SAN FRANCISCO _ Mark Melancon followed up his blown save in Oakland Sunday with a disastrous eighth inning, adding to the ire of San Francisco Giants fans who regret the four-year, $62 million contract he signed with the club in 2016.
Melancon coughed up two earned runs on four singles and a walk in the eighth Thursday, the decisive inning in a 7-5 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers at AT&T Park.
But the Giants reliever ran into a bit of hard luck in his first outing since Sunday's loss to the A's. Christian Yelich got the rally started, legging out an infield single after a grounder off his bat took a high hop and caught first baseman Austin Slater in the chest and neck area. After that, Travis Shaw, Ryan Braun and Erik Kratz strung together consecutive singles off the right-hander, bringing in a pair of runs that broke a 2-2 tie.
Chris Stratton didn't fair any better in his first appearance since he got recalled from Triple-A Sacramento earlier in the day. Stratton allowed the Brewers to break the game wide open in the ninth by giving up three earned runs on three hits, including a home run to Shaw.
The Giants mounted a comeback effort in the eighth, scoring a run before Hunter Pence struck out with runners at the corners to end the rally. They added two more runs in the ninth. Pence also grounded into a double play in the second with none out and the bases loaded, scoring a run but hindering the Giants chances of putting a crooked number on the scoreboard.
The loss spoiled another quality start from rookie right-hander Dereck Rodriguez and a respectable showing from Evan Longoria, who was reinstated from the disabled list Thursday. Rodriguez surrendered two earned runs off five hits in six innings of work, making him 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA over his last seven starts. Longoria, who missed 34 games with a fractured hand, singled in his first two at bats since June 14, scoring off a Steven Duggar single in the second.
The third baseman rejoined the lineup on the same day that Brandon Belt got sent to the 10-day disabled list. Belt hyperextended his right knee while running out an infield single in Seattle Wednesday. An MRI Thursday revealed a bone bruise in the knee.
The Brewers opened the scoring in the first when Eric Thames led off with a double and scored on back-to-back ground ball outs to the right side of the infield. Yelich tied the game 2-2 in the sixth, leading off the inning with a home run to centerfield.
Brewers pitcher Josh Hader made his first road appearance since racist and homophobic tweets that he sent out as a high schooler surfaced during the All-Star game. The left-hander received a round of scattered boos as he replaced starter Wade Miley with two outs in the sixth, a contrast from the standing ovation he received at Miller Park Saturday. But the response was relatively mild considering that San Francisco is the home of the gay rights movement and a bastion of liberal thought.
Security took extra precaution with Hader, protecting him with a police officer and a security guard as he warmed up in the bullpen along the right field line.
Before the game, Hader insisted he'd be ready for whatever Giants fans throw at him, saying he wouldn't allow his past or the crowd to become a distraction. He backed up his words, inducing a ground out to end a Giants rally in the sixth before tossing a hitless seventh with two strikeouts.
