There. That exact game. The San Francisco Giants’ 5-4 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday afternoon. How do the Giants prevent that exact game from being played next season?This particular example extended a five-game losing streak and swept the Giants out of Kansas City, but it blends in with so many games before it that it’s hard to keep track. It was the quintessential 2026 Giants game on so many levels, which means it was also a profoundly unessential 2026 Giants game. They all are. You really don’t need this right now.If you don’t believe me that there’s a bit of a “Groundhog Day,” some of the familiar rhythms and melodies from the series finale included …A starting pitcher who does almost enough to win, but gets into trouble at the end of the outingSometimes the wounds are self-inflicted. Sometimes the problems begin when the starter gets to face a lineup for the third time. Either way, it’s a familiar tune. A quality start without a win, or a would-be quality start that was ruined deep into what was a fine outing.Earlier in the road trip, it was Logan Webb who accepted blame he didn’t deserve. On Wednesday, the would-be hero was Landen Roupp, who was cruising along in one of the cleanest outings of his career so far, striking out seven in six innings. It was his first start without issuing a walk since the middle of May, and it was just his second walk-free start of the last calendar year.In three pitches, the career-best start became just another quality start. Roupp’s 89th pitch was hit for a double that perhaps shouldn’t have been (more below). His 90th was a strike, and his 91st and final pitch was a sinker down the middle. It was thrown to a hitter who will swing at breaking balls that bounce in front of the first base coach. So it goes for the 2026 Giants, the least rewarding team to watch in recent memory. They seem good for one of these outings every series.One or two hitters in the lineup reminding you why they’re on the team, but rarely in the same inningIt’s typically different hitters from day to day, too. You need flashcards before every game. Let’s see, Rafael Devers is “hot” but Jung Hoo Lee is “cold,” unless he’s snapping out of it, and Bryce Eldridge is “scorching hot,” except for when he has to face Seth Lugo, for some reason.Changing the lineup for the next game won’t make a difference. That, too, will be the exact worst mathematical permutation possible. It doesn’t matter who’s hot or who’s not. It changes from game to game, and the only thing that will remain the same is them going 1-for-4 with runners in scoring positionSomething screwy that’s at least partly responsible for the lossThis one got the manager tossed, too. Here’s the leadoff double that Roupp allowed in the seventh inning: