Chicago White Sox’s Josh Harrison, right, gets into second base as San Francisco Giants second baseman Wilmer Flores reaches for the thrown ball for an error on Sunday, July 3, 2022, at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP News photo)

Chicago (AL) (38-39). 13. 17. 0

San Francisco (40-37). 4. 7. 1

Sunday, July 3, 2022

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO-The Giants have played several bullpen games this season. Before today, the last time they used that now fairly commonplace tactic was June 11 against the Dodgers, here at Oracle Park.

They beat the Bums that afternoon, 3-2, using a mound line up of Sam Long, who surrendered both Los Angeles runs, Tyler Rogers, Dominic Leone, Zack Littell, Jarlín García, Camilo Doval, the winner, and José Alvare, who got the save.

They did it again today. Their firing squad consisted of John Brebbia (one inning), Jarlín García (1 IP), Sean Hjelle (2+ innings), recalled today from Sacramento, Sam Long (3 IP), Yúnior Marte (one dreadful inning), and their catcher, Austin Wynn (one inning).

They got massacred, losing a 13-4 Rocky Horror Show to the team from the other windy city.

For their part, the Chisox started with Lucas Giolito (4-4, 4.19 at game time), who didn’t allow a hit until Joc Pederson’s Texas Leaguer dropped into shallow center off the glove of shortstop Tim Anderson, who was trying to make a back to the plate catch in the fourth inning.

It was a fielding mistake that put Chicago up 2-0 in the top of the third, With Hjelle pitching and Josh Harrison, who had singled, on first with one out Anderson hit a grounder to Dalton Walton at short.

He threw to second for what looked like the start of a double play. The ball flew into right field, putting runners on second and third, just waiting for Luis Robert’s single to right with two out to bring them home which it did.

An inning later, with Hjelle still on the mound, a one out double by García, followed an out later by Zavala’s single, both to right center, made it 3-0.

Hjelle came out for the fifth and left with the bases loaded without getting an out. It happened on an infield hit by Andrew Vaughn and singles by Robert and Abreu. Sam Long didn’t help things, surrendering a base clearing two bagger to Gavin Sheets that put the visitors up by a half a dozen runs.

But, once the damage was done and in spite of a walk and a wild pitch, Long retired the side without any more Sox crossing the plate. He continued his good work by putting the Chisox down in order in the sixth and seventh frames

The first solid hit off Giolito came in the bottom of the sixth with Austin Slater’s lead off base knock to right. Pederson followed that with a drive just to the right of the 415 foot marker in Triples Alley, which drove Slater in with the orange and black’s initial tally.

Wilmer Flores’s fly to right, ending the frame also ended Giolito’s stint. He pitched six innings, allowing that one run, which was earned, on three hits and two walks. He struck out seven, all of them against the first eight hitters he faced. He served up 102 pitches, 36 of them balls. He would get the win, bringing his record to 5-4, 4.90.

Matt Foster relieved him, pitching a perfect seventh.

Yúnior Marte replaced Long for the top of the eighth and prompted coughed up the run San Francisco had recuperated in the sixth and more.

Chicago linked consecutive singles by their first three batters, García, Harrison, and Zavala, a walk to Anderson, Vaughn’s single, Robert’s fielders’ choice, and pinch hitter Adam Haseley’s single to add five runs to their total, leaving San Francisco in the dust, looking at an 11-1 deficit when they faced Vince Velásquez, who replaced Foster for the eighth and retired them in order.

Austin Wynn moved from the catcher´s to the pitcher´s box in the top of the ninth for his second stint as a PPP (Position Player Pitching). He got through it with only two runs half heartedly scored against him.

Velásquez stayed in the game to complete the formalities of ending the slaughter, and the Giants bats came alive against him. With one out, back to back to back to back doubles by Yermín Mercedes, hitting for Belt, Flores, and Yastrzemski, and Ruf cut Chicago’s lead to 13-4 and drove Velásquez from the game and brought in José Ruiz to quell the uprising. He accomplished this by fanning Walton and his opposite number, Wynn.

The crestfallen Giants will fly to Phoenix to play the Diamondbacks and won’t return until July 11, when they’ll face Arizona once more.

The Monday night starters for the Giants Carlos Rodon (7-4, 2.62) and for the Arizona Diamondbacks Madison Bumgarner (3-8, 3.63) a 6:10 pm PDT first pitch at Chase Field.