San Francisco Giants pitcher Tyler Mahle indicated that he was unaware of his pitch count limit during Monday's 5-4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, a situation that highlights ongoing communication issues under first-year manager Tony Vitello.

Mahle stated he would have approached his final at-bat differently had he known he was approaching an 85-pitch limit. The pitcher was removed in the fifth inning after allowing a walk to Ketel Marte, who subsequently scored on a bases-clearing double. Mahle expressed that he should have been more aware of his pitch count as it was only his second start back from the injured list.

"I didn’t know the pitch count, or else I probably would have went about that [last] at-bat differently," Mahle said. "I thought it was just going to be normal. But I guess I should’ve realized. It was my second start back. It’s not like I was going to throw 100 today."

The walk to Marte, who had a strong history against Mahle, preceded a three-RBI double by Geraldo Perdomo that gave the Diamondbacks a 5-1 lead. Mahle was removed shortly after the walk.

Vitello later explained that the plan was to remove Mahle around 85 pitches regardless of the inning's outcome. "We were gonna go to 85 pitches with him, and I think he landed literally right there on the dot," Vitello said. "That was the spot we were going to Sam [Hentges], regardless."

This incident follows similar communication breakdowns. Notably, pitcher Logan Webb was removed from a no-hit bid in a previous start, and a situation involving Keaton Winn resulted in a blown save and an elbow injury. The report also referenced Rafael Devers' surprise at being lifted for a pinch-runner in a recent game.

Mahle ultimately accepted some responsibility, acknowledging that he should have recognized the progression of his pitch count and understood that his workload would be limited in his second start back from injury. "Looking back, it was probably obvious that I wasn’t going to throw more than 15 pitches more than my last start after not starting for a few weeks," Mahle said. "I didn’t even really think about it."

Commissioner Rob Manfred has previously described the Giants' organizational communication under Vitello as "inadequate" and "not clear."