The San Francisco Giants entered the 9th inning on Tuesday night with a 3-1 lead. They walked off the field with a 5-3 loss to the Diamondbacks. After the bullpen imploded, rookie manager Tony Vitello faced the media and took the blame.

“Went with a fresh arm, different look, and made the wrong decision, cost us the game… obviously it’s on me.”

The San Francisco Giants are 20-29 this season. Bullpen failures continue to hamper the team, and the same happened against the Diamondbacks. Landen Roupp had given just one run in six innings, and even Keaton Winn looked good on the mound coming out of the bullpen. But the 9th inning was a total horror show.

Caleb Kilian allowed a leadoff single to Ildemaro Vargas, but he got the next two outs and looked like the Giants were going to get the win. Then Killian allowed a two-out RBI single to Adrian Del Castillo. The Diamondbacks were able to get another runner on base after a catcher’s interference.

This allowed Arizona to stretch the inning, and everything went downhill from there.

After that interference, manager Tony Vitello decided to bring in Matt Gage to face Ketel Marte. He thought that Killian had already had 25 pitches, and a new arm to face a good batter would make more sense, but a couple of pitches later, his move backfired.

The 3rd pitch Ketel Marte faced of Gage went long and deep, and the Diamondbacks walked off to win the game 5-3.

Vitello blamed his own choice, but he still needed his pitchers to do their jobs. The Giants got a solid start from Landen Roupp, but they could not handle the pressure and fell apart. The offense also can’t really be blamed because they did a good job. Rafael Devers and Willy Adames hit solo homers, and Daniel Susac added another run with an RBI double.

But this isn’t the first time we’ve seen the Giants’ bullpen fall apart.

When the Giants faced the Phillies back on April 6th, it was a similar situation. The Giants entered the 7th inning in that game with a 3-2 lead, but the bullpen imploded in the 7th inning. They gave away four runs in that inning. After that game, manager Tony Vitello came out and said, “It’s painful just to lose.”

These types of collapses are starting to define the season that the Giants are starting to have. Coming into the season, the team was expected to have a good season and stay in contention for the postseason, but right now, they are just a game ahead of the Colorado Rockies.

They have already blown six saves, and the bullpen has an ERA of 4.41 in the last 16.1 innings pitched.

And if this is how it is going to go, the Giants might as well write off this season and look forward. And Tony Vitello might have to say goodbye to his post as a manager.

Tony Vitello’s job security is in question

The Giants are only 49 games into Tony Vitello’s tenure, and frustration is already growing. And it might lead to the Giants pushing him out.

After arriving from Tennessee without any experience in MLB, Vitello’s transition has looked far from comfortable. San Francisco holds a disappointing 20-29 record, including eight shutout losses already. Those struggles have slowly turned the excitement around Vitello into a serious question about his appointment. Especially with his background and how he handles situations.

Things have become even tougher because college baseball energy simply does not translate smoothly inside major-league clubhouses.

During multiple interviews this season, Vitello has referenced Kanye West while discussing the emotional struggles that were affecting the San Francisco Giants. In another media appearance, he used a Tiger Woods reference, creating uncomfortable reactions throughout the room.

While Tennessee embraced Vitello’s emotional style, several moments with the Giants have created unnecessary questions.

That growing frustration led reporter Matt Nahigian to question Vitello’s long-term position in the team. Nahigian said that with how the season has progressed, Vitello would immediately return to Tennessee “without any repercussions” if he had the chance.

Those comments gained more traction after blown games against the Pirates, Phillies, and the Diamondbacks. Fans are also starting to question whether Vitello’s voice is being heard in the clubhouse.

But the conversation has now shifted beyond losses because San Francisco’s overall culture is becoming an increasing concern.

FanSided writer Chris Landers recently argued that Buster Posey will eventually need “more serious” clubhouse leadership and will move on from Vitello. Landers pointed out how the Giants manager handles the media, how it is not a cultural fit with the Giants, and how the team needs a manager who can do it in the MLB.

With the pressure from both poor results and bad media handling, pressure around Vitello seems to be going higher and higher.