San Francisco Giants’ Casey Schmitt (6) celebrates with teammates at the dugout after hitting a sacrifice fly against the Oakland Athletics during the fifth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Tue Jul 25, 2023 (AP News photo)

Oakland (28-75). 000 000 010 – 1. 5. 1

San Francisco (55-47). 000 010 01x. – 2. 4 0

Time: 2:20

Attendance: 40,014

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–Tuesday’s game by the shores of McCovey Cove began with a pair of reversals. The just barely contending Giants showed up at Oracle Park with a longer losing streak (six games) than the just barely Oakland A’s (one game).

Giant fans and Athletics fans united in a demonstration designed to keep the A’s in Oakland. When it was over, the Giants had defeated the 2-1, in front of a crowd of over 40,000 paying customers, and the chances of the A’s staying in Oakland remained negligible.

The battered Giants came home exhausted from their distressing trip east without the benefit of a day off between the shellacking they took in Washington and tonight’s thrilling victory. Their long flight to SFO meant a three hour time zone adjustment, which is pretty rough in any case but worse if you have to play a sport in which time is of the essence.

In addition to the players who aren’t expected to be able to play for the rest of the season, the Giants have three position players and a pitcher on the IL. Thairo Estrada is expected to miss four to six more weeks; Brandon Crawford was placed on the 10 day list 10 days ago and has no timetable for return; Luis González, out since mid April, is on a rehab assignment; and their is no expected return date for reliever John Brebbia, on the 15 day list since June 17.

Against this dismal background, Alex Cobb, their all star right handed starter toed the rubber for San Francisco, sporting a 6-3, 3.1 record at game time. His work was frankly magnificent. He allowed three hits over six shutout innings, striking out nine and allowing just one base on balls. He threw 95 pitches, 55 for strikes. He had to settle for a no decision, but he brought his ERA down to 2.97.

The A’s chose to go the opener route, choosing Tayler Scott, a journeyman righty from Johanasberg now with his sixth team in the show since 2019, for the role. Before tossing his scoreless opening frame, Scott was 0-4, 4.50.

He passed the baton to Ken Waldichuk (2-6, 6,75 when he toed the rubber), who lasted 4-2/3 innings and allowed one, unearned, run on. one hit before passing the baton to Austin Pruitt in the bottom of the sixth. Lucas Erceg, who took the loss and now is 2-2, 5.46, and Sam Moll also saw action.

Cobb got off to a strong start Thee in his first 5-1/3 innings of work was Seth Brown, who suffered The Curse of the Leadoff Double in the second. Loud chants of “SELL THE TEAM” began with Brown’s second at bat, in which he grounded out. and continued, mixed with “STAY IN OAKLAND,” through Jace Peterson’s single and Cobb’s strikeout of Shea Langeliers.

They died out when the Giants’ appeal of Tyler Soderstrom’s infield single was being decided. The appeal was denied. The chants died out until they were revived when Oakland tied the game in the top of the eighth.

The orange and black went ahead on an unearned run in their half of the fifth. Wllmer Flores led off with a walk, the first base runner allowed by Waldichuk. Patrick Bailey followed with a single to left, sending Flores to second.

Brett Wisely bunted to the mound; Waldichuk unwisely – or at least inaccurately – threw to third, and the basses were loaded. Waldichuk recovered to fan Slater, but Casey Schmitt lifted a sacrifice fly to right that brought Flores in with the first run of the game.

Luis Matos almost doubled the Giants lead when he led off the home sixth with a mighty blast above the left field wall. Above, but not over, it. Tony Kemp made a marvelous leaping grab that converted what looked like a sure home run into an out. Waldichuk fanned JD Davis and walked Joc Pederson. It was then that Austin Pruitt relieved Waldichuk.

Tyler Rogers and his submarine slants relieved Cobb with a 1-2-3 seventh, but he coughed up the tying run in the eighth on a pinch hit single by Aledmys Díaz, Kemp’s sacrifice bunt, and a sharp single by Bleday to right center.

Lucas Erceg allowed a Texas League single to LaMonte Wade, Jr., and a walk to Davis. in the bottom of the eighth before giving way to Sam Moll, who had to face Mike Yastremzski, who had entered the game as a pinch runner in the sixth, with Matos, who had forced Wade out at second, and Davis on base with two away. He slammed a double down the right field, bringing in Matos with what proved to be the winning run.

Camilo Doval, who hadn’t had many. save opportunities recently, came in for the ninth and struck out the three men he faced, That earned him his 31st save.

The A’s and the Giants will wind up the San Francisco portion of their 2023 encounters tomorrow, starting at 6:40. Hogan Harris I2-4, 6.11) will be on the mound for Oakland; San Francisco has yet to announce who will start (or open) for them. But don’t count on it.