Category: MLB

San Francisco Giants Matt Chapman swings for an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning at Oracle Park against the San Diego Padres on Sun Apr 7, 2024 (AP News photo)

Sunday, April 7, 2024

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

San Diego Padres 2 (5-7)

San Francisco Giants 3 (4-6)

Win: Ryan Walker (1-0)

Loss: Jhony Brito (0-2)

Save: Camilo Doval (1)

Time: 2:16

Attendance: 40,149

By Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–The Giants capitalized on a botched double play, and scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to come back and beat the Padres 3-2 and win the series.

After the Giants’ dramatic walk-off win in the Home Opener on Friday, the Padres beat the Giants on a first inning grand slam by Jurickson Profar. Logan Webb took the mound to make his third start of the season for the rubber match, as the Giants looked to take the series.

Webb got off to a tough start in the top of the first. He got Xander Bogaerts to fly out to right to open the game, but Fernando Tatis Jr. lined a single to left, and then Jake Cronenworth knocked in Tatis with a double to right.

The knuckle-baller Matt Waldron made the start for San Diego, and the Giants threatened in the bottom of the first. Jung-hoo Lee singled on a ground ball up the middle to start the inning, and then got to third on a one-out double by Jorge Soler. However, Michael Conforto popped out to third, and Matt Chapman flew out to right.

Webb ran into trouble again in the top of the second when the Padres put runners on the corner with one out, but he got out of it when Kyle Higashioka hit a ground ball to third for a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.

From there, both pitchers settled down. Waldron retired 14 of the 15 men he faced from Conforto’s popup through the bottom of the fifth inning. As for Webb, the inning-inning double play in the top of the second started a stretch where he set down nine-straight guys.

The Padres had Webb back on the ropes in the sixth, as three-straight singles by Cronenworth, Manny Machado and Ha-seong Kim plated a run to make it 2-0. 

The Giants caught a break when Lee reached on an errant throw by Kim to start the bottom of the sixth. LaMonte Wade Jr. then singled to right, and the Giants would be in business. Soler lined out sharply to center, and Padres Manager Mike Shildt came out to the mound to pull Waldron for Steve Koek, who walked Conforto to load the bases. 

Matt Chapman came up and hit a chopper to short that the shortstop Kim fielded and flipped to second to get Conforto for the force. Lee scored on the play to put the Giants on the board, but that would be the only run the Giants would get in the sixth, as Thairo Estrada swung out swinging on a ball in the dirt to end the inning.

With the Giants on the board, the Padres looked to respond in the seventh. Tyler Wade and Jackson Merrill singled to start the inning, and Webb would be in trouble again. Higashioka tried to sacrifice the runners over to second and third, but he struck out on a foul bunt. Bogaerts then reached on a fielder’s choice, which put runners on the corners with two outs, and Tatis grounded out to third, as Webb got out of it unscathed.

Webb had an up-and-down outing today, as he gave up 10 hits, but he was able to work his way out of trouble, and managed to allow just two runs over seven innings.

“Webby’s up against it not getting support,” said Manager Bob Melvin.

“[I’m] still not where I really want to be,” said Webb. “The first inning, my changeup was god awful. Then I started throwing more, and started to figure it out a little better. Still some things I gotta clean up, but as long as the team wins, I’m all good.”

Yuki Matsui pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh for the Padres, and Melvin brought in Ryan Walker, who pitched a 1-2-3 top of the eighth for the Giants.

Lee popped out to the catcher to start the bottom of the eighth, and then Shildt pulled Matsui for the righty Jhony Brito in response to Wilmer Flores pinch-hitting for Wade. Flores lined a base-hit to left, and Soler singled to right-center to move Tyler Fitzgerald, who pinch-ran for Flores, to third. 

Conforto hit a chopper to first, which Cronenworth fielded and stepped on the bag at first for the second out, but when he threw to second to try and nab Soler for the double play, the shortstop, Kim, dropped the ball, and it got away, which allowed Soler to get to third and Fitzgerald to score the tying run. Matt Chapman then came up and hit a ground ball the opposite way to right for a base-hit to score Soler and give the Giants the lead.

“[Chapman]’s really not hitting his stride yet, but he’s finding a way to make contact with guys on third and less than two out, and he’s finding a way to get a big hit,” said Melvin.

Camilo Doval came in for the ninth to try and notch his first save of the season, and he retired the first two men he faced. However, Doval, who has been off to another rocky start his season, wouldn’t get through the ninth so easily. Jackson Merrill singled to right and stole second to put the tying run in scoring position, but Doval struck out Luis Campusano to end the game, and the Giants won it 3-2.

“Our offensive is gonna come around,” said Melvin. “If we can do the little things right, create this kind of identity and win these kind[s] of games, I think we’ll be tougher for it.”

Ryan Walker, who pitched the eighth got the win; Jhony Brito got the loss; and of course, Camilo Doval got his first save of the year.

The Giants improve to 4-6, and they will welcome the Washington Nationals to Oracle Park for a three-game series starting tomorrow night. Tomorrow night will also be big, as Blake Snell will make his Giants debut. First pitch will be at 6:45 p.m.

News and Notes:

• With today’s attendance of 40,149, the Giants have sold out their first three games at Oracle Park, matching their amount of sellouts from all of last season. 

Not only that, but this is the first time that the Giants have sold out three straight games since they sold out four-straight at the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019. They sold out their final three home games of the 2018 Season against the Dodgers (Sept. 28-30), as well as the Home Opener in 2019 against the Tampa Bay Rays (April 5.)

There was also much more energy and enthusiasm at Oracle Park this weekend than there had been for a better part of the last five years. It is no surprise that since the Giants were willing to spend money to build a better team over the off-season, there is a lot of hype around the Giants this season, and fans are showing up. As they say, “Build it, and they will come.”

• Wilmer Flores has seen a decrease in playing time early this season, but Bob Melvin has made it quite clear that Flores is a big part of this team.

“It’s really hard not to have [Flores] in the game,” said Melvin. “The one thing you do know is that you’re going to have a spot in the game where he can come up and [have an] impact, and left, right, it doesn’t matter to him, so when they make the move, it doesn’t matter. It’s Wilmer Flores.”

• There have been a lot of new faces in Mike Murphy’s Clubhouse this season in terms of both players and catchers. 10 games in, the personalities are starting to mesh.

“I think it’s been great,” said Melvin. “[We have] a new coaching staff to an extent, and there were a lot of new players [who come] in during [Spring Training], so there’s a lot [we] have to sort through. I think as far as how these guys get along in the clubhouse, [with] the leadership from previous teams, [and the] leadership from now with some of the players we’ve brought too, I think it’s happened really well. Obviously, our results have not been great yet, and they will, but we [are] still kinda learning each other, I think more so on the field than in the clubhouse.”

Matt Chapman has been heralded as one of the new leaders in the clubhouse.

“Matt Chapman’s always been a leader, so that’s never going to change, and that’s one of the reasons we brought him in here.”

“Honestly, I think the most underrated part of Chappy is his leadership and what he brings inside the clubhouse, inside the dugout [and] the energy he brings every single day,” said Webb. “[At] times when we might get down early, and he’s coming in the dugout [and] saying, ‘Let’s go guys!’ kinda firing the guys up. I think that’s something we might have lacked the last couple of years, and he brings that, so you feel that as a teammate.”

“I’m just trying to show up every day and play to win,” said Chapman. “[I] just do whatever I can to help the team. [I’m] just trying to keep the positive vibes up around this place and do my job.”

San Diego Padres Jurickson Profar connects for a grand slam home run in the top of the first inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco to help defeat the San Francisco Giants 4-0 on Sat Apr 6, 2024 (AP News photo)

San Diego (5-6). 400 000 000 4 5 0

San Francisco (3-6). 000 000 000. 0 4 0

Time: 2:10

Attendance: 40,114

Saturday, April 6 San Francisco

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–Fresh from yesterday’s exhilarating home opener triumph over San Diego, the Giants had hopes of clinching their first series win of 2024 and bringing them to within a game of 500 in front of another sellout crowd, this time one of 40,114.

Keaton Winn, a 26 year old righter in the process of converting from the bullpen to the rotation and possessor of a four pitch repertory, that includes a fastball rated by MLB’s Baseball Savant as in the 80th percentile, was SF’s starting pitcher, in his one previous appearance this season, he lost to the Dodgers on April Fools’ Day, having given up three runs, all earned, on four hits in a was as the losing pitcher in an 8-3 game. His names conjure up two of the greatest stars of America’s golden age of comedy, but the rookie, although he pitched well, was in serious trouble from almost the outset of what turned out to be a 4-0 loss.

The Padres opted for another righty who has oscillated between the roles of starter and reliever, sending 28 year old Michael King and his career MLB record of 14-17, 3.46 and WHIP of 1.22 to the mound.

Any residual giddiness the Giants may have carried over from yesterday dissipated in the 55º light of the top of the first inning. Xander Bogaerts led off with a pop fly that fell to the grass just in front of center fieder Jung-Hoo Lee, who seemed to be having trouble with the sun or wind or both.

It looked as though Winn would get out of the inning unscathed after he disposed of Fernando Tatís, Jr. and Jake Croenworth on a fly to center and a strikeout. But the Friars filled the bases with Manny Machado’s single to left and a full count walk to Ha-Seong Kim. The veteran Jurickson Profar promptly seized the opportunity to send Winn’s first offering over the right field wall, landing 347′ from the plate, the third grand slam of Profar’s 10 year career.

Winn got tagged with the loss even though he didn’t allow a hit or a run, just two walks, for the rest of his tenure, which came to a total of six innings. He was helped by a grand leaping catch that Lee made at the center field fence off Jackson Merrill’s drive in the top of the fifth.

The youngster’s ERA rose to a deceptively high 5.73. His pitch count reached 80, 55 for strikes. Laden Loup, another right handed rookie, replaced him to open the top of the seventh.

Loup kept the Pads off the board, yielding only a single to Luis Campusano, and gave way to yet another rookie righty, Nick Avila, for the eighth and ninth. In the eighth, he reprised Loup’s seventh; the only Padre who reached base safely was Fernando Tatís, who singled to right. He retired the side in order in the ninth. King was majestic in his seven innings of work.

San Francisco Giants LeMonte Wade Jr (left) scores behind San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano (right) in the bottom of the sixth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Fri Apr 5, 2024 (AP News photo)

Friday, April 5 San Francisco

San Diego (5-5) 101 000 000. 2. 6. 0

San Francisco (3-5 ) 100 001 001 3. 5. 1

Time:2:25

Attendance: 40,645

By Lewis Rubman and Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–The San Francisco Giants opened the 2024 season by splitting a four game series with the Padres in San Diego before being swept by the Dodgers in a three game set at Chavez Ravine. The Pads returned the Giant’s visit by traveling to Oracle Park for San Francisco’s home opener this afternoon in the first of a three game series.

Bob Melvin and his pitching coach, Bryan Price, went with right hander Jordan Hicks, who had the win over the Friars by pitching five scoreless frames against them on March 30 to face them again this sunny but chilly and windy afternoon.

Hicks counterpart for San Diego was Dylan Cease, the losing pitcher in that contest, in which he lasers only 4-2/3 innings, but threw 85 pitches and surrendered three runs, two of which were earned. His WHIP was a respectable 0.86. So it looked like an interesting match up. It was. The Giants halted, or at least paused their downward spiral in an exciting and exceedingly strange game, pulling out a 3-2 win in front of a sell out crowd of 40,645.

The Pads, undeterred by The Curse of the Lead Off Double, drew first blood with Xander Bogaerts’ two bagger in the opening frame, followed by a productive ground out to second by Fernando Tatis, Jr. and Jake Cronerworth’s RBI single to left. Hicks escaped further damage by inducing and completing a nifty 3-6-1 twin killing off the bat of Manny Machado. The Giants knotted the score in their half of the first. Jung-Hoo Lee began things by drawing a walk and coming home on Michael Conforto’s two out double to right.

Hicks literally threw that tie away in the top of the third. With one down and Jackson Merrill on first, Bogaerts hit a sharp grounder to the mound. Hicks paused for a moment, double clutched when Nick Ahmed seemed too far from second to receive his throw, and then hurled the ball into center field, turning what would have been an inning ending double play into a runners on the corners threat.

Melvin talked about Hicks start which he was glad he won, “That was huge. I knew we had an off-day yesterday, but our bullpen’s been beat up a little bit…..[Starting] is really what he wanted to do….And the way he went about it, [he] was honest with me. In his first start that he got a little bit tired, and we took him out. Even when he came “off the field” after the sixth, he said ‘I feel great.’…..I had just felt like he still had a lot left…..It looked like he was throwing harder later on in the game.” said Melvin.

Tatís made good on that threat with a tie-breaking single to left. A pitcher’s best friend kept things from getting worse. Cronerworth hit into it and was out at first even though he beat Ahmed’s throw. The reason: Bogaerts had committed runner’s interference. It was that sort of. game, and the Padres were leading it, 2-1.

The weirdness continued in the Giants’ half of the fourth. Conforto led off with a two bagger to right center. He broke for third on Matt Chapman’s bounding ball to short and had to reverse course and dive back to the bag to avoided being put out. Chapman, meanwhile, reached first on the fielder’s choice. Both runners moved up a base on Cease’s wild pitch to Estrada, but Conforto was thrown out at home trying to score on the play. Mike Yastrzemski fanned, and Giants still trailed, 2-1. “[Conforto was] just trying to do a little too much there. It’s Opening Day…..I think [he] just [had] some exuberance on Opening Day, and [was] just trying to do a little too much.” said Melvin

The Giants pulled even in the sixth. Wade walked to start the inning and went to third on Conforto’s one out single (you read that right, single) off the top of the Levi’s Landing brick wall. He scored on Chapman’s ground out to short.

Cease ceased pitching after that inning. He left with a no decision but reduced his ERA to 3.38, having yielded two runs, both earned, on four hits, two walks, and a wild pitch. 64 of his 102 offerings were counted as strikes. His replacement was Yuki Matsui, who set the Giants down in order on three grounders to short in the seventh, his one inning on the mound.

Once Matsui had accomplished that, Tyler, the right handed submariner, Rogers relieved Hicks, who, like Cease. had to be satisfied with a no decision that improved his ERA. His went down tor a miniscule 0.77. The Giants’ starter had thrown 91 pitches, 61 for strikes, over his seven innings of labor, in which he allowed two runs, only one of which was earned, on six hits and no walks.

Wandy Peralta came in to pitch a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth for the Friars, and SF’s closer, Camilo Doval, was called on to preserve the tie in the top of the ninth. He did, although not before allowing a safety to Cronerworrh and walk The Manny You Love to Hate.

Peralta returned for the bottom of the ninth to face Conforto, who popped out second. Enyel de los Santos then assumed mound duties for the Padres. His fourth pitch plunked Chapman. Estrada’s liner off de los Santos’s second offering split the the outfielders between left and center, and Chapman raced home with the walk-off run that won the game for San Francisco, “Thank god we won, because we did a couple [of] things early in the game that swung the game to their side.” said Melvin.

The series will be resumed Saturday evening at 6:05 with Keaton Winn (0-1, 5.40) going for San Francisco and Michael King (1-0, 6.14) for the Padres.