San Francisco Giants starter Logan Webb was dealing against the Atlanta Braves at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Thu Aug 15, 2024 (AP News photo)

Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

Atlanta Braves 0 (64-57)

San Francisco Giants 6 (62-62)

Win: Logan Webb (11-8)

Loss: Max Fried (7-7)

Time: 2:23

Attendance: 29,319

By Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–Logan Webb gave the Giants seven and two thirds shutout innings, as the Giants were able to score some runs and salvage this series with a desperately-needed 6-0 win on Wednesday.

Following Sunday’s tough loss against the Tigers in which they missed a lot of opportunities and committed a pair of devastating base-running gaffes, the Giants have fallen into a predictable spiral.

On Monday, Blake Snell and Chris Sale squared off in what very well may have been the best-pitched game in Baseball this season only for the Braves to win 1-0 with their automatic runner in the 10th inning. On Tuesday, the Braves won again thanks to the automatic runner in the 10th. Then Wednesday night, Robbie Ray couldn’t even make it out of the first inning, as the Braves slaughtered the Giants 13-2.

The one thing that was consistent over the first three games of this series—well, other than the losing—was the Giants’ inability to get the big hit with runners in scoring position. The Giants went 3-for-24 with runners in scoring position in the first three games of this series.

Thursday, Logan Webb would once again have to be the stopper—seems like he’s had to be the stopper a lot this season—as the Giants looked to avert the sweep. The Giants came into today’s game four and a half games back of the Braves for the third wild card spot in the National League, so today was really a must-win game.

To further complicate things, the Braves won the season series against the Giants with their win Wednesday night, so they hold any potential tiebreaker. If the Braves were to win Thursday, the Giants would be five and a half games back and would have to gain six and a half games in their final 38 games. Simply put, the Giants really needed to win Thursday.

Webb got off to a nice start with a one, two three, inning in the top of the first, and the Giants would threaten against Braves’ starter Max Fried in the bottom of the first. Tyler Fitzgerald singled and stole second, but Fried retired the side, and it was another wasted opportunity for the Giants.

Webb threw another one, two, three, inning in the top of the second, and the Giants would mount a rally in the bottom of the second. Jerar Encarnacion, Mike Yastrzemski and Casey Schmitt all singled to load the bases with nobody out, so the question was how they would waste this opportunity.

Catcher Curt Casali struck out swinging for the first out, so yup, here we go again. Grant McCray—the son of former major leaguer Rodney McCray—who was called up to make his major league debut Wednesday night was now up.

Bob Melvin, who likes to bunt from time to time, put on the safety squeeze. McCray tried laying down a bunt at the first pitch from Fried, but he missed. Two pitches later, he got the bunt down right in front of the plate, but when Fried got it and flipped it to catcher Travis d’Arnaud, d’Arnaud juggled it and did not have full control of the ball. Encarnacion scored, and the Giants finally had their first lead of the series.

It wasn’t a base-hit to the outfield, but it was an RBI hit with runners in scoring position, and it was a tremendous shot in the arm, so hey, the Giants will take it! Plus, it was an interesting and cool way for McCray to get his first big league hit and RBI. Fitzgerald then got Yaz in with a sacrifice fly to center to make it 2-0.

Both teams went scoreless in the third, and then the Braves had their first real rally of the day in the top of the fourth. Michael Harris II led off the top of the fourth with a base-hit to left.

Austin Riley then hit a ground ball to short that Tyler Fitzgerald flipped to Casey Schmitt at second to try and get Harris. Schmitt had the ball and grazed the bag at second with his foot, but he dropped it on the transfer, which prompted Second Base Umpire Jeremy Riggs to call Harris safe. The play went to replay, but the call was upheld.

The Braves had runners at first and second with nobody out following a tough break for Webb and the Giants. With everything that has gone on in this four-game losing streak, it could have spelled disaster.

However, with how tough Webb is, it was no problem. Marcel Ozuna worked an 0-2 count into a full count, but Webb got Ozuna looking on a sinker at the knees for a much-need first out. Webb then caught a massive break when Matt Olson lined a bullet to Mark Canha at first, and Canha stepped on the bag to double off Riley for an unassisted double play to end the inning.

Webb escaped the jam without any damage, which was another shot in the arm for the Giants. He then settled down to throw a one, two, three, innings in the fifth and sixth.

Yastrzemski walked with one out in the bottom of the sixth, and that ended the day for Fried. Jesse Chavez then came in for Atlanta, and Casey Schmitt hit a line drive home run to left field to make it 4-0. Two batters later, Grant McCray, who had gotten his first big league hit and RBI with his bunt single in the second, hit his first big league home run to right-center.

Webb hasn’t had the greatest run support this season, but now, he had a 5-0 lead heading to the seventh. Webb pitched another scoreless inning in the top of the seventh, and back-to-back doubles by Heliot Ramos and Matt Chapman off Chavez in the bottom of the seventh plated another run for the Giants to make it 6-0.

Bob Melvin let Webb go back out for the eighth, and Webb retired the first two hitters he faced. With two outs, Ramon Laureano was up with a 2-2 count. Webb threw a pair of pitches that were very close, but were called balls by Home Plate Umpire Dan Iassogna, and Laureano drew the walk.

Webb was a strike away from throwing eight shutout innings, but after Laureano walked, Whit Merrifield singled to right-center to put runners at the corners with two outs. That ended Webb’s day, and he exited to a standing ovation from this grateful crowd of 29,319.

Melvin wasted no time bringing in Tyler Rogers in a 6-0 game. It was definitely a move that would be made in a must-win game, especially with a powerful Braves’ offense very much capable of coming back. The move paid off, as Harris flew out to left to end the inning.

Webb didn’t get eight shutout innings, but seven and two thirds shutdown innings isn’t bad. He gave the Giants an outing they really needed, as he gave up just four hits and a walk, and he struck out seven.

Aaron Bummer, who finished the bottom of the seventh for Atlanta, pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth. Melvin then brought in Spencer Bivens, who was called back up this morning, for the ninth, and Bivens pitched a one, two, three, top of the ninth to end it.

Logan Webb got the win, and Max Fried took the loss.

The Giants were able to score six runs, and they did a bit better with runners in scoring position, going 3-for-11. However, they are still going to need to consistently get those key RBI hits with runners in scoring position if they want to make a run at the Playoffs.

The Giants get back up to .500, as they improve to 62-62. Funny thing: The Giants were 2-11 when having a chance to get back up to .500 prior to last week, but they have now won three-straight games in that situation.

The Giants also gained a game on the Braves and are three and a half back of the third wild card spot. The Giants will still have to gain four and a half games in their final 38 games, but it’s still a lot better than having to gain six and a half games in that span, which they would have had to do had they lost Thursday. The bottom line is that this was a desperately needed win.

The Giants will have their lone Friday off-day of the season Fri Aug 16th, and then they will begin a short two-game set in Oakland against the A’s on Saturday. It will most likely will be the Giants’ final series at the Oakland Coliseum, and most likely the final Bay Bridge Series ever.

Hayden Birdsong (3-2, 5.40 ERA), who is coming off a pair of rough starts, will look to bounce back as he takes the ball in the series opener at the Coliseum on Saturday. Right-hander Osvaldo Bido (3-3, 3.92 ERA), meanwhile, will make the start for Oakland. First pitch will be at 4:07 p.m.

National League Wild Card Standings:

*1. Diamondbacks 69-53 +4.5

*2. Padres 69-53 +4.5

3. Braves 64-57 —

Mets 62-59 2.0

GIANTS 62-62 3.5

*Reds 60-61 4.0

*Cardinals 60-61 4.0

Cubs 59-63 5.5

*Tiebreaking procedures taken into account.

Giants News and Notes:

Randy Rodriguez was placed on the 15-Day Injured List prior to the game Thursday due to inflammation in his right elbow. Rodriguez has pitched in 33 games this season, and is 3-2 with a 3.93 ERA. He has also proven to be quite valuable in late-inning situations. It is unknown how long he will be out.

Major League Baseball News and Notes:

Rob Manfred is at it again. As if the atrocious rule changes he has implemented aren’t bad enough, he is now suggesting a rule in which starting pitchers would have to complete six innings with some possible exceptions. Those exceptions could include reaching the 100-pitch mark and giving up four or more runs.

As much as it would be good for the game to see starting pitchers go deeper into games, this is a move that is guaranteed to lead to more injuries.

Speaking of Manfred’s rule changes, the A’s beat the Mets 7-6 at Citi Field in what was the longest nine-inning game since the implementation of the pitch clock last season at three hours and 45 minutes.

The previous longest nine-inning game with the pitch clock was the first of the two games between the Giants and Padres in Mexico City on April 29, 2023. The Padres beat the Giants 16-11 7,350 feet above sea level. That game lasted three hours and 44 minutes.