Sunset over the Tower Bridge in Sacramento during the late innings of the Giants vs River Cats matchup. (Photo: Jeremiah Salmonson)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO — The San Francisco Giants visited Sacramento on Sunday evening, playing as the home team at Sutter Health Park. The Giants faced off against the River Cats at 5:05 PM PST in the upgraded venue that will soon host the Sacramento A’s regular-season games beginning March 31st. However, the River Cats came away with a 4-3 victory over the Giants in West Sacramento.

The Giants started scoring early, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Jung Hoo Lee doubled home Heliot Ramos with a line drive to right-center field, and later Luis Matos reached base on a throwing error, allowing Lee to score.

The Giants’ offense struck again in the second inning, extending their advantage to 3-0 when Christian Koss doubled in Casey Schmitt. Unfortunately, this marked the end of their scoring for the night, as the River Cats took control from that point forward.

In the fourth inning, the River Cats began chipping away at the deficit as Logan Porter doubled home Hunter Bishop, cutting the Giants’ lead to 3-1.

Giants starter Landen Roupp turned in a strong performance, pitching five innings while allowing just one hit, one earned run, and one walk, with eight strikeouts. Roupp remains in contention for the fifth spot in the starting rotation. Time will tell if he or Birdsong gets the nod for Manager Bob Melvin. 

In contrast, Hayden Birdsong, competing with Roupp for the rotation spot, struggled significantly. Birdsong entered in the sixth inning but was pulled after recording just one out, allowing three hits, two walks, and three earned runs. The River Cats took advantage, scoring three runs in the inning to pull ahead 4-3.

Kai-Wei Teng and Justin Garza combined to pitch the remaining 3 1/3 innings for the Giants, holding the River Cats scoreless. Despite their efforts in the ninth, the Giants’ offense couldn’t produce additional runs, and the game ended in a 4-3 loss. 

After a strong spring, the Giants are feeling good as they return to San Francisco on Sunday night. They have two official spring training games remaining before Opening Day on March 27th against the Reds in Cincinnati.

Key Performers:
Heliot Ramos had a strong showing, going 2-2 with a double and a walk.
Landen Roupp delivered five innings of one-run baseball with eight strikeouts.

Up Next: The Giants return to San Francisco for their first game at Oracle Park this season, hosting the Detroit Tigers in Spring Training action at 6:45 PM PST.