Giants manager Tony Vitello calls out culprit behind collapse vs. Diamondbacks

The San Francisco Giants suffered another crushing defeat on Tuesday night, and Tony Vitello did not hide his frustration afterward. San Francisco blew a late lead at Chase Field as the Arizona Diamondbacks rallied for a dramatic 5-3 victory behind a walk-off home run off the bat of Ketel Marte.

The Giants entered the ninth inning holding a 3-1 lead before the bullpen unraveled again. The loss dropped the club to 20-29 on the year and added to growing concerns surrounding the club’s late-inning execution during a disappointing start to the season. The D-Backs also secured their second straight win of the series, heading into Wednesday’s finale.

Pitcher Landen Roupp gave the Giants exactly what they needed with six strong innings of one-run baseball while continuing one of his better stretches this season. Rafael Devers and Willy Adames each launched solo home runs, and Daniel Susac added an RBI double as San Francisco appeared positioned to even the series late.

NBC Sports Bay Area’s Giants account shared Vitello’s blunt reaction Tuesday night on X, formerly Twitter, after the collapse as the first-year manager accepted responsibility for the loss.

“Obviously, it’s on me.”

"Obviously, it's on me."

Tony Vitello takes the blame after the Giants' bullpen collapsed in the ninth inning pic.twitter.com/sy7RWjlgWF

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) May 20, 2026

The ninth inning quickly spiraled after Adrian Del Castillo delivered a two-out RBI single off Caleb Kilian. Ryan Waldschmidt then reached on catcher’s interference, extending the inning and creating another opportunity for Arizona with the tying run already aboard.

Vitello turned to Matt Gage to face Marte, but Marte launched a three-run walk-off homer on the second pitch he saw. The swing completed the Diamondbacks’ comeback and handed the Giants one of their toughest losses of the 2026 campaign.

San Francisco has now blown six saves this season, and the bullpen struggles continue defining the club’s inconsistent start. Unless the Giants quickly receive more reliable production from their late-inning arms, these crushing losses could continue piling up deeper into the summer months.

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