San Francisco Giants starter Landen Roupp (65) is removed in the top of the four inning by Giants manager Bob Melvin (left) against the St Louis Cardinals at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Fri Sep 27, 2024 (AP News photo)

St. Louis (82-78). 101 400 000. 6. 13. 0

San Francisco (79-81). 030 030 000. 3. 9. 1

Time: 2:46

Attendance: 35,101

September 27, 2024

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–Although neither team in this Friday night’s game between the playoff eliminated St. Louis Cardinals and your equally frustrated San Francisco Giants had any much to win or lose, one of them, of necessity, had to win or lose. It turned out to be the Giants had to lose, by a score of 6-3.

Before the action began, the Giants announced that they had reinstated right handed reliever Randy Rodríguez from the paternity list. He entered the game in the top of the sixth as San Francisco’s third pitcher and threw a perfect inning. Fellow starboard hurler Mason Black was optioned to the River Cats to make room for him.

The Giants also presented Matt Chapman with the Willie Mac Award for being the team’s most inspirational player. He was the 44th recipient of the award named for number 44, Willie McCovey. It would be hard to find significance in that coincidence. Maybe if he’d have made a splash hit into the cove, it would have been less of a stretch.

Although little was at stake for the teams as a whole, the contest presented a chance for several players to position themselves for 2025. One of those was the Giants’ starting pitcher, Landen Loupp, who needed to show he was sturdy enough and less reliant on his curveball, to join next year’s rotation.

He wasn’t successful. In his 3-2/3 innings on the mound he allowed all six St. Louis runs. All were earned, but one of them was posthumous, coming on a triple to left center by Lars Nootbarr off Taylor Rogers that drove in Nolan Arenado, who had smacked a double into the left field corner.

Those six runs were the only ones St. Louis could muster all night. After Rodríguez finished his work, Camilo Doval and Austin Warren continued to stymie the Cardinals, although the latter allowed them three hits in his two innings of work.

How did some of the other Giants whose proximate future was in doubt stack up against the Cards tonight? Tyler Fitzgerald, playing shortstop, let a ground ball bounce off his chest for an error in the top of the fifth.

Two innings later, there was no shock and awe fanfare for Camilo Doval when he followed Rodríguez to the hill, but he retired all three Cardinals he faced before the crowd sang “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” Héliot Ramos, who has been suffering from the Jinx of the Rookie All-Star. at least as far as his hitting is concerned, went 0-5 with two strikeouts, lowering his batting average to .270..

Miles Mikolas, a 37 year old veteran control specialist of six MLB seasons and three more with the Yomiuri Giants started for the Cardinals and earned his tenth win of the season, against 11 losses. He surrendered three runs, all earned, on seven hits, one a 430 foot home run to center with Michael Conforto on base that put the Giants up 2-1 in the second.

Mike Yastrzemski’s two bagger to right with Brett Wisley, who had singled, increased their lead to 3-1. It would be the last time a Giant batter crossed the plate. In at least one way, Mikolas’s performance was typical of him. His earned run average remained unchanged at 5.35.

The visitors from the Gateway City sent four more pitchers to the mound, each for an inning. They were, in order, John King, Andrew Kitteridge, Matthew Liberatore, and Ryan Helsely. The last two were the only ones to allow a hit (one apiece). Kitteridge and Liberatore each struck out one batter, and Helsely, two.

The Giants now are 2-10 at Oracle Park in September.

Home plate umpire Jacob Metz threw St. Louis DH Matt Carpenter out of the game in the top of the ninth for arguing a ball-strike call. The Cards had another setback when they appealed Michael Siani’s having been called out on Ramos’s throw to Chapman while trying to advance on Brandon Donovan’s hit to left. Replay confirmed the call.

The Giants will try to even this three game series Saturday, the 28th at 1:05. They’ll throw Blake Snell (5-3, 3.12) against the Cardinals, who will entrust their fate to André Pallante (8-8, 3.71).