Offensive woes follow SF Giants to Florida in road loss to Rays
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It was 72 degrees inside Tropicana Field at first pitch Friday evening without a whiff of wind inside the domed stadium. The pristine, climate-controlled conditions weren’t enough to wake up the San Francisco Giants’ bats, even thousands of miles away from cold and windy Oracle Park. The offensive woes continued in a 2-1 loss to the Rays that kicked off a six-game swing through Florida, with the would-be tying run left stranded at third base. Pinch-hitting to lead off the ninth, Wilmer Flores worked a walk, then gave way to pinch-runner Tyler Fitzgerald, who stole second and made it to third, but representative of the Giants’ issues all game long — and for much of the season — they couldn’t deliver the timely hit to drive him in. So fed up was manager Bob Melvin that he was ejected arguing balls and strikes after Jorge Soler was rung up to end the seventh inning, spoiling another scoring opportunity. Both men protested the called strike three at the knees, and Melvin earned his first ejection with the Giants (the 60th of his