Dreaming about tomorrow, today

Guardians 3, Giants 2

Tuesday was all about what could be. Rafael Devers arrived not just for the day but for the next eight years. The Giants celebrated him at every turn. Ovations punctuated his press conference and every at-bat, all fueled by the excitement of what's to come.

By Tuesday's end, though, you couldn't ignore what is.

Devers or not, the Giants can still go 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position. They can lose a low-scoring one-run game. They can have the game come down to a decision not made.

Jung Hoo Lee chose not to risk making the final out of the game at home, a defensible decision in a vacuum. But not when your whole offense is scuffling. Not when you haven't had a hit with a runner in scoring position since the first inning. Not when the batter on deck is a .230 hitter.

All of it made much worse by a throw the catcher couldn't handle cleanly, meaning a day that started with dreaming on what could be ended with lamenting what could've been.

A fairytale ending gave way to a double shot of reality. The Giants are still the Giants, as beautiful and maddening as ever.

Up next: Justin Verlander (0-3, 4.28 ERA) makes his return against Logan Allen (4-4, 4.28 ERA). Giants quietly have a three-game losing streak going. First pitch at 6:45 pm.