San Francisco Giants Mike Yastrzemski (5) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Seattle Mariners in the top of the seventh inning at T Mobile Park in Seattle on Sat Aug 24, 2024 (AP News photo)
Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024
T-Mobile Park
Seattle, Washington
San Francisco Giants 4 (66-65)
Seattle Mariners 3 (65-65)
Win: Spencer Bivens (3-1)
Loss: George Kirby (9-10)
Save: Ryan Walker (3)
Time: 3:04
Attendance: 38,027
By Stephen Ruderman
SEATTLE–After blowing a 5-1 lead to suffer their worst loss of the season Saturday night, the Giants bounced back today with a 4-3 win over the Mariners at T-Mobile Park.
The roof was closed again on another cold and rainy day in the Pacific Northwest, as the Giants looked to bounce back from their worst loss of the season Friday night. Friday night, the Giants had a 5-1 lead going to the bottom of the eighth inning, but Tyler Rogers imploded, and the Mariners scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth to tie it. The Mariners then won the game in the 10th inning.
It was the kind of loss that will truly test the resilience of a team. The 2024 Giants have been a very streaky team with a lot of ups and downs, but last night’s game took the cake. They came into Saturday, 65-65, and five games back of the Braves for the third wild card with 32 games left to play. How they would respond today could be a real indicator of what this team is all about.
The Giants responded nicely against Mariners’ starter George Kirby in the top of the first inning. Tyler Fitzgerald led off the ballgame with a bunt single past the mound on the third base side. LaMonte Wade swung out swinging, but Heliot Ramos was hit by a pitch, and Michael Conforto walked to load the bases.
Matt Chapman was up, and he lined a slider from Kirby down the left field line, but Mariners’ left-fielder Randy Arozarena ran and dove to his right to make a tremendous diving catch to rob Chapman of a base-hit. Chapman still got an RBI though, as Fitzgerald scored, and it ended up being a sacrifice fly.
Arozarena hurt himself on the play, and he was down for a couple of minutes. However, being the gamer that he is, he stayed in the game.
Blake Snell made the start for the Giants, and the Giants hoped he could continue his historic stretch with another strong start Sunday. The first man Snell would face would be Victor Robles, and Robles appeared to be hit on one of his hands and fell to the ground.
Unlike Arozarena, Robles would have to leave the game. Not only that, but Home Plate Umpire Tripp Gibson ruled it a foul ball, so it proved to be one of the most painful strikes in the history of the game. Luke Raley pinch-hit and flew out to left field.
Snell pitched a scoreless inning in the bottom of the first, and the Giants would rally again in the top of the second. Thairo Estrada and Grant McCray started the inning with back-to-back singles. Curt Casali struck out, but Tyler Fitzgerald lined a base-hit down the left field line, which knocked in Thairo to make it 2-0.
The Giants were unable to add on in the top of the second, and it would prove quite costly when Snell completely lost his command in the bottom of the second. Snell walked five guys in the bottom of the second, which gave the Mariners two runs to tie the game. Talk about a rally for free.
Hayden Birdsong had a hard time throwing strikes last night, and the same thing was happening to Snell today, as he had issued six walks in his first two innings of work. Was there something wrong with the mound at T-Mobile Park? Who knows, but Snell’s second inning just came out of the blue.
“It’s why the game is beautiful,” said Snell. “There’s always something to work on; something to learn; [and] something I could have told myself to make the inning quicker.”
The Giants wasted an opportunity in the top of the third, and Snell bounced back with a one, two, three inning in the bottom of the third. Snell had thrown 74 pitches, and he was done after three no-hit innings. Snell gave up two runs and struck out six.
“You know what, a lot of innings here kinda recently added up for him,” said Bob Melvin. “Obviously, he didn’t have his command in the second, so [we] called it a day a little bit early for him and gave him a little bit of a break. He’s been pitching deep in games [and] throwing a ton of pitches. [He] just felt pretty sluggish from the start today, as far as his body goes, so that’s why we did that.”
“[I] gotta make adjustments quicker to allow myself to get deeper into games,” added Snell. “Just a weird [start], but [I’ll] learn from it [and] get better.”
Kirby pitched a scoreless inning in the top of the fourth, and Melvin went to Spencer Bivens in the bottom of the fourth. Bivens gave up a two-out single, but pitched a scoreless inning.
Kirby retired the first two men he faced in the top of the fifth, but Mike Yastrzemski doubled and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Thairo then came up and lined a base-hit down the left field line to knock in Yaz, and the Giants were back ahead 3-2.
Bivens pitched another scoreless inning in the bottom of the fifth, and JT Chargois, who came in for Kirby in the top of the fifth, pitched a scoreless top of the sixth. Bivens returned for his third inning of work in the bottom of the sixth, and he threw a one, two, three inning.
“Bivens all the sudden [made] a three-inning start out of Blake a six-inning start,” said Melvin. “It was almost like Blake pitched six innings today.”
It was not expected for Snell to only last three innings, and after Bob Melvin used six pitchers out of the bullpen last night, Bivens gave his team a huge performance.
Austin Voth came in for Seattle in the top of the seventh. After Voth retired the first two hitters he faced, Yaz came up and hit a line-drive home run to the first row in right to make it 4-2.
Aaron Hicks, who hurt himself warming up in the bullpen Friday night, was summoned for the bottom of the seventh. Hicks walked Raley with one out, and Julio Rodriguez hit a ground-rule double to right-center to put runners at second and third. Justin Turner then walked to load the bases for the always-dangerous Randy Arozarena.
Arozarena hit a ground ball to short and was originally called out on the backend of a double play by First Base Umpire Brock Ballou to end the inning. However, the Mariners challenged the call, and it was overturned. Raley scored to make it 4-3, and the inning was still alive.
Melvin then brought in Camilo Doval, who was brought back up from Sacramento after five games, in which he went 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA. Doval made his return to the majors in the ballpark where he pitched in the All-Star Game last season.
Doval immediately fell behind 3-0 to the first hitter he faced, Jorge Polanco. Arozarena then stole second, and Melved elected to put Polanco on to load the bases for former Giant Mitch Haniger, who grounded out to third to end the inning.
The Giants still had the lead going to the eighth, as Trent Thornton came in for the Mariners. McCray lined a base-hit into center field, and Curt Casali bunted him over to second. However, the Giants were unable to come through.
Melvin let Doval go back out for the bottom of the eighth, and Doval did not disappoint, as he threw a one, two, three inning, striking out the final two.
Tayler Saucedo then pitched a one, two, three top of the ninth for the Mariners.
Ryan Walker was originally not supposed to pitch today after his dominant two-inning performance last night. However, Walker really wanted to pitch, and got his wish, as he came in and retired the first two hitters in the bottom of the ninth.
Justin Turner kept the game going with a base-hit to center to bring up Arozarena as the potential winning run. Of course it had to be a little scary, but Arozarena grounded out to short to end it, and the Giants were able to hold on for a desperately-needed 4-3 win.
Spencer Bivens got the win with his three-inning performance; George Kirby took the loss; and Ryan Walker picked up his third save.
“[Walker] volunteered today,” said Melvin. “[That] allowed us to do things a little bit differently earlier in the game. [If he didn’t volunteer], you wouldn’t have seen Doval or Hicks in the innings that they pitched.”
“He’s our workhorse down there,” added Yaz. “You can throw him into any role, and he’s gonna say ‘yes.’ He’s not gonna put up a stink; he’s gonna do what needs to be done for the team and do it well…..I’m glad I don’t have to face him right now.”
Thairo and Fitzgerald both went 2-for-4, but the guy who really came through today was Yastrzemski, who went 3-for-5.
The Giants are back over .500, as they improve to 66-65. However, they remain five games back of the Braves, who beat the Washington Nationals 4-2 in Atlanta.
The Giants can take the series with a win Sunday. Robbie Ray (3-2, 4.88 ERA) will make the start for the Giants, and Bryan Woo (5-2, 2.12 ERA) will take the ball for Seattle. First pitch will be at 1:10 p.m.
National League Wild Card Standings:
- Diamondbacks 74-56 +3.5
- Padres 73-58 +2.0
- Braves 70-59 —
Mets 68-62 2.5
GIANTS 66-65 5.0
Cubs 65-65 5.5
Cardinals 64-65 6.0
Giants News and Notes:
Camilo Doval had a lot of help from Ryan Vogelsong and Johnny Cueto in his brief stint in Sacramento. Doval had a conversation with Cueto, a former Giant who was pitching for the Los Angeles Angels’ Triple-A affiliate, the Salt Lake Bees.
Cueto has shown throughout his career that he possesses a lot of pitching knowledge, and he very well could be a pitching coach after he retires.
With Doval back up, Landed Roupp, who pitched for the first time in nine days last night, was sent back to Sacramento.
Even with Doval back, Walker will remain the closer.
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