New York Yankees slugger Juan Soto flips the bat after hitting a two run ninth inning home run as the Yankees overcome the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sun Jun 2, 2024 (AP News photo)

Sunday, June 2, 2024

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

New York Yankees 7 (42-19)

San Francisco Giants 5 (29-31)

Win: Michael Tonkin (2-3)

Loss: Camilo Doval (2-1)

Save: Clay Holmes (17)

Time: 2:55

Attendance: 39,485

By Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–Disaster struck today in San Francisco, as Blake Snell left after straining his groin, and Camilo Doval blew a 5-3 lead in the top of the ninth inning and gave up four runs, which allowed the Yankees to sweep the Giants with a 7-5 win.

Friday night, Giants’ ace, Logan Webb, was rocked for four runs early on, and the Giants dropped the second game in this three series. Saturday, they wanted to avoid getting swept, and Blake Snell, who was looking to finally get his first win as a Giant, was the man the Giants turned to as they tried to salvage a game in this series.

The game didn’t start well for Snell and the Giants. With one out in the top of the first inning, Juan Soto hit an absolute bomb out to right-center field to stake the Yankees to a 1-0 lead. Aaron Judge followed that with a single, and he stole second base with two outs, but Snell got Alex Verdugo to fly out to center to end the inning.

The Giants would be up against the Yankees’ left-hander, Nestor Cortes, and the Giants promptly went down 1-2-3 against him in the bottom of the first. DJ LeMahieu singled to left to lead off the second and got to second on a two-out walk to Jose Trevino. Snell was on the ropes again, but he got out of it, as Anthony Volpe flew out to left to end the inning.

Jorge Soler roped a double down the left field line with one out in the bottom of the second to get the Giants their first hit. Luis Matos struck out swinging, and it appeared that the Giants’ offense, which has reverted back to their old ways, was going to waste another opportunity.

Casey Schmitt then singled on a soft line drive up the middle just past the glove of the diving shortstop, Anthony Volpe, to tie the game. Tyler Fitzgerald lined a base-hit to left-center to move Schmitt over to third, but the Giants were unable to take the lead, as catcher Curt Casali flew out to right to end the inning.

Snell walked Judge with one out in the top of the third and allowed Judge to get to second on a wild pitch, but Giancarlo Stanton and Verdugo each flew out to end the inning. Heliot Ramos then led off the bottom of the third with a high fly ball to left-center that he seemed to get a bit to much underneath, but the ball carried as it got into the wind, e-gift was blowing out to right-center, and the ball got out for a home run to give the Giants the lead.

Snell finally settled down with a 1-2-3 top of the fourth. Unlike many of his prior starts this season, Snell was able to pitch well the second time through the order, and this was no doubt shaping up to be his best start of the season. Casey Schmitt then hit his second home run in as many games in the bottom of the fourth to make it 3-1.

The Giants held their 3-1 lead going to the fifth. Snell was solid the second time through the Yankees’ order, but now as he entered his third go-around through the order, things changed. Volpe and Soto singled with one out, and they advanced to second and third on a wild pitch to Judge.

Snell struck Judge out swinging for the second out, but he walked Stanton to load the bases. That brought up Verdugo. Snell threw a curveball on the outside corner for strike one, but after throwing a fastball high to even the count at 1-1, Snell re-injured his left groin that sidelined him for a month, and he had to leave the game.

Left-hander Erik Miller came in, and Verdugo lined a double to right to knock in Vulpe and Soto and tie the game at 3-3. LeMahieu then grounded out to short to end the inning.

It was a very unfortunate end to what was Snell’s best start of the season. He gave up three runs over four and two thirds innings, struck out seven and threw 99 pitches, which was his highest total of the season. He will have an MRI Monday, but he appears most likely to head back to the Injured List.

“I don’t think he’s moving around worse than last, but I don’t know how [he’s not going to the] IL,” said Manager Bob Melvin.

Brett Wisely singled off Cortes with one out in the bottom of the fifth, and Yankees Manager Aaron Boone pulled Cortes for Dennis Santana. Santana got Wilmer Flores to fly out to left and Matt Chapman to ground into a force play to send the game to the sixth.

Miller came back out and pitched a 1-2-3 top of the sixth. Soler and Luis Matos singled off Santana to start the bottom of the sixth. Schmitt popped into an infield fly, and Tyler Fitzgerald flew out to left. Casali was then hit in the hand to load the bases. Casali was examined, but he stayed in the game. That brought up Ramos, who lined a base-hit to left to score two and put the Giants back ahead 5-3.

Ryan Walker pitched a scoreless top of the seventh for the Giants, and San Francisco wasted an opportunity against Michael Tonkin in the bottom of the seventh. Tyler Rogers pitched a 1-2-3 top of the eighth for the Giants, and Tonkin did the same for the Yankees in the bottom of the eighth.

The Giants were three outs away from salvaging a game in the series, and they had every reason to feel confident with their closer, Camilo Doval, in the game. However, the game was about to completely change.

Gleyber Torres led off the inning with a base-hit up the middle to center. Jose Trevino barely beat out the back end of what was nearly a 6-4-3 double play, and with one out, Volpe hit a triple to the gap in right-center to suddenly make it a 5-4 game with the tying run at third. Juan Soto then came up and hit his second home run of the game, a shot to the back of the Arcade in right to give the Yankees a 6-5 lead.

It was only the second blown save of the season for Doval, but things were about to get even uglier for the Giants. Doval completely lost it and proceeded to walk Judge, who stole second, but then advanced to third when Casali’s throw sailed into center field. Stanton followed that up with a ground-rule double to right-center to make it 7-5.

“I felt good with Doval,” said Melvin. “Anytime he’s in the game, we feel good…..I’ll take him against anybody. They just got him today.”

Taylor Rogers had to finish the inning, as the Giants were able to keep the deficit at 7-5. The Yankees brought in their closer, Clay Holmes for the bottom of the ninth, and he closed the game and the sweep out with a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth.

Tonkin got the win; Doval suffered his first loss of the season; and Holmes picked up his 17th save. It was the worst loss of the season for the Giants, who were not only swept by the Yankees, but lost the final four games of the homestand to fall to 29-31.

“We played well today,” said Melvin. “You look at the way [the Yankees] played the first two games, and all the sudden, they’re ahead 1-0 again. I thought we responded well, then all the sudden, it’s tied again, and now we respond again. We played well today; [we] just didn’t shut it down in the ninth.”

The Giants will now head back out on the road for an all-2023 World Series road trip. They will head to Phoenix, Arizona for a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks that will start Monday night, followed by a three-game series against the defending world champion Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas starting Friday night.

“We [are] just [going to] go into tomorrow and expect to win the next series,” said Melvin. “It’s still tough, because we’re not looking at a full roster at this point.

News and Notes:

Thairo Estrada was out of the lineup for the second day in a row due to a bruise on his right hand.

“For him not to play, he’s banged up,” said Manager Bob Melvin. “So there’s a pretty good bruise on there.”

Shortstop Nick Ahmed played his first rehab game last night with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats after hurting his wrist on May 9, but his wrist did not seem to respond well.

“It didn’t feel great, so he might have had a little bit of a setback,” said Melvin.

Outfielders Austin Slater and Michael Conforto are also rehabbing in Sacramento. It is possible that Conforto could return and be in the lineup as soon as Monday night in Arizona.

Left-handed starter Robbie Ray, who the Giants signed over the off-season during his recovery from Tommy John Surgery, will face live hitters for the first time, as he will pitch one inning in an Arizona Complex game on Tuesday.

The Giants have yet to announce who will go in the series opener tomorrow night at Chase Field in Phoenix. First pitch will be at 6:40 p.m. The Diamondbacks will be starting Ryne Nelson (3-4, ERA 6.02).