San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb pitches his first career shutout against the Colorado Rockies at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sun Jul 8, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Lewis Rubman

Colorado (34-57). 000 000 000 – 0 7 0

San Francisco (49-41). 000 100 00x – 1 7 0

Time: 1:56

Attendance: 36,050

Sunday, July 9, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–Baseball, they say, is a game of inches. It gets measured in statistics that are painfully precise. And yet baseball people use language, even when talking about basic arithmetical facts, that are obviously inaccurate. We say a batter is hitting at a certain level “against the league,” when he’s playing against every team in major league baseball (15=30?)

We say that the all-star break marks the season’s halfway point, yet today’s encounter between the Colorado Rockies and your San Francisco Giants, the last game before the much needed break, was the visitors’ 91st of the season, and the hosts’ 90th, in a 162 game season. Go figure.

The orange and black started the day in third place at 48-41, putting them third place in the NL’s western division, 3-1/2 games behind the division leading Arizona Diamondbacks. The 33-53 Rockies could only dream of reaching such heights. When all was said and done, the Giants still were in the third place, but could pick up a game on Arizona if the Pirates hold on to the 3-2 lead they had in Phoenix when the game here ended.

The Giants led with their ace, Logan Webb. arguably their best starter. His numbers this year aren’t exciting, 7-7, 3.38 at game time, but, given the weaknesses, both manifest and subliminal, in the Giants’ defense, aren’t a good indication of his quality. His career record against Colorado. was 6-2, 3.97, but it was 3-1, 2.67 at sea level.

Webb was great this afternoon. He pitched a complete game shutout in a game the Giants won, 1-0, capping his performance by striking out the side in ninth. He scattered seven hits and struck out 10 of the 31 batters he faced. 75 of his 103 pitches counted as strikes. The effort improved Webb’s record to 8-7, 3.14.

The Rox went with Kyle Freeman, an ok sort of a pitcher, whom you can’t take for granted, but he’s not someone who intimidates you by his mere presence on the mound. His repertory of sinkers, which hee throws 30% of the time), sliders (22.3%-note the precise numbers), four seamers (17.4%), curves (17.4%), and changeups (12.9%) earned him a 4-9, 4.93 record going into the game.

Freeland threw a beautiful game for the 6-1/3 innings he was able to pitch before he injured himself fielding Casey Schmitt’s bunt in the bottom of seventh, an attempted sacrifice that went into the books as the sixth hit allowed by the Rockies’ starter.

He was charged with one run, earned, which came on a home run, and didn’t strike anyone out. Of his 80 offerings, 41 were considered strikes. He was charged with the tough loss and ended the day with a record of 4-10, 4.72.

Justin Lawrence replaced him and pitched out of the two on and one away jam to keep the Giants from increasing their 1-0 lead. Lawrence followed that up by putting the home team down in order in the eighth. If it weren’t for his injury, Freeman, too, might have gone the distance.

The Giants had broken a scoreless tie in the bottom half of the fourth with JD Davis’s 421 foot home run to left center fielder. It came on Freeland’s first pitch of the frame, an 85.4 mph sinker that rose on a 30 degree angle leaving the Giants’ third baseman’s bat at 109.1 mph. The promising episode ended with an around the horn double play.

It was an exceptionally fine ball game. The Giants can now take their ASG break on an upnote. Their serious business will resume when they face the Pirates in Pittsburgh on July 14th. weren’t for his injury, Freeman, too, might have gone the distance.

The Giants had broken a scoreless tie in the bottom half of the fourth with JD Davis’s 421 foot home run to left center fielder. It came on Freeland’s first pitch of the frame, an 85.4 mph sinker that rose on a 30 degree angle leaving the Giants’ third baseman’s bat at 109.1 mph. The promising episode ended with an around the horn double play.

It was an exceptionally fine ball game. The Giants can now take their ASG break on an up note. Their serious business will resume when they face the Pirates in Pittsburgh on July 14th.