SAN DIEGO — It’s been a while since Tony Vitello went on an unprompted tangent during a pregame session with San Francisco Giants reporters. In the first week of spring training in February, when the first-year manager wanted to raise the topic of how news of his hiring had broken, his attempt to set the record straight only created further confusion for some.But Saturday afternoon, Vitello saw a wrong that needed to be righted. So he went off script in the visiting dugout at Petco Park, essentially defending shortstop Willy Adames against comments made by Apple TV+ announcer Wayne Randazzo during Friday night’s broadcast.Vitello didn’t cite the broadcast or mention Randazzo by name but took issue with comments about the volume of Adames’ pregame work with infield coach Ron Washington.“Any questioning of anyone’s work ethic that has to work with Wash is not right,” Vitello said. “But questioning work ethic there, first of all, is not anything close to what I put out there. I could give you my exact answer, but it’s bull—-, is what it is.”Why is everyone watching for hugs before the trade deadline?Tyler Kepner and Lauren Morales-JonesIn the bottom of the third inning Friday night, after Giants second baseman Luis Arraez fielded a ground ball, Randazzo and analyst Dontrelle Willis began conversing about Washington’s coaching impact on players including Freddie Freeman, Marcus Semien, Zach Neto and Arraez.“Wash said it has been a little bit harder to get Willy Adames to commit to the work day in and day out, but Adames has been doing it lately, and he said you could see the improvements,” Randazzo said. “Tony Vitello even said that whenever you see Adames and Wash work one-on-one, the next two or three games, Adames is a much better defensive player.”Those comments got back to Adames, who spoke with a Giants public relations representative about them Saturday afternoon. And Vitello made it clear that he didn’t appreciate them, either.Vitello also referenced the fact that Adames has been playing through lower back discomfort that has limited his on-field pregame work. And he credited Adames for working as hard as any hitter on his swing, to the point where he could dial it back at times.“Anyone who’s around Wash, you don’t have a chance to buy in,” Vitello said. “You don’t. That’s not an option. You do, and then the work is put in. And … whether a back injury means a few less reps during a certain period, or how many games you’re playing, is different for one guy or another.”Vitello did not make specific mention of Randazzo, and when asked whether his criticism was directed at the Apple TV+ broadcast, he responded with an indirect reference while making the point that the media cannot see all the work that players are doing.“Certainly three people that plop in on one game day and try and do quick research — I’ve done it before — you’ve got to talk like you know what you’re talking about, but you don’t know the whole story,” Vitello said. “You did a quick skim-scam, and then you’re saying what you think, try and keep people interested. So, and again, I don’t read that stuff, so I don’t know if anyone’s guilty of twisting words or saying something.“But nowadays, it only takes one word or one phrase for 17 or 18 people that are locked in their basement to run with, and then it piles on after that. But like I said, no matter what anybody says, any question of that is bull—-.”For all the metric and aesthetic improvement that Arraez has made at second base, Adames has graded out poorly by any measurement. He ranks second to last among shortstops with minus-12 Outs Above Average, and there have been several instances when he either failed to cover second base or arrived late. The Giants did not record a critical out last month in Kansas City because Adames was not expecting catcher Daniel Susac to throw to second base after fielding a sacrifice bunt and wasn’t standing on the base to record a forceout.Vitello said he wasn’t interested in knowing the exact words that Randazzo said on air, but the manager made it clear that he felt his comments about Adames were twisted to some extent.“I don’t want to know (what was said),” Vitello said. “My mind can be cloudy enough … but if I get indication of someone put words in my mouth, I don’t like it at all. … I don’t think I’ve won manager of the year for standing up for our players. But again, the effort’s there, or the attitude is there, and if it’s a case where someone’s not worthy of that (praise), I’m not going to put myself out there (with) that. I’ve been victim of being too honest with groups like this.”Randazzo did not immediately return a text message seeking comment.Aug 2, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms