San Francisco Giants Matt Chapman (26) takes some warm up swings in the on deck circle the bottom of the fourth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Tue Jun 25, 2024 (AP News photo)

Chicago (37-43). 001 000 000. 1 4. 0

San Francisco (37-42). 020 000 030. 5 8 0

Time: 2:26

Attendance: 30,368

Tuesday, June 25, 2024

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–For the second evening in a row, the Giants chose the bullpen route and won. On Monday night an eighth inning outburst gave them a come from behind victory. This Tuesday night an eighth inning three run outburst led the Giants to a 5-1 triumph.

San Francisco opened with Randy Rodríguez (2-1/3 innings, a hit and a run), followed by Sean Hjelle (two innings, two hits, two strikeouts); Taylor Rogers (one inning, one hit, one walk); Ryan Walker (1-1/3 innings, one walk, two strikeouts); Tyler Rogers (who earned the win with one perfect inning); and Camilo Doval (ditto, with a strikeout).

Chicago’s starting pitcher, Kyle Hendrcks had been struggling, as the euphemism has it, this season. His 1-4, 7.66 record at game time was in stark contrast to the 93-69, 3.48 mark he had compiled between 2013 and 2023, but he had performed well in his most recent appearance, a 5-1/3 frame start at Wrigley a week ago in which he held the orange and black to one run, earned, on two hits and a walk.

Tuesday evening, although he was touched for a couple of tallies in the second episode, he was excellent after that until the end of his tenure, when Cotten Brewer started the bottom of the eighth in his stead. The 34 year old righty had gone seven innings and thrown an even 100 pitches, of which only 28 were balls. He allowed two runs, both earned, on five hits and a walk, striking out four. He took the loss and now is 1-4, 6.87 for the year.

As often happens when the Giants go opening pitcher, they executed a pair of matching pregame personnel moves. Tuesday, the optioned Raymond Burgos, who on Monday night had pitched better than his numbers indicated, to Sacramento and recalled Mason Black from the River Cats.

David Villar, the Harvard educated infielder who’s been up and down the interstate between West Sacramento and SOMA, had been promoted last Saturday and was in the lineup this Tuesday evening, batting eighth and playing first. His sacrifice fly to left produced the Giants’ second run in the home second. The first had come on a leadoff single by Jorge Soler, a walk to Matt Chapman, and Michael Conforto’s RBI single to right.

After the Cubs had cut the Giants’ lead in half in the top of the third with a two out walk to Nico Hoerner, who stole second and romped home on Michael Busch’s single to right, Sean Hjelle came in to. relieve Rodríguez. Hjelle allowed a harmless single to Cory Bellinger before ending the inning with a strikeout of Seya Suzuki. Taylor Rogers replaced Hjelle with one on and two out in the fifth and issued a walk and notched a K to end the frame.

San Francisco broke the game open once Colten Brewer replaced Hendricks. Luis Matos led off with a single to left. Brett Wisely smacked a double off the brick wall in right, moving Matos to third. Ramos walked to load the bases, After Patrick Bailey’s grounder to short forced Matos out at the plate. the basepaths still were FOG, full of Giants. Soler’s sac fly to center brought in Wisely, and Chapman’s single to left scored SF’s third run of the inning, their fifth and final tally of the game.

Camilo Doval made mincemeat of the Cubs, setting them down in order on 15 pitches in their futile top of the ninth.

Neither team has announced its starting pitcher for the game scheduled for 6:45pm PT Thursday, evening.