Month: July 2021

San Francisco Giants LaMonte Wade Jr (31) rounds first and looks back at first base coach Antoan Richardson (right) after hitting a third inning home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sun Jul 25, 2021 at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-After losing the first two games of the series to the Pittsburgh Pirates, the San Francisco Giants got some big hits when it was needed the most.

LaMonte Wade, Jr., hit two home runs in his first two at-bats, helping the Giants to a 6-1 victory over the Pirates before a crowd of 30,303 at Oracle Park.

Wilmer Flores also went deep for the Giants, who have hit a major league leading 151 home runs on the season.

Alex Wood went 5.1 innings, allowing one run on five hits, walking two and striking out eight on his way to ninth win of the season for the Giants.

The Pirates got to Wood in the top of the first inning, as Bryan Reynolds singled with two outs and then John Nogowski followed that up with a double that easily scored Reynolds that gave the Pirates the lead before the Giants first appearance at the plate.

That lead lasted one batter into the bottom of the first inning, as Wade, Jr., hit a JT Brubaker pitch into the centerfield seats to tie up the game at one.

Wade, Jr., gave the Giants the lead for good in the bottom of the third inning, as he launched his second home run in as many at-bats and his 12th of the season. It was the first multi-home run game of Wades career.

Wade ended up going 3-for-5 on the afternoon, as he also added a double in the bottom of the fifth inning.

The Giants broke the game wide open in the bottom of the sixth inning, when the Giants scored three runs and Flores got it started when he lined a Duane Underwood, Jr., pitch down the left field line and over the 339 mark to extend the lead up to 4-1. Steven Duggar then followed it up with a double, and then Thairo Estrada singled, which sent Duggar to third base.

When Estrada stole second base, the throw by Jacob Stallings sailed into centerfield that allowed Duggar to score from third base and Estrada moved up to third base.

Estrada then scored the final run of the inning, when Curt Casali singled with one out.

Nick Mears gave the fourth home run of the afternoon, as Estrada hit his third home run of the season, just over the outstretched glove of Reynolds in centerfield.

The Giants bullpen of Jay Jackson, Jarlin Garcia, Tyler Rogers and Jake McGee pitched a perfect final 3.2 innings, where the quartet did not allow a baserunner to reach base.

Jackson came up with the biggest stop of the game in the top of the sixth inning, as Wood loaded the bases with one out; however, Jackson came on to get Kevin Newman to ground into a double play that ended the inning and the threat.

Adam Frazier was replaced at second base by Wilmer Difo in the bottom of the eighth inning, and then it was learned that Frazier along with cash was traded to the San Diego Padres for Michael Milliano, Jack Suwinski and Tucupita Marcano.

NOTES: With four more home runs on Sunday, the Giants have now hit 151 home runs on the season, passing the Toronto Blue Jays for the most home runs in Major League Baseball during the 2021 season.

Eight different players have reached the double figures in home runs this season for the Giants, and two players have nine home runs. The eight players are: Brandon Crawford, Mike Yastrzemski, Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, Flores, Darin Ruf, Alex Dickerson and Wade, Jr., while both Evan Longoria and Austin Slater each have nine home runs.

The Giants record for most players in double figures in home runs in a season is nine, which was accomplished in 1952, 1958, 1987 and 2000.

Following a loss, the Giants are now 25-12 and 62-37 overall, the best in the majors on both records

Al Michaels, who broadcasted games for the Giants in 1974 was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame earlier today as the 45th winner of the Ford C. Frick Award.

UP NEXT: After an off-day on Monday, the Giants will begin a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night, when Logan Webb will take the mound for the Giants, while Julio Urias will take the mound for the Dodgers.

All San Francisco Giants starter Kevin Gausman could do leaving the mound in the fifth inning on Sat Jul 24, 2021 is talk in the glove after the Pittsburgh Pirates shelled him at Oracle Park. Giants manager Gabe Kapler in black jacket calls for a new pitcher (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

After getting off to a great start during the 2021 season, it seems that San Francisco Giants (61-37) pitcher Kevin Gausman is in a kind of rut.

Gausman lasted just 4.1 innings, allowing six runs on eight hits, walking four and striking out two, as the Pittsburgh Pirates (38-60) made it two wins in a row after a 10-2 victory over the Giants at Oracle Park.

This is the second start in a row that Gausman, who was going for his 10th win of the season could not get past the fifth inning in a start.

In his previous start against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night at Dodger Stadium, Gausman lasted just three innings, two runs (both on home runs), walked three and struck out five and did not fare in the decision.

Pirates starter Wil Crowe went the first 5.1 innings, allowing two runs on four hits, walking one and striking out nine on his way to his second win of the season.

The Pirates got to Gausman in the top of the first inning, as they loaded the bases with nobody out, and then Gregory Polanco hit a sacrifice fly to Alex Dickerson in left field that scored Adam Frazier from third base after Frazier led off the inning with a single to centerfield, then went to second on a wild pitch by Gausman.

After KeBryan Hayes walked, Bryan Reynolds also drew a walk against Gausman that loaded the bases and then Polanco drove in Frazier with his sacrifice fly to left field.

Once again, the Pirates loaded the bases, as John Nogowski reached on a fielders choice and Jason Vosler committed a fielding error.

Gausman was able to get out of the inning and the jam, as he induced Ben Gamel to hit into a double play.

Thairo Estrada got the Giants on the board in the bottom of the second inning, as he grounded into a double play that scored Wilmer Flores from third base to tie up the game.

Flores singled to lead off the inning when he singled off of Crowe and then went to third on a Vosler single, and then scored the tying run on the Estrada double play.

The Pirates took the lead for good in the top of the third inning, when Polanco picked up his second RBI of the game, as he drove in Reynolds with the tie-breaking run. Gamel then added to the lead, as he singled Polanco.

Polanco added his third RBI of the evening in the top of the fifth inning, as he hit his 11th home run of the season.

Kevin Newman broke the game wide open, as he hit a two-run single, when he singled to centerfield that scored both Nogowski and Gamel to give the Pirates a five-run lead.

LaMonte Wade, Jr., became the eighth different Giants player to reach double figures in home runs, as he hit his 10th home run of the season off of Crowe in the bottom of the season.

Michael Perez added to the lead in the top of the eighth inning, as tripled in Newman, who singled to lead off the inning. Wilmer Difo came off the bench to pinch-hit for former Giants pitcher Chris Stratton and hit a sacrifice fly to score Perez from third base.

Frazier then doubled following the Difo sacrifice fly, and after Hayes lined out to Steven Duggar for the second out. Reynolds then singled to right field to score Frazier from second base.

Mike Tauchman came on to pitch the final inning for the Giants, as the outfielder made his first ever appearance on the mound, as he pitched one inning, allowing one run on three hits.

Tauchman allowed a single to Newman put the final touches on the scoring, as he singled in the top of the ninth inning off of Tauchman to score Nogowski, who led off the inning with a double.

NOTES: After being out of the broadcast booth since June 6, when the Giants lost to the Chicago Cubs at Oracle Park, Duane Kuiper made a surprise return to the booth and shocked his longtime broadcast partner Mike Krukow.

Kuiper, 71 is undergoing chemotherapy for an undisclosed condition came back to Oracle Park to broadcast a game.

In his first game in almost seven weeks, Kuiper spoke with Greg Papa on Giants Pregame Live and said.

“Hey, I missed me. Sorry,” Kuiper said. “Sitting on that couch after a while, my wife is so happy that I walked out of the house today, where she gets six hours where she doesn’t have to worry about me tripping or falling or what I’m going to eat or what’s going on. Anyway, I’m thrilled to be back, and the one thing I definitely learned while I was gone, for whatever it was, two months or so, is how much I appreciate my partners because I got a chance to watch them for all those games, and I certainly do appreciate them.”

UP NEXT: Alex Wood takes the Oracle Park mound on Sunday afternoon, as he looks for his ninth win of the season. The Pirates will send JT Brubaker to the hill, as he looks for his fifth win of the season.

The San Francisco Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr (center) can’t get a handle on the ball that allowed two runs to score as Giants pitcher Jarlin Garcia (66) and Donovan Salano (right) watch after the Pittsburgh Pirates Ben Gamel hit the ball in the seventh inning (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

After amazing back-to-back victories over the reigning World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Francisco Giants (61-36) could not make it three in a row.

Adam Frazier walked with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning that scored Jacob Stallings from third base, as the Pittsburgh Pirates (37-60) defeated the Giants 6-4 at Oracle Park.

Stallings walked to lead off the inning against Dominic Leone, then Kevin Newman reached on a fielders choice and pinch-hitter Wilmer Difo walked to load the bases.

Following the Frazier walk that scored Frazier, KeBryan Hayes grounded into a force out that saw Newman thrown out at the plate for the first out of the inning.

Jarlin Garcia came on to replace Leone and got Bryan Reynolds to strike out looking for the second out of the inning.

It looked like the Giants were going get out of the inning with just one run allowed; however, LaMonte Wade, Jr., was unable to field a ball hit for an error on a ball hit by Ben Gamel that scored Difo and Frazier to extend the lead up to 6-3.

Gregory Polanco hit a triple to right field in the top of the second inning that scored Gamel to give the Pirates an early 1-0 lead.

The run-scoring triple gave the Pirates the lead and Reynolds extended the lead in the top of the third inning, as he hit his 18th home run, a two-run home run that upped the lead to 3-0 for the visitors from Pittsburgh.

Steven Duggar got the Giants on the board in the bottom of the third inning, as he hit his seventh home run of the season.

Johnny Cueto then walked and stole second base when Wade, Jr., struck out and it was the first career stolen base for Cueto.

Unfortunately, Cueto did not fare in the decision, as he went five innings, giving up three runs on three hits, walked just one and struck out seven before giving way to John Brebbia.

Alex Dickerson tied up the game in the bottom of the sixth inning, as he hit his 10th home run of the season. Buster Posey scored in front of Dickerson, as he doubled off of Pirates starter Chad Kuhl. Following the home run by Dickerson, Kuhl was replaced by former Giants pitcher Chris Stratton.

Donovan Solano treated the former Giants pitcher rudely, as he walked and after Jason Vosler struck out for the second out of the inning, Thairo Estrada singled Solano to third; however, Stratton was able to Duggar to end the threat.

Kuhl pitched 5.1 innings and like Cueto did not fare in the decision. In those 5.1 innings of work, Kuhl allowed three runs on six hits, walking one and striking out eight.

Darin Ruf walked with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, and went to second on defensive indifference. Wade, Jr., then tripled to right field that scored Ruf from second base; however, Mike Yastrzemski struck out looking to end the game.

NOTES: Over the last two nights, the Giants came from behind in the 9th inning or later to defeat the Dodgers, winning 4-2 on Wednesday and 5-3 last night…according to Elias, it’s the first time the Giants won back-to-back games while trailing in the 9th inning or later since April 8-9, 2011 vs. St. Louis…the last time they did it against the Dodgers was August 9-10, 2008.
With Duggar and Dickersons home runs, the Giants have now hit 146 home runs on the season, as they passed the Toronto Blue Jays for the most home runs in the major leagues.

Prior to Cuetos stolen base in the bottom of the third inning, the last pitcher to steal a base for the Giants was Kirk Rueter against the Arizona Diamondbacks on August 29, 2003 at what was then called Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix.

The Giants have signed their first-round pick in the 2021 First-Year Player Draft, as Will Bednar, the 14th overall selection out of Mississippi State is now a member of the Giants. Bednar helped lead the Bulldogs to their first-ever national championship after defeating SEC rival and defending champion Vanderbilt in the College World Series in Omaha.

A native of the Pittsburgh-area, Bednar, who went Mars Area High School, does family have in the ballpark, as his older brother David is in the opposing dugout, as he is a reliever for the Pirates.

UP NEXT: Kevin Gausman takes the mound on Saturday night, as he attempts to win his 10th game of the season for the Giants. While the Pirates will send Wil Crowe to the hill, as he looks for his second win of 2021.