Scottsdale Stadium getting prepped for the game against the Mariners on Saturday afternoon (Photo: Jeremiah Salmonson)
By Jeremiah Salmonson
SCOTTSDALE — The San Francisco Giants brought the heat to a chilly 64 degree Scottsdale, Arizona. On Saturday, Bob Melvin rolled out a lineup that closely resembles what many expect to be the Opening Day lineup on March 27. The starting group featured LaMonte Wade Jr., Willy Adames, Matt Chapman, Heliot Ramos, Patrick Bailey, Wilmer Flores, Jerar Encarnacion, Tyler Fitzgerald, and Grant McCray. Jung Hoo Lee was a late precautionary scratch due to back tightness, though it’s not believed to be serious, and he may return as soon as tomorrow.
That lineup delivered, as the Giants cruised to a 6-2 victory over the visiting Seattle Mariners.
Logan Webb took the mound at a sold out Scottsdale Stadium as the Giants looked to continue their strong spring.
The scoring opened in the top of the second when the Giants struggled defensively with uncharacteristic infield errors. The inning could best be described as “throwing the ball all over the field.” Matt Chapman committed a fielding error, then followed with a throwing error on a double-play attempt that led to the game’s first runs. Logan Webb also had a throwing miscue, capping a rough sequence in which the Giants committed three errors in the inning. After the game, I asked Bob Melvin if he had to pinch himself watching Chapman—a Platinum Glove defender—make two errors in one inning.
“It’s like, get them out of the way now,” Melvin said. “Every once in a while, you’re going to have a game like that. And both those balls took funky hops. The throw was good—that wasn’t his fault on the double play.”
The Giants didn’t dwell on the miscues for long. In the bottom of the second, Heliot Ramos launched his first homer of the spring, an opposite-field shot off Logan Gilbert on a 1-1 count, cutting the Mariners’ lead to 2-1.
One inning later, the Giants took the lead. LaMonte Wade Jr. and Willy Adames each singled to center to set the stage for Ramos, who followed up his home run with a two-run double off the top of the left-center field wall, putting San Francisco ahead 3-2.
Webb settled in, tossing two more scoreless innings to finish with a strong line: five innings, 75 pitches, two unearned runs, one hit, one walk, and five strikeouts.
“Only gave up a run, but he shouldn’t have given up any,” Melvin said of Webb’s outing. “Good cutter again today, slider working both sides of the plate, changeup—everything looked good. When you’re seeing balls on the ground, you know he’s on his game.”
The Giants’ offense stayed hot in the fifth. Grant McCray doubled to left before Adames crushed a scalding opposite-field homer to right-center, extending the lead to 5-2.
Tyler Rogers worked a clean top of the sixth, allowing only one hit, and Jerar Encarnacion capped the scoring in the bottom half with a solo shot to right. The Giants led 6-2, which held as the final score.
The bullpen locked things down the rest of the way. Ryan Walker, Camilo Doval, and Randy Rodriguez pitched the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, respectively, allowing just one hit combined while striking out five.
With the win, the Giants improved to 14-5, holding the best record in both the Cactus and Grapefruit leagues this spring.
Giants Top Performers:
Logan Webb earned the win, improving to 3-0 with a 1.84 ERA this spring.
Heliot Ramos went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs.
Jerar Encarnacion finished 2-for-3 with a double and a homer.
The Giants’ bullpen combined for four innings of two-hit, no-walk baseball with six strikeouts.
Up Next: The Giants face the Sacramento Athletics on Sunday at Scottsdale Stadium, with first pitch set for 1:05 PM PST.
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