Category: MLB

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Giants Spencer struggled, Halos get 3 runs in third and 4 runs in fourth to top SF

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It was a painful exit for San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Howard Spencer (56) as he hands to ball off to manager Bob Melvin (left) in the top of the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sat Jun 15, 2024

On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris, San Francisco Giants starter Spencer Howard didn’t last long as he was lifted in the third inning after giving up seven hits and four earned runs. Not the kind of outing that Howard wanted to start the game off with.

#2 The Los Angeles Angels who have gone through their paces this season spent a deal of it in last place in the American League West but have moved out of the basement after last place the Oakland A’s have been on a steady decline currently losing 10 of their last 12 games and the Angels have won six of their last nine.

#3 One key thing to the Angels defeat over the Giants on Friday was they got a quality start from Tyler Anderson who went five innings with five hits, one earned run, five walks and five strikeouts.

#4 The Angels ball club has responded to manager Ron Washington. Washington who coached in Oakland, led the Texas Rangers to the World Series twice, and his last stint was a coach for the Atlanta Braves wants to really drive and make this Angels club relevant once again.

#5 It’s going to be a big week for you Morris, your headed off to Birmingham for the Negro Leagues Tribute at Rickwood Field in Birmingham when the Giants and the St Louis Cardinals play in the oldest park in the minor leagues on June 20th?

Morris Phillips is MLB podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Angels Moniak gets three hits and Anderson provides the pitching; Halos defeat Giants 8-6 at Oracle

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San Francisco Giants’ Thairo Estrada, left, scores next to Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe during the eighth inning of a baseball game Friday, June 14, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Los Angeles (AL) (27-42). 013 400 000. 8 11 0

San Francisco (34-36). 001 000 050. 6 10 1

Friday, June 16, 2024

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–Having won five of their last seven games, the Giants once more were flirting with competitiveness when they faced the Los Angeles Angels this cool and breezy Friday evening. They figuratively failed to reach first base, falling to the fallen Angels, 8-6, that seemed to be a walk in the park for the visitors until the Giants made it close in the eighth..

The home team was busy, even before the 7:16 first pitch, Nick Ahmed came off the injured list, who is expected to bring some needed stability to short, started at that position, where he made some nifty plays, and went two for four at the plate. Casey Schmitt, who had been filling the void left by Ahmed’s departure, was optioned to Sacramento, and Marco Luciano, another shortstop, wound up his rehab assignment and, like Schmitt, was optioned to the River Cats.

Spencer Howard, at 0-2, 2.03 and coming off a strong 4-2/3 inning stint in Arlington, looked like a good choice to start for San Francisco. He wasn’t.

The 27 year old native of San Luis Opispo lasted a scant 2-1/3 frames, in which he managed to throw 59 pitches, 25 of which were balls. He surrendered four runs, all of them earned, on seven hits and a walk. He took the loss and now has a record of 0-1, 4.02.

The ex-Giant and eight year big league veteran, 34 year old southpaw change up artist Tyler Anderson, started the evening at 5-6, 2.63 and ended it at 6-6, 2.58. Bay Area favorite Ron Washington, at the helm for the Angels, decided to pull him with Thairo Estrada at bat and runners on first and second with one down in the bottom of the sixth.

Ben Joyce got Estrada on a slow grounder to short and closed down the nascent threat with Ahmed’s ground out to third. In his 5-1/3 innings of labor Anderson held the orange and black to a single tally, which was earned, on five hits, fiver walks, and to keep things symmetrical, five strikeouts.

The Angels opened the scoring in the top of the second. Logan O’Hoppe’s hard line shot ate up Ahmed at short for a single to left. Zach Neto bounced into a short to second force out only to be followed by Mickey Moniak’s blast that hopped over the right centerfield fence for an automatic double that put two runners in scoring position.

One of them, O’Hoppe, scored on Michael Stefanic’s clean single to right. They padded their lead in their next turn at bat on a leadoff walk to Taylor Ward, Kevin Pillar’s double to right that sent Ward to third, where he didn’t stop but went on to score on Austin Slater throwing error on returning the ball to second. A walk to O’Hoppe put runners on first and second. Each moved up 90 feet on Neto’s sacrifice bunt. They didn’t stay there for long; Moniak’s down the line two bagger made the score 4-0. An infield single and base on balls later, Howard was through, and Randy Rodríguez was on the mound to get the final two outs.

He retired another batter in the fourth before the roof fell in. There’s no point in narrating the horror show; a list the Angels’ acts of mayhem will do.

1) An RBI double by O’Hoppe. (Pillar was on first with a walk after his fly into the left field seats, which had been ruled a home run became a foul ball upon review; a home run by Neto (his ninth); and a triple by Moniak). Anderson now had an eight run lead to work with.

He also had a chance for his arm to tighten up after his teammates had batted around while they rounded the bases. The Giants scrapped up a run in the home fourth on singles by Wilmer Flores and Jorge Soler, a walk to Michael Conforto, and a double play that brought Flores home to make it 8-1.

Luke Jackson pitched a perfect sixth , giving way to Taylor Rogers, who allowed a single and a walk but no runs in the seventh before being replaced by Erik Miller for the penultimate episode. He disposed of the Halos in 1,2,3 order.

The Giants drove Adam Cimber from the mound after he faced five batters in the home eighth. Four of them reached base. Leading off, Soler was hit by a pitch and went to second on a wild pitch and then to third on Soler’s ground out to second.

He scored on Estrada’s single to left. 8-2. Ahmed singled to left, moving Estrada to second. Mike Yastrzemski pinch hit for Slater and doubled off the bricks over the State farm advertisement in right, driving in Estrada. 8-3. Héliot Ramos sent an 82 mph sider 422 feet, over the center field fence. 8-6. Bailey bunted for a single but was wiped out when Chapman grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. But we had a ball game.

Sean Hjelle mowed the Angel down to take us into the do. or die bottom of the ninth. Carlos Estevezz was on the hill for the Halos. Flores sent a. high fly deep into left field, where Pillar caught it at the wall. Soler fouled out to first. And Conforto went down swinging. That earned Estevez his 11th save of the season

For the Giants it was a valiant attempt and a painful loss.

Saturday at 1:05, Keaton Winn (3-7, 6.94) will face the Angels and Patrick Sandoval (2-8, 5.23) in the second of this three game series.

Kepler, Twins outlast A’s 6-5 in 10 innings; Oakland losing streak reaches 7

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Minnesota Twins Max Kepler gets doused with ice cold water from his teammates after getting the walk off hit in the tenth inning against the Oakland A’s at Target Field in Minneapolis on Fri Jun 14, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Friday, June 14, 2024

MINNEAPOLIS – Victories have been tough to come by for Oakland of late, and Friday’s 6-5 loss to the Minnesota Twins at Target Field was another tough loss to swallow.

Max Kepler delivered a single to right in the bottom of the 10th inning, driving in designated runner Austin Martin with the winning run, sending the Athletics to their 10th defeat in their last 12 games. It’s Oakland’s seventh consecutive loss.

“It’s a tough loss,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. “These guys are giving everything they have in terms of execution and making plays. But we’ve got to make plays because we’re costing ourselves wins.

“When we were winning games and closing games out, we were executing fundamentally and playing good defense. We were holding onto leads, something we haven’t done in the last 12 days.”

The A’s took a 5-4 lead in the seventh when JJ Bleday was hit by a pitch with one out and scored on Brent Rooker’s triple to center. Minnesota tied the game again at 5-5 in the bottom of the eighth on a bases-loaded RBI walk to Carlos Santana.

The Twins loaded the bases with one out when Correa reached on an infield error, Max Kepler was hit by a pitch and Jose Miranda drew a walk prior to Santana’s base-on-balls off A’s closer Mason Miller, who then retired the Twins in order in the ninth, sending the game to extra innings.

“That was a tough spot to bring Mason in. The walk is something he hasn’t done much in the past,” Kotsay said. “After that walk, he got the last two outs and got out of a big jam. Mason’s ninth inning was solid. At that point, his job is done and anything can happen in extra innings.”

Oakland jumped to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first on Shea Langelier’s two-out grand slam off Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson. Max Schuemann and Bleday drew walks to open the inning, and Miguel Andujar reached on an infield single, setting up Langelier’s 13th home run of the season.

“You just try to come through in certain situations and try to put up crooked numbers,” Langelier said. “It did feel good to get that one there.”

The Twins got a run back in the second when Santana singled and scored on a triple to center by Byron Buxton. Minnesota tied the game at 4-4 on Kepler’s three-run homer that traveled 426 feet to right-center.

Mitch Spence worked the first 5 2/3 innings for Oakland, giving up four runs on nine hits while striking out three with a walk. Miller was tagged with a blown save in his 1 2/3 innings, and Scott Alexander (0-2) took the loss.

The Twins used five pitchers – Jhoan Duran (2-2) threw a scoreless ninth and 10th innings for the win in front of the Twins’ largest crowd of the season – 35,631.

On the A’s recent lack of success, Langeliers concluded, “We’ve just got to stay together. This is a close-knit bunch of guys and it’s all about camaraderie and team chemistry. We have each other’s backs and we fight for each other.

“Baseball is tough and things aren’t quite going our way right now. We’ll stay together and grind our way through this.”

The A’s and Twins meet again Saturday at 11:10 Pacific. Joey Estes (2-2, 4.78) starts for Oakland while Minnesota counters with Bailey Ober (5-4, 5.13) in a battle of right-handers.

Oakland A’s Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum: A’s have escape clause out of Las Vegas

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Rending of the Armadillo ball park the Oakland A’s plan to build at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino expected to be finished by 2028 at Tropicana and Las Vegas Blvd on the strip. (AP News photo)

On the Oakland A’s Relocation podcast with Daniel:

#1 The Oakland A’s have an escape clause out of their 30 year deal at the Tropicana if the A’s were to be taxed. The idea of not taxing the A’s is to keep them in Las Vegas for the 30 years commitment.

#2 The Clause is that if the A’s are taxed different than any other business the will have an out. For example if you go to a show in Vegas your taxed 9% but if you go to a sporting event there is no sales tax on the ticket.

#3 You might recall last year during the Nevada State Legislation A’s team president David Kaval was asked if the A’s were willing to pay the tax. Kaval did not give a yes or no answer but said he and the A’s do not contemplate getting taxed. If A’s players or opposing players are taxed the A’s can exercise the right to move from Las Vegas.

#4 During last year’s presentation to the State Legislature Steven Hill who was one of the key sportspersons to sell the idea of moving the A’s to Vegas said that the projected annual profit the A’s will bring in the neighborhood of $1.3 billion. Most economists have said that is optimistic over reach.

#5 Lastly it should be noted that the Bay Area will be hosting World Cup and the Super Bowl in 2026. What does that say in the face of it for a market this size the sixth largest as the A’s walk away from the Bay Area after this season and will play three years in the 35th TV market in Sacramento and move to Las Vegas in 2028 the 40th sized market.

Daniel Dullum does the Oakland A’s Relocation podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: A’s look to snap six game losing streak Friday against Twins

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The Oakland A’s Tyler Soderstrom (21) is congratulated by Shea Langeliers (23) after hitting a two run home run in the top of the second inning at Target Field in Minneapolis on Thu Jun 13, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Oakland A’s found the Minnesota Twins pitcher Joe Ryan to be too much throwing seven innings and striking out five batters at Target Field on Thursday night in a 6-2 loss.

#2 The Twins Carlos Correa hit for two home runs and got three hits. The Twins are a swinging club on Wednesday they had 24 hits against the Colorado Rockies. On Thursday they got 13 hits 12 for singles.

#3 The A’s first baseman Tyler Soderstrom hit his third home run in four games it wasn’t enough however as the A’s lost their sixth consecutive game.

#4 A’s pitcher Luis Medina gave up four runs in five innings of work and dropped his record to 0-2. Medina has now started three games for Oakland.

#5 The A’s take on the Twins for game two of this four game series with starting RHP Mitch Spence (4-3, ERA 3.68) the Twins will start RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (2-1, ERA 2.84) first pitch at 5:10pm PT at Target Field.

Join Jeremiah for the A’s podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s Drop Game One At Target Field To Twins 6-2; Oakland extends losing streak to six

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Oakland A’s starting pitcher Luis Medina winds up against the Minnesota Twins in the bottom of the third inning at Target Field in Minneapolis on Thu Jun 13, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Although the Oakland A’s (26-45) scored first in game one of their series with the Minnesota Twins (37-32), they failed to score for the rest of the game after the second inning. The Twin won the game 6-2 scoring runs in four innings. Oakland only had four hits in the game while the Twins had 13 on Thursday night.

Game recap: The Oakland A’s are struggling. While they can hold their own defensively, the problem seems to be with their offense. In fact they have the second best record, on the mound, in major league baseball with 689 strikeouts. Only the Seattle Mariners have more with 694. The problem with the offense is that they need to be able to put the ball in play. When they do string a few hits together often times they leave runners stranded and this has persisted all season. They need to get on the board early and keep those bats working for more than an inning or two.

The A’s had a nice start scoring two runs in the second inning taking the early 2-0 lead. Tyler Soderstrom who has been solid hit a home run with Miguel Andujar aboard. The Twins answered right back in the same inning to tie up the game. Byron Buxton singled both Max Kepler and Carlos Correa home for the tie 2-2.

Minnesota kept the pressure on scoring runs in the third and fourth innings. In the third inning Carlos Correa singled driving Trevor Larnach home taking a 3-2 lead. The fourth inning saw Austin Martin ground into a fielder’s choice allowing Byron Buxton to extend the Twins lead 4-2.

The Twins continued to drive up the score in the seventh inning extending their lead to 6-2. Carlos Correa hit a two-run home run which would be the final. Oakland did not score another run for the rest of the game now having lost six games in a row. Minnesota got some amazing pitching from Joe Ryan who went 7 innings allowing only 3 hits and the 2 runs with 5 strikeouts. He made Oakland put the ball in play mixing his pitches beautifully.

Luis Medina went 5 innings for Oakland allowing 8 hits, 4 earned runs and 3 strikeouts. At times his focus wanders and he is unable to lock down innings. The Twins took full advantage of those lapses.

The A’s were only able to score in one frame, the second inning. They only managed 4 hits in the game to the Twins 13. The great pitching job that Joe Ryan brought to this game had a lot to do with the lack of success offensively for Oakland.

Game notes:The A’s are coming off a couple of heart wrenching losses at the hands of the San Diego Padres earlier this week. They fought hard in games two and three of this series. They fought back in game two to tie the game up in the eighth only to watch Kyle Higashoika hit a home run in the ninth for the 4-3 win. Deja Vu is a tough customer take it from Oakland. In the final game of the series the game was tied going into the ninth inning.

The A’s couldn’t muster the offense needed to take the lead in the top of the ninth. The Padres Jackson Merrill hit his second home run of game three for their second walk off in a row beating Oakland 5-4. The A’s have those two devastating losses under their belt and added another loss losing to the Twins at Target Field 6-2.

Oakland will send Mitch Spence (4-3, ERA 3.68) to the mound in game two tomorrow evening. The Twins Simeon Wood Richardson will start for Minnesota with a 2-1, 2.84 ERA. First pitch for the game is scheduled for 5:10 PM.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Soderstrom getting around on the baseball; Erceg is back from strain injury; plus more news

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Oakland A’s first baseman Tyler Soderstrom who hit home runs in back to back games last Sunday and Monday has impressed manager Mark Kotsay with his improved hitting. (AP News file photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry:

#1 Oakland A’s first baseman Tyler Soderstrom hit back to back home runs one Sunday against Toronto and another Monday in San Diego. A’s manager Mark Kotsay is encouraged by Soderstrom’s improvement at the plate saying he’s getting better. Soderstrom is hitting .222 has 14 hits, 8 RBIs, and three home runs.

#2 Jerry, A’s reliever Lucas Erceg threw a 20 pitch bullpen session on Sunday. Erceg said he’s feeling healthy Kotsay said since Sunday Erceg has had no issues with the right forearm strain and came into relieve in Wednesday afternoon’s game against the Padres.

#3 Ross Stripling who has struggled all season with a 1-9 record and an ERA 5.82 is expected back in July his injury update is he’s a on a throwing program. Stripling is looking forward to increase the distance of his throws as Kotsay and the pitching coaches will determine when Stripling will be ready to see live action.

#4 Everybody is asking about Esteury Ruiz who last season lead the American League in stolen bases with 67. Ruiz is not having that kind of season this year. He’s battling a wrist injury he incurred when diving for a fly ball in the outfield in May. He was sent down to triple A Las Vegas to start the season. The A’s said there is no timetable for Ruiz’ return but he could return as soon as sometime this month.

#5 The A’s announced last week that they will be playing 10 percent of their home games away from Las Vegas to improve the team’s and the MLB brand. The A’s would play neutral site games anywhere from other minor league parks but the one top choice is they would play internationally where baseball wants to market and maybe expand.

Jerry Feitelberg does the Oakland A’s podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s Fall In Yet Another Padre Walk Off 5-4

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Oakland A’s starter Hogan Harris pitches to the San Diego Padres line up in the top of the first inning at Petco Park in San Diego on Wed Jun 12, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

This game was a re-play of Tueday’s game ending in major disappointment for Oakland (26-44). The Padres (37-35) celebrated their second walk off in a row winning this game 5-4. Jackson Merrill hit a home run off a Mason Miller slider to finish off the A’s. The A’s are struggling with getting the ball in play. This has plagued them all season as they missed cashing in on a bases loaded with one out sixth inning.

Game recap: Through four innings the only offense was a home run off the bat of the Padres’ Donovan Solano. Neither team were generating a whole lot of offense with two hits apiece for the two teams. Just a testament of the great job both Hogan Harris and Michael King were showcasing. King was having an especially outstanding game with 12 punch outs through five innings.

The Padres would extend their lead in the fifth inning with another home run; this time off the bat of Jackson Merrill. Oakland still had not hit a long ball in the game with four innings remaining.

The sixth inning was productive for the A’s scoring three runs and taking a 3-2 lead. Tyler Soderstrom and Shea Langeliers both hit singles driving runners home to tie up the game. Seth Brown reached first base with a bunt single and Soderstrom scored to give the A’s the lead. With only one out Oakland had the bases loaded but were unable to extend their lead. The A’s now had eight hits to their credit.

Oakland struck again in the eighth inning scoring that all-important insurance run. Zach Gelof doubled and Seth Brown beat the throw home to score for a 4-2 Oakland lead.

Just when it was looking so very good for Oakland disaster struck in the bottom of the eighth inning. Donovan Solano connected with a fast ball knocking it out of the park, a two-run homer to tie up the game 4-4. This was his second home run of the game, the first one coming in the first inning and it was back to square one for the A’s going into the ninth inning.

Oakland had worked so hard to take the lead only to watch it dissolve in the eighth inning. The A’s skipper was ejected in the beginning of the ninth inning, the A’s were unable to take back the lead and Oakland now needed to keep the tie intact to avoid yet another San Diego walk off. Mason Miller took the mound in the bottom of the ninth looking to keep this game tied.

In a repeat of Tueday’s game, the Padres Jackson Merrill took advantage of a Mason Miller slider sending the ball out of the yard winning their second walk off in a row 5-4. This was Merrills second home run of the game. San Diego hit four home runs in this game. This was a major disappointment for Oakland after having rallied to take the lead only to watch the Padres celebrate their first sweep of the season. Oakland had ten hits in this game but it was San Diego with 6 hits that won this game with that all-important sixth hit.

The sixth inning came back to bite Oakland after they had tied up the game. They had the bases loaded with only one out and failed to score a single run, an opportunity that you cannot squander. This offense needs to be able to put the ball in play. Their defense is solid. They lead the league with 689 strikeouts. They just have to be able to put the ball in play which is falling short right now.

Game notes: Wednesday afternoon the A’s finished up their series with the Padres before heading to Minnesota for a date with the Twins. Oakland made a nice comeback in game two of this series on Wednesday. They tied up this game in the eighth after trailing 3-1. The offense that they needed in the ninth inning never came to be and the A’s lost a heartbreaker in the bottom of the ninth inning when Kyle Higashioka hit the ball out of the park off the first pitch he faced for the walk-off 4-3. Oakland couldn’t salvage the series with at least one win losing to the Padres on Wednesday 5-4. They also got close Wednesday but just fell short.

Oakland will now head to Minnesota taking on Carlos Correa and the Twins in a four-game series that gets underway on Thursday. Luis Medina will take the mound for the A’s with a 5.23 ERA. The twins will assign Joe Ryan who comes in with a 4-5 win/loss record and a 3.30 ERA. First pitch for this game is scheduled for 4:40 PM.

Machado hip flexor- aggrevated late yesterday but onboard today

Webb solid and Giants’ offense comes to life to take series over Astros with 5-3 win

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb delivers against the Houston Astros in the top of the sixth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed Jun 12, 2024 (AP News photo)

Wednesday, June 12, 2024

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

Houston Astros 3 (31-38)

San Francisco Giants 5 (34-35)

Win: Logan Webb (6-5)

Loss: Framber Valdez (5-4)

Save: Camilo Doval (12)

Time: 2:07

Attendance: 34,506

By Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–Wednesday, June 12, 2024

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

Houston Astros 3 (31-38)

San Francisco Giants 5 (34-35)

Win: Logan Webb (6-5)

Loss: Framber Valdez (5-4)

Save: Camilo Doval (12)

Time: 2:07

Attendance: 34,506

By Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–The Giants’ offense came to life, as they backed up another solid start from Logan Webb with five runs enroute to a 5-3 win over the Houston Astros to take the series.

The home run-happy ways of the Giants’ offense have caught up to them, as they have been limited to just six runs over their last three games. As the Giants looked to take the rubber match of this series on this sunny but hazy getaway afternoon at Oracle Park, the offense would need to wake up and not solely rely on home runs.

With their ace, Logan Webb, on the mound, if the offense would be flexible, the Giants would be in pretty good shape today. Webb started the game with three scoreless innings.

The big left-hander, Framber Valdez made the start for Houston, and he pitched two scoreless innings to start his day, but the Giants would threaten in the bottom of the third. Mike Yastrzemski led things off with a line-drive base-hit up the middle on the first pitch of the inning, and that got things going.

“[I’ve] just been working on staying tall through the middle of the field lately, and it’s been feeling really good,” said Yastrzemski. It’s just about getting on base, honestly, at that point.”

Slater reached on a bunt single, and both runners advanced to second and third on a ground out by Heliot Ramos.

Wilmer Flores was then sawed off, as he hit a broken-bay fly ball to shallow left-center field, and Astros’ left-fielder Yordan Alvarez came in to make a running basket catch. It would be a sacrifice fly, as Yastrzemski scored the game’s first run, and Slater advanced to third. Matt Chapman then clubbed a double into the gap in right-center to knock in Slater and make it 2-0.

The Astros had a response in the top of the fourth. Alvarez doubled high off the wall in left with one out, and Jon Singleton grounded out to first to move Alvarez over to third. Jeremy Pena then hit a chopper the other way that first-baseman Wilmer Flores had to go almost all the way to second to field, but Webb was late in covering the bag, which allowed Alvarez to score and get Houston on the board.

The Giants had their own response off Valdez in the bottom of the fourth. Jorge Soler’s success with the bases empty continued, as he lined a base-hit to left to start the inning, and Brett Wisely stayed hit with a ground rule double to put runners at second and third with nobody out. Thairo Estrada swung out swinging, and Yastrzemski was hit by a pitch near his head to load the bases for the now-red-hot Austin Slater.

Slater hit the walk-off base-hit in the bottom of the 10th on Monday, and he was back in the lineup today to face Valdez, who he was 3-for-6 against coming into today. Slater already singled in his first two plate appearances before stepping in against Valdez in the bottom of the fourth.

With the count at 1-2, Slater took a low sinker from Valdez and flipped a base-hit to right-center to score a pair and make it 4-1. Make it 3-for-3 on the day for Slayer, and 6-for-9 in his career against Valdez. Ramos then knocked in Yastrzemski with a sacrifice fly to center to make it 5-1.

For his second straight outing, Webb had real run support. He had four runs of support in his last outing last Friday against the Rangers in Arlington, Texas, and Wednesday, he had five runs of support through the first four innings.

“It was awesome,” said Webb. “Those guys [have] been grinding [and have] been getting a lot of hits, and then [they] put it all together Wednesday. Obviously, as a pitcher, you love that, but it was great to see.”

Following the Giants’ three-run bottom of the fourth, Webb pitched a shutdown 1-2-3 inning in the top of the fifth. The Giants had runners at first and second with one out against the Astros’ new pitcher, Seth Martinez, in the bottom of the fifth, but this was the Giants’ offense, so they had to waste at least one opportunity today, and that’s what they did.

“Once we scored two, and then we scored again, I think that was a big thing for us,” said Yastrzemski. “We’ve had some tendencies of scoring early, and then not really keeping our foot on the pedal. Today, I felt like we did a better job at that. We still could’ve done it a little bit more [and] tried to blow the game open a little bit, but you never complain about a win.”

The Astros would narrow the gap in the top of the sixth. Alex Bregman led off the inning with a base-hit up the middle, and Alvarez, who nearly missed a home run his previous time up, hit a home run into the Giants’ bullpen that barely cleared the 399-foot marker out in left-center.

It was now 5-3, but Webb was then able to retire the side to end the inning. That would be it for another solid start for Webb. Webb did give up seven hits, but three runs over six innings is your classic quality outing, and he certainly gave the Giants what they needed Wednesday.

“It’s unfortunate and not fair to him that we expect that now at this point,” said Yastrzemski. “You never wanna put that type of level of success on somebody and expect that to be average. He just goes out there and gives his all every time he gets to pitch, and he’s so fun to play behind. He’s a bulldog out there, so there’s always those moments where he has those stellar games, but all those stellar games feel normal, which is not really fair to him. It’s just an attest to how good of a pitcher he really is.”

Webb had only thrown 83 pitches, but after hurting himself on the final play of his last outing, Bob Melvin did not want to push it with Webb Wednesday. Webb did not go into much detail about the injury when he was interviewed after the game last Friday, but he acknowledged that it was precursor to a shoulder injury that he had in 2021.

“I didn’t want to come out of the game, I can tell you that right now,” said Webb. “I trust Bob with every decision, and I agreed with him to be honest. I feel great, but it’s a long season and a long way to go, so I get why we were cautious with that.”

Slater nearly got his fourth hit with one out in the bottom of the sixth, as he reached on a wild throw from Alex Bregman on a ground ball to third. However, even though it was a very close play regardless of the throw, it was ruled an error on Bregman.

It was still quite a day for Slater, the longest-tenured Giant, who went 3-for-5, and has been swinging the bat well after a brutal start to his season. It was his first three-hit game since Sept. 25 of last year. Interestingly, the last time Slater had a five-at bat game was exactly a year ago today, when he went 3-for-5 against the Cardinals in St. Louis.

“He’s just grinded it out,” said Yastrzemski. “He has kept his attitude up; he’s kept his positivity; he knew it would turn around; [and] we all knew it would turn around, so it’s great to see him having the success we know he’s capable of, and a lot of credit to him for just working his tail off.”

Despite the error, Martinez ended up pitching a scoreless inning in the bottom of the sixth. The Giants’ bullpen took it from there. Ryan Walker threw a 1-2-3 top of the seventh, and Tyler Rogers pitched a scoreless top of the eighth. Shawn Dubin came in for Houston and threw scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth.

It was off to the ninth, which meant that it was time for Camilo Doval. Doval has been shaky as of late, and it showed a bit Wednesday, as he retired Singleton and Peña on well-hit deep fly balls. However, he did strike out Dubon on a check swing to end it, and hey, – 1-2-3 inning’s a 1-2-3 inning.

Logan Webb got the win; Framber Valdez got the loss; and Camilo Doval picked up his 12th save. The Giants improve to 34-35, and they’ll have a chance to pad their record against a weak Los Angeles Angels team this weekend.

“At this point, it’s just about trying to stay in the mix,” said Yastrzemski. “We’ve still got some guys that are banged up a little bit, and it’s about starting healthy and playing good consistent baseball. We’ll let the record just take care of itself.”

This win came without a home run, as they did get the key RBI hits when they mattered today.

“That’s the way we’re gonna need to be able to play, especially at home,” said Melvin. “Sometimes, it’s tough to hit homers here. It had a big impact, the home runs that we hit on the road, those get crooked numbers up right away, and that has a big impact, but here at home, it’s a little bit more difficult at times, so we’re gonna have to play the way we did today: Get guys on base, [and] get some key hits.”

The Giants will enjoy a day off at home Thursday, and then they will welcome in the Angels for three starting Friday night. Spencer Howard (0-0, 2.93 ERA) will take the hill for the Giants when they open the series on Friday. The Angels have yet to announce their starter for Friday’s game, which will get underway at 7:15 p.m.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Giants making home field their advantage; SF is 3 over .500 at home

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Camilo Doval (75) and left fielder Austin Slater share congratulations after defeating the Houston Astros at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed Jun 12, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca:

#1 Michael, with the Giants win on Wednesday the Giants have improved to 18-15 for their home record to take the series from the Houston Astros.

#2 The Giants are now 22-3 after they have scored five or more runs. They have a winning percentage of .880 when they have scored at least five runs and their third best in the National League they trail the Padres and Phillies.

#3 The Giants got a good pitching performance from starter Logan Webb who went six innings, giving up seven hits an three runs all earned, struck out five.

#4 Austin Slater got three hits and had two RBIs he was the key for the offense Wednesday in the 5-3 win. slater also stole a base and scored. Quick game too two hours and seven minutes.

#5 Giants have Thursday off and host the Los Angeles Angels on Friday for a 7:15pm PT first pitch. The Angels have not announced a starter yet the Giants will start Spencer Howard (0-0, ERA 2.03) at Oracle Park.

Join Michael for the Giants podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com