SF Giants’ Vitello follows up on Mahle’s comments regarding unclear pitch count

PHOENIX — The Giants’ ability to communicate was again called into question when Tyler Mahle said on Monday that he didn’t know he was on a pitch limit, but manager Tony Vitello said on Tuesday that “Mahle had an understanding that we were going to restrict him.”

“But we didn’t give him an exact amount of pitches,” Vitello said. “You could do that, but better to, in my opinion, not have guys peeking up at the jumbotron or the scoreboard and be locked in. So, that was a little bit more on what our responsibility was.”

Vitello said he talked to Mahle on Tuesday about his outing, but the two did not discuss Mahle’s pitch count.

Mahle, who allowed four runs over 4 1/3 innings on Monday, said after his second outing back from the injured list that he didn’t know he was on a limit of 85 pitches.

The veteran right-hander’s night ended with one out in the fifth when he walked leadoff hitter Ketel Marte to load the bases. Entering play, Marte was 8-for-15 against Mahle with two homers. In the bottom of the first, Marte hit a towering leadoff homer off Mahle. Given their history, Mahle pitched around Marte. Following the walk, Vitello summoned Sam Hentges to face Geraldo Perdomo, who hit a bases-clearing, three-run double.

“Ketel was up there and he’s done well against me. So, I was like, ‘Okay, I’m not going to give him anything that he could hit and walked him.’ Then, got taken out,” Mahle said.

Mahle thought his pitch count was going to be “normal,” but admitted that he should’ve known he was going to be on a pitch limit. The right-hander nearly missed a month due to a left hamstring strain, and Monday’s outing was his second start back from the injured list. Last Wednesday, Mahle threw 70 pitches against the Athletics as he pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings.

“Looking back, it was probably obvious that I wasn’t going to throw more than 15 pitches than my last start after not starting for a few weeks,” Mahle said. “So, I guess I didn’t really even think about it. It’s pretty normal to progress by 10, 15 pitches. So, I should’ve realized that. And I didn’t realize where my pitch count was in that inning.”

Adames trending upwards

Shortstop Willy Adames wasn’t in the starting lineup for a second straight game after leaving Sunday’s game with back spasms, but Vitello said Adames is trending in the right direction and is “not far off from at least being able to do something for us.”

“I’d take it a step further and say also not too far away from being full go,” Vitello said.

With the Giants off on Thursday before a three-game series against the Rockies at Coors Field, it’s possible that Adames also sits out Wednesday’s series finale against the Diamondbacks. This would allow Adames to get four days off before San Francisco takes on Colorado.

“Sometimes, with Willie, with (Luis Arraez), with Jung Hoo (Lee), these guys that just want to go, go go, you got to step in and look out for them a little bit more than they look out for themselves,” Vitello said.

Christian Koss was at Chase Field on Monday as a member of the taxi squad, but the infielder didn’t have a locker on Tuesday.

“I think it’s important if he’s going to be involved here soon, for one reason or another, to get some at-bats,” Vitello said of Koss.