Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

If it was not for an Evan Longoria home run in the top of the ninth inning, the San Francisco Giants would have turned something that never was accomplished in the 137-year history of the team.

Longoria’s home run in the top of the ninth inning stopped the chance of the San Diego Padres of shutting out the Giants in the first two games of a season

The Padres jumped out to a 2-0 lead on the Giants in the bottom of the second inning, as Manuel Margot doubled in Eric Hosmer and Fernando Tatis, Jr., and the Padres defeated the Giants 4-1 at Petco Park, in a game that ended with some controversy.

Following the Longoria home run off of reliever Phil Maton, Padres manager Andy Green turned the game over to his closer Tyler Yates; however, the Giants were not phased the closer.

After Brandon Crawford grounded out for the first out of the inning, the Giants began to flex their muscles against Yates, as Joe Panik singled to center, then Stephen Duggar walked and then Eric Kratz was hit by a Yates pitch and then the controversy began.

Gerardo Parra struck out looking on what looked like a pitch out of the strike zone, much to the dismay of Parra and Brandon Belt struck out looking on a high pitch that home plate umpire Lance Barksdale called strike three to end the game that upset Belt.

As Barksdale left the field, he felt the barrage from Belt, Parra and even Bruce Bochy, but to no avail and the Giants dropped their second game in as many days to open the season.

Ian Kinsler stretched the Padres lead up to 3-0 in the bottom of the third inning, as he hit his first home run of the season and also first as a member of the Padres, when his 354 foot blast landed in the left field seats against Giants starter Derek Holland, who was making his season debut.

The Padres got their final run of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning, as Franmil Reyes hit a sacrifice fly to score Thursday’s hero Will Myers from third base.

Myers doubled to right field off of Trevor Gott, but Kinsler was thrown out at the plate for the first out of the inning that denied Myers another run batted in against the Giants in the first two games of the season.

Newly signed Manny Machado then singled to left field, but Myers was held at third base and then Reyes hit a sacrifice fly to lengthen the lead.

Holland pitched four innings, allowing three runs on four hits, while walking two and struck out five.

Joey Luchessi went 5.1 innings, allowing just three hits, walking two and striking out seven in his season debut.

NOTES: Prior to the game, catcher Tom Murphy was traded by the Giants to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for minor league reliever Jesus Ozoria. In his first seasons as a professional, Ozoria is 5-5 with a 3.31 ERA, walking just 14 and striking out 73 in 20 games with 10 of them in starting roles.

Murphy played in one exhibition game with the Giants after being acquired by the organization from the Colorado Rockies on Monday. He was then designed for assignment by the team on Thursday, when the team began their season.

UP NEXT: Dereck Rodriguez will make his 2019 season debut, as he takes the mound on Saturday night, while the Padres will send Nick Margevicius, who will be making his major league debut.