Pittsburgh Pirates starter Martin Perez pitches against the San Francisco Giants at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Tue May 21, 2024 (AP News photo)
Tuesday, May 21, 2024
PNC Park
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
San Francisco Giants 6 (23-26)
Pittsburgh Pirates 7 (23-26)
Win: David Bednar (3-3)
Loss: Erik Miller (0-2)
Time: 3:03
Attendance: 12,652
By Stephen Ruderman
The Pirates handed the Giants what was no doubt their worst loss of the season, as they scored four runs off Luke Jackson and Camilo Doval to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth inning, and Nick Gonzales hit the first pitch of the bottom of the 10th for a walk-off single, as the Pirates won it 7-6.
With the Giants riding high on a four-game winning streak following a sweep of the Colorado Rockies over the weekend in San Francisco, they traveled back east to Pittsburgh to take on the Pirates at PNC Park. The Giants would look to make it five in a row with their ace, Logan Webb, on the mound. For the Pirates, left-hander Martin Perez would make the start.
Jorge Soler, who has been settling into the leadoff spot in the Giants’ lineup, struck out to start the game. Thairo Estrada then walked, and Luis Matos, last week’s National League Player of the Week, stayed hot with a ground-ball base-hit to left-center field to put runners at the corners with one out. Perez froze Matt Chapman with a changeup right at the knees to strike him out for the second out, and that left things up to Wilmer Flores, who has not seen too much playing time, and who has been off to a slow start in this still-young season.
On the 3-2 pitch from Perez, Flores hit a popup to shallow left, where the evening sun was still shining. Pirates’ left-fielder Jack Suwinski came in, and shortstop O’Neil Cruz went out, and Cruz dropped the ball. Estrada scored from third, but since it was a full count, Luis Matos, the runner at first, was running on the pitch, and he was able to score easily all the way from first.
The Giants were staked to an early 2-0 lead, as Webb took the mound for the bottom of the first. Webb got Andrew McCutchen, who was a Giant for five months in 2018, to ground out to short, and he got former Giants’ top prospect Bryan Reynolds to strike out on a foul tip.
Cruz then lined a base-hit down the right field line that seemed destined to be extra bases, but since the ball ricocheted off the side wall right to the Giants’ right-fielder Ryan McKenna, and that kept Cruz to a single. Former Giant Connor Joe then flew out to left to end the inning.
The Giants went down 1-2-3 in the top of the second, but the Pirates were ready to strike in the bottom of the second. Nick Gonzales lined a base-hit the other way to right to start the inning, and Suwinski singled on a ground ball to right to move Gonzales over to third and put runners at the corners with nobody out.
Webb got veteran catcher Yasmani Grandal to strike out swinging, but Jared Triolo knocked in Gonzales with a sacrifice fly to deep center to put the Pirates on the board. Webb then got Ji-hwan Bae to ground into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.
Both pitchers pitched scoreless innings in the third, and the Giants were unable to do anything with a leadoff base-hit by Wilmer Flores in the top of the fourth. Webb then pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the fourth.
Soler walked to start the fifth, and then Thairo Estrada hit a two-run bomb to left to make it 4-1. For Estrada, it was his eighth home run of the season, which now makes him the team leader in home runs.
The Giants threatened further in the top of the fifth, and after a one-out double by the suddenly-red-hot Matt Chapman, Perez was pulled for the right-handed flame thrower, Luis Ortiz.
Flores then singled Chapman over to third for his second hit of the game, and Heliot Ramos walked to load the bases. However, Mike Yastrzemski pinch-hit for McKenna and popped out to third, and Marco Luciano popped out to end the inning, as the Giants were unable to add on to their lead.
Webb ran into trouble in the bottom of the fifth. Jared Triolo grounded out to start the inning, but Bae walked and stole second. McCutchen then hit a ground ball to second that was fielded cleanly by second-baseman Thairo Estrada, but first-baseman Wilmer Flores also came in on the play, which left it up to Webb to cover the bag. As a result, Estrada couldn’t get the throw off in time, and everybody was safe.
“I gotta get over there,” acknowledged Webb. “The way he hit it, I was kinda watching the ball, [but I] gotta just go right over there…..maybe that’s the difference in the game, so [I] gotta do a better job at that.”
Runners were now at the corners with one out for the tying run in Reynolds, who grounded into a 4-6 fielder’s choice to knock in Bae and make it 4-2. Webb struck Cruz out swinging to end the inning.
Ortiz pitched a 1-2-3 top of the sixth for Pittsburgh, and Webb came out for one last inning in the bottom of the sixth. Joe lined a base-hit up the middle into center field to start the inning, but Webb got Gonzales to ground into a 4-3 double play. Webb then struck Suwinski out swinging to end the inning, as well as his night.
Webb had another solid outing, as he struck out six and gave up two runs over six innings. Webb had a fair amount of well-hit balls against him, but he is still feeling a lot better now compared to where was was during Spring Training and the start of the Regular Season.
“I keep feeling better,” said Webb. “I feel more comfortable with some of my pitches, especially [my] changeup, so it’s a step in the right direction.
Ortiz was back out for another inning in the top of the seventh. Matos grounded out to third to start the inning, and then Chapman hit a home run to straightaway center to extend the Giants’ lead to 5-2.
Ryan Walker, who has really been dominant since a turbulent start to his season, threw a shutdown 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh.
Kyle Nichols came in for the Pirates in the top of the eighth, and gave up an opposite-field base-hit to Luciano to start the inning. Curt Casali walked, and a wild pitch by Nichols moved the runners up to second. Soler struck out on a foul tip, and Thairo Estrada got Luciano in with a ground out to short to make it 6-2, giving the Giants their biggest lead of the night.
Submariner Tyler Rogers pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth, and Carmen Mlodzinski came in for the Pirates and pitched a 1-2-3 top of the ninth.
With the Giants up four runs at 6-2, Bob Melvin brought in Luke Jackson for the bottom of the ninth. Nick Gonzales grounded out to third, as things seemed to be according to plan. However, Jack Suwinski walked, and Yasmani Grandal hit a double to left-center to put runners at second and third with one out.
Melvin then wasted no time going to his closer, Camilo Doval, who was a perfect 8-for-8 in save opportunities this season, but Doval struggled as well. Doval got Triolo to a 2-2 count, but after throwing a nut cutter 101-mile-per-hour cutter right on the inside corner, Home Plate Umpire Dan Bellino did not give it to Doval, and Doval proceeded to walk Triolo.
The bases were loaded for Bae, who singled to right to move everyone up a base and make it 6-3. The top of the order in McCutchen then came up; and he hit a chopper right to Marco Luciano at short that looked to be a game-ending double play ball, but Luciano booted it, and everybody was safe.
It was now 6-4, and Reynolds also hit a chopper to Luciano, which Luciano fielded cleanly this time, but he was only able to get one out at second. It was the second out of the inning, but Triolo scored to make it 6-5, and Bae, the tying run, now stood only 90 feet away at third base.
O’Neil Cruz, who made the error that led to two runs for the Giants back in the top of the first, very fittingly redeemed himself with a game-tying double down the right field line. Doval had blown his first save of the season, but he was able to strike out Connor Joe on a check swing to send this game into extras.
It was a very rare collapse for Doval, who has been money in save situations for the Giants throughout the last two-plus years.
“We bring in Doval for the save, it’s 6-2 with two guys on, you feel pretty good about winning the game,” said Melvin. “He walked a guy, and they got two hits off him, which rarely happens.”
Pirates’ closer David Bednar came in for the 10th, as the Giants had an opportunity to retake the lead with the automatic runner in Heliot Ramos at second. However, the Giants were unable to come through, and it was another wasted opportunity for the Giants’ offense, who despite scoring six runs tonight, had reverted back to their old ways throughout much of the night. The Giants ended up going 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position tonight.
To add insult to injury, Marco Luciano, who made the costly error in the bottom of the ninth, was pinch-hit for by LaMonte Wade, which denied Luciano a golden opportunity to atone for his error.
Left-handed flamethrower Erik Miller came in for the bottom of the 10th, and his first pitch of the inning was grounded up the middle and into left-center for a base-hit. Pinch-runner Michael A. Taylor, who was the automatic runner at second, scored easily, and the Pirates won it 7-6.
“It doesn’t make it feel any better just because we won four in a row before that,” said a visibly dejected Webb after the game. “[It] should’ve been five in a row.”
Bednar got the win, Miller took the loss, and the Giants fall to 23-26. Fortunately for the Giants, Baseball is played every day, which means they will have a chance to bounce back Wednesday night. David Price will be activated off the 15-Day IL to make his fourth start of the season. Starting pitchers for Wednesday night for the Giants Blake Snell (0-3 ERA 11.57) for the Pirates Jared Jones (3-4 ERA 2.89) First pitch will be at 6:40 p.m. in Pittsburgh, and 3:40 p.m. in San Francisco.
News and Notes:
Catcher Patrick Bailey was activated off the 7-Day Concussion IL after being cleared by Dr. Mickey Collins, a concussion specialist in Pittsburgh. Bailey pinch-hit for Curt Casali in the top of the 10th inning and flew out to left-center field. Bailey then stayed in to catch.
Outfielder Ryan McKenna, whom the Giants claimed off waivers last week was added to the 26-Man Roster. McKenna got the start in right and went 0-for-2 before being pinch-hit for by Mike Yastrzemski in the top of the fifth inning.
Since Bailey and McKenna were added to the roster, outfielder Tyler Fitzgerald was sent back down to the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, and catcher Blake Sabol was optioned to the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels.
Outfielder Luis Matos was the National League Player of the Week for the week of May 13-19 after a remarkable week, in which he hit .385 and had 16 RBIs. Matos is the first Giant to be named the player of the week since Brandon Belt was this very week back in 2018 (May 14-20).
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