The Giants' struggles against left-handed pitching continued in a 7-0 loss to the New York Mets on Friday night at Oracle Park.
"We haven't had success against left-handed pitchers thus far this season, and in contrast, over the last couple years, it's been one of our biggest strengths," Kapler told reporters after the game."So a problem that we have to solve."
A bit of good news for the Giants is that outfielders Mitch Haniger and Austin Slater are nearing their season debuts after rehabbing injuries. Both are playing at Triple-A Sacramento and could join San Francisco soon. Kapler acknowledged that Haniger and Slater should drastically change the look of the Giants' lineup once they are activated off the injured list.
"I think it's a pretty big shift in the depth and explosiveness of our lineup against left-handed pitching," Kapler told reporters."So it's a pretty significant change. Obviously I could speak to the reasons why but I think those are clear. Austin is one of the better hitters in baseball against lefties and Haniger is arguably our biggest free-agent acquisition, and a guy with a history of sticking right in the middle of a lineup and being a major force there.
Kapler explains how the additions of Austin Slater and Mitch Haniger will bolster their lineup against lefties