ve got a good team.”Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Tony Vitello’s move in ninth inning backfires as Giants suffer another late loss

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