San Francisco Giants pitcher Kyle Harrison (right) hands over the ball to manager Bob Melvin in the sixth inning sixth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP News photo)

Minnesota (53-41). 000 001 000. 1. 10. 0

San Francisco (46-49). 120 011 20x. 7. 9. 0

Time: 2:24

Attendance: 34,106

Friday, July 12, 2024

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–Friday night the Giants bounced back from the defeat they had suffered at the hands of Toronto Wednesday afternoon, a defeat that could have demoralized them. The team they beat Friday night was far superior to the one that beat them Thursday, but the Giants scored a resounding 7-1 triumph over the Minneapolis Twins.

The enigmatic Kyle Harrison, who started for the home town nine, had lost his previous start six days ago in Cleveland, going 3-1/3 innings and surrendering five runs, four earned, in a 5-4 defeat. That was his first start since sitting out 20 games with a sprained right ankle.

His most effective pitch is the four seam fastball, a delivery that the Twins thrive upon. His record entering the fray was 4-4, 4.24 (hence the adjective “enigmatic”). He held the visitors scoreless for the 5-1/3 innings he was on the mound, but one posthumous run, earned, was charged against him when Rylan Walker, who relieved Harrison after he had allowed a leadoff single to Carlos Correa and a double to Carlos Santana, retired Will Castro on a grounder to first that drove in the former from third, ending the shutout but leaving the orange and black ahead, 3-1.

Harrison allowed five hits and a base on balls during his tenure, striking out three to earn the win that made him 5-4, 4.08 for the season. He threw 83 pitches, 50 qualifying as strikes. Melvin and Co. used three relievers, Ryan Walker (1-2/3 IP, two hits); Tyler Rogers (an inning, a hit, a strikeout); and Camilo Duval (one inning, two hits, and a strikeout).

Harrison’s opposite number was Joe Ryan, born San Francisco and residing in San Anselmo. The Giants made him their 39th round draft choice in 2014, out of Sir Francis Drake High, but he chose to attend Cal State Stanislaus, from which Tampa Bay selected him in the seventh round of the 2018 draft.

The Twin Cities acquired his services in ’21, when he was the centerpiece of the trade that sent Nelson Cruz to St. Pete. He went 11-10, 4.51 for the Twinkies last year and had a record of 6-5, 3.29 when he threw his first pitch of the evening.

He, too, lasted 5-1/3 frames, but there the similarity ends. Ryan allowed five runs all of them earned, on six hits. He walked three and struck out six and had a pitch count of 98 (62 strikes). He took the loss and now has a record of 6-6, 3.53.

The team from Minneapolis-St. Paul, like SF, sent three other pitchers to the mound. Caleb Thhielbar worked two thirds of an inning; Josh Staumont and Kody Funderburk toiled an inning apiece. Staumont was charged with two runs. on two hits and a walk; Funderburk, with a walk. Staumont logged a K.

San Francisco took an early lead with a run in the first inning on a lead off triple to right by Jorge Soler followed by LaMonte Wade, Jr.’s, sacrifice fly to left. They tacked on an additional two tallies in the second on Mike Yastrzemski’s double to left that plated Thairo Estrada, who had reached base after forcing Conforto out at second, and Brett Wisely’s RBI pop fly single to center.

Wisely’s made more resounding contact in his next at bat, in the sixth. He smacked a one out triple off the Visa advertisement on the right center field fence. He trotted home with the Giants’. third run when Soler followed up with a single to left.

Wisely continued his offensive rampage with another shot to right center. This one bounced over the same Visa ad for an automatic double that brought Chapman home from third with Giants’ fourth run. The blow came off Caleb Thielbar, who had relieved Ryan with runners on first and second and one down.

When it rains, it pours, and San Francisco poured it on in the home seventh against Josh Staumont, the Twin Cities’ third pitcher. Michael Concerto’s two bagger with Ramos, who had singled, and Chapman, who had walked, on base increased the Giants’ advantage to 7-1.

All star Héliot Ramos, who went two for four, made a beautiful diving catch of Carlos Santana’s dying quail in the top of the fourth. Jorge Soler also went two for four with an RBI . But it was Wisely whose star shone the brightest.

He made a nifty leaping grab at short of Byron Buxton’s soft liner with two on and no outs that for the moment prevented a run from scoring. More noteworthy was his work at the plate. He went three for three with a single, a double, and triple, driving in a pair of runs.

The Giants may yet be contender. They’ll face the Twins again Saturday, in the second of this three game series. Righty Hayden Birdsong (1-0, 4.40) will face the Twins’ Simeon Woods Richardson (3-1, 3.48) at 4:15 in the afternoon.