Atlanta Braves’ Austin Riley, left, scores against San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey during the first inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco Sat Aug 25, 2023 (AP News photo)

Atlanta (84-44). 101 011 030. – 7. 9. 0

San Francisco (66-63) 002 000 001 – 3 8 0

Time: 2:41

Attendance: 36,798

Saturday, August 26, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO —Last night, the Giants threw their ace at the Braves and wound up in the hole. This afternoon, which they began one game behind in the race for the final NL wild card spot, San Francisco decided to play their opener-bulk pitcher-closer card, going with Ryan Walker to get things going, the 11th time they’ve done that this year.

The Giants’ record over his 10 previous openings was 7-3, but all of those three losses were in his most recent attempts. Walker pitched 1-2/3 left with two down and a runner in scoring position in the Atlanta second, trailing 1-0. Sean Manaea came on and put a damper on that threat. That auspicious start was a harbinger of worse to come, a 7-3 loss for the home team.

Atlanta chose southpaw Max Fried (4-1, 2.83 at game time) as a traditional starter. He had missed 70 games over the 90 days he was on the injured list a little over three weeks ago and had gone 2-0, 1.76. In his last start, on Sunday the 20th, he lasted 5-2/3 innings, in the Braves’ loss to the Giants, escaping with a no decision from his nine hit, three earned run outing.

Two of those nine hits went yard. Fried did a good job this afternoon, allowing two two runs, both of them earned, on six hits, one of them a home run, over six innings. He walked two and struck out eight, throwing a total of 98 pitches, 40 of which were balls.

He earned the win, which improved his won -lost record to 5-1 but raised his ERA to 2.85). Kirby Yates kept the Giants at bay in the seventh, as did Pierce Johnson in the eighth. AJ Minter allowed them a run in the ninth.

The Braves’ cleanup hitter, Matt Olson, came to the plate in the top of the first with 43 home runs and 110 runs batted in. He left it 111 RBI. Walker had fanned Ronald Acuña, Jr. and Michael Harris II before issuing a base on balls to Austin Riley. Olson’s resounding two bagger of the right field bricks brought the Atlanta third baseman home with the game’s first tally.

The Curse of the Leadoff Double prevented San Francisco from tying the score in the bottom of the next frame. JD Davis was stranded at second when all the offense the Giants could muster before the third out was a walk to Héliot Ramos.

Olson upped his RBI total to 112 in the top of the third. Acuña opened the inning with a single to right. After Harris flew out, Acuña stole third, the second time in three frames that the Braves. had pilfered a base.

Riley drew a free pass, and then Olson socked a solid single to left off his ex teammate to extend Atlanta’s advantage to 2-0. But Manaea wiggled out of the tough situation with a strikeout, a bases loading walk, and another K, which kept the game close and came, by the way, at the expense of another ex Athletic, Sean Murphy.

Wonderful Wilmer Flores made it even closer in the home third, With Austin Slater, who had led off with a walk, on first and one out, the Giants’ only .300 hitter parked an 87.3mph slider on the far side of the 391 foot sign in dead centerfield for a game tying home run. That made it 19 home runs and 48 RBI for Flores.

The orange and black threatened with two outs in their half of the fourth. Casey Schmitt sent a solid single to center and motored around to third when Luis Matos banged a double to left. Slater worked a full count, but Fried got him to swing and miss at a curve that left the contest tied at two.

That was an important missed opportunity because Riley br0ke the tie in the visitors’ fifth by smashing his 30th dinger of the year, a 402 foot no doubter to left that came off a 92.9mph four seamer. It left Riley’s bat at 111.2mph. Manea finished up fifth without suffering any further damage and retired Eddie Rosario for the first out of the Atlanta sixth before being relieved by Luke Jackson, who got the two remaining outs in the inning.

Unfortunatey for the Giants, he also surrendered a homer to center to Arcia, which stretched the Braves’ lead to 4-2. In all, Manaea had given up two runs, both earned, on three hits in 3-2/3 innings. He did not look good.

Jackson left after allowing a single to Olson in the top of the eighth, giving way to Taylor Rogers, who, in turn, passed the ball on to Jakob Junis. Junis proceeded to yield back to back singles to Osuña and Rosario. The latter’s safety drove in Olson.

Junis then plunked Murphy (a call that was challenged but upheld). Arcia hit a sac fly to left that brought in Osuña. Nicky López followed with another one, this time to right which enabled Rosario to cross the plate. Atlanta now owned the Giants, 7-2.

Why waste another arm in a lost cause? Junis returned to the mound for the visitors’ ninth. He retired the side in order. But the damage was done

The current three game series isn’t a make or break situation for Kapler’s crew, and there’s still a chance that the Giants will pull out a victory in the one game remaining in it. But it sure is beginning to look as if the only orange and black celebration in San Francisco this October will be Halloween.

The scheduled start for the nationally televised game Sunday, is 4:10. Neither team has yet tipped its hand about its pitching plans.