Category: MLB

San Francisco Giants’ Wilmer Flores (41) hits an RBI single in front of Boston Red Sox catcher Jorge Alfaro during the fifth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sun Jul 30, 2023 (AP News photo)

Boston (56-49). 000 000 130 00. – 3. 8. 1

San Francisco (58-48) 010 010 010 01 – 4. 11 0

Time: 3:13

Attendance: 37,026

Sunday, July 30, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–After Saturday’s last minute turnaround victory over the Boston Red Sox, the Giants were 57-48, in second place for the NL West lead, three games behind the Dodgers and six games behind the three teams tied in the race for a wild card berth.

That put the exhilaration of the win in some perspective. The Giants kept the excitement up with the same momentum but this time in 11 innings picking up narrow 4-3 win over the Bean Town Dudes at Oracle Park on Sunday.

Similarly, the return to the lineup of Brandon Crawford, high on the list of San Francisco’s all time list of shortstops but clearly showing the effects of his 12 years in the major leagues, was both encouraging and concerning at the same time. Who would you rather have as your shortstop, Crawford or the wunderkind of the week, Marco Luciano, today’s DH?

Whose bat would you prefer to have in your lineup? When today’s game had ended, with the Giants winning a 3-2 11 inning thriller Crawford had gone 2 for 5 and made a pretty backhanded flip to start a double play in the sixth, while Luciano had gone 0 for 2 as a pinch hitter. It’s still an open question.

Both teams went the opener route, San Francisco going with Scott Alexander (6-1, 3.41) and his sinkers, sliders, and change ups. Boston entrusted the task to a southpaw, Bernardo Bernadino (1-0,2.31). Those were their game time numbers. Anthony DeScalfani, whose name had been. bandied about as a possible starter in this series, was placed on the IL yesterday.

Alexander, making his third start of the ’23 season, threw 1-2/3 perfect innings before his scheduled removal and replacement by Ross Stripling, who threw 4-1/3 innings of one run, four hit ball. The Giants also used Taylor and Tyler Rogers, Camilo Duval, and Tristan Beck, the eventful winner, now 2-0, 2.94.

Bernandino held the Giants to a walk in the first but plunked the first two batters he faced in the second, Michael Conforto and Luis Matos. Blake Sabol loaded the bases by beating out a bunt in front of the plate. That was it for Bernadino. Right hander John Schreiber replaced him.

Casey Schmitt drove a hard drive down the third base line that Rafael Devers snared. He slapped his glove on the base to force Matos out as Conforto crossed the plate.

Then Crawford hit a liner to center that Duvall captured and returned the ball to Christian Arroyo at second before Sabol could get back to the bag. As they did yesterday, the Giants missed a chance to blow the game open early and had to settle for a 1-0 lead. They missed another opportunity one inning later.

Mike Yastrzemski pinch hit for Slater and invoked The Curse of the Leadoff Double. He moved to third on Flores’s nubber to the mound and died on third after Luciano and Davis fanned. Yastrzemski left the game in the top of the fifth because of hamstring tightness. Joc Pederson replaced him.

John Schreiber (two innings), Chris Murphy (3-1/3 innings), Josh Winckosxki (1-2/3), Richard Bleier (1), Chris Martin (1), and Mauricio Llovera, who got no one out in the 11th and took the loss, also performed mound duties for the Bosox.

San Francisco managed to tack a run onto their lead in the fifth. Schmitt led off with a single. Devers couldn’t handle Crawford’s grounder to third, putting runners on the corners, After Pederson flew out to center, Flores sent Schmitt home with a single to right.

The Giants might have scored more, but Crawford was put out in a rundown between third and home on Luciano’s grounder to the hot corner. Davis grounded out to end the threat.

The Red Sox drew closer in the top of the seventh with Duvall’s lead off 381 foot homer over the National Car Rental advertisement in left center field. He hit it off a change up on Stripling’s 63rd and final pitch of the game, Taylor Rogers, the left handed brother, relieved him and, in spite of a single and a walk, kept Boston off the board, thanks, in part to an 8-4 double play that the Giants pulled off on a broken bat fly by Tristón Casas.

Boston went ahead in the next frame. The right handed Rogers brother, the submarining Tyler, went to the mound at the start of the visitors’ eighth and gave up a leadoff Texas League double to a pinch hitting Jarren Duran. One out later, the Red Sox went ahead, 3-2.

The much booed Justin Turner sent his 17th round tripper of the season on a line 382 feet into the left field bleachers. The pitch, a slider that came in 73.1 mph left Turner’s bat at 104.7 mph.

The Giants came roaring back in their next at bat. With one down, Conforto beat out a grounder to third, and Matos slammed a double off the top of the Bank of America ad just to the left of the 399 foot marker in left center field. Conforto rounded third but scrambled back to the bag.

The roar was modulated when Patrick Bailey, who had replaced Sabol in the sixth, hit a bouncer to the mound and was tagged out by Winckowski. But Conforto scored, and the game was tied. Schmitt then struck out amidst a chorus of boos from the umpires in the stands.

Camilo Doval came in to pitch the Red Sox ninth and kept the game tied, allowing only a single to Casas.

Richard Bleier replaced Winckowski preserved the tie in the bottom of the ninth, and so we went into extra innings.

Tristan Beck now was on the hill for San Francisco, He blanked the Bosox, in spite of the zombie runner.

Chris Martin faced the Giants in their half of the tenth. He had to face five batters (if you count his two. intentional walks), but he sent us into the eleventh.

And it was in the eleventh, against their recent teammate Mauricio Llovera, that the Giants won it. Bailey, the zombie runner, scored after Schmitt was hit by a pitch, Crawford’s bunt died on the grass between home and third, and Pederson laced a single to right.

With all its frustrations, a most satisfying victory.

There’s been no word yet on who will pitch for either Arizona or the San Francisco Monday, evening at 6:45pm PT when the Giant and Diamondbacks will begin a four game series.

San Francisco Giants pitcher Ross Stripling throws against the Boston Red Sox during the fourth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sun Jul 30, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

SAN FRANCISCO–The Boston Red Sox (56-49) dropped their second straight game 4-3 and lost the series 2-1 to the San Francisco Giants (58-48) in 11 innings on a beautiful afternoon in the City on the Bay.

Boston was hitless until the top of the fourth when third baseman Rafael Deavers hit a double to left field,  Nothing materialized after that scoring opportunity.

The Giants on the other hand, scored twice in each of their halves of the second and fifth innings.  Casey Schmitt hit into a fielder’s choice at third, scoring Michael Conforto, while Joc Peterson singled to right field in the fifth inning, scoring Schmitt.  2-0 SF.

Boston finally got on the board in the seventh inning on a homer to left by first baseman Adam Duvall, but that was all they could muster that inning, which ended on a (8-4) double play.

The Red Sox came right back the following inning and took their first lead (3-2) on a two-run blast to left by Justin Turner, who also scored Jarren Duran.

The Giants came back to tie it at three on a fielder’s choice play to the pitcher by Patrick Bailey, while Conforto snuck in from third.

After nine hard fought innings, the two combatants went to extra frames.  The new rules are implemented with a runner in scoring position to start off the inning.

In the bottom of the 11th inning, with the bases loaded, Joc Peterson lined a single to right field, scoring Alex Verdugo and ending the thriller of a ballgame.

Boston stays on the West Coast and travels north to Seattle, Monday July 31.  Their starting pitcher is yet to be determined.  The Giants host Arizona on the same date, while neither pitcher is determined at press time.

Michael Roberson is a http://www.sportsradioservice.com staff writer

San Francisco Giants’ J.D. Davis (7) tosses his bat after hitting the winning home run next to Boston Red Sox catcher Connor Wong, left, during the ninth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sat Jul 29, 2023 (AP News photo)

Boston (56-48). 000 000 002. – 2. 5. 0

San Francisco (57-48). 100 001 001. – 3 11. 0

Time: 2:38

Attendance: 37,470

Saturday, July 29, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–After finally snapping their six game losing streak but beating the Oakland Athletics in both of the two games of the Bay Bridge Series that were played here earlier in this week, the city by the bay took on the team from the Bay State last night and resumed their losing ways, dropping the first of a scheduled three series. This afternoon, they defeated the Boston Red Sox, 3-2, in a thrilling saga of blown chances and recovery.

The Giants, as they had last Wednesday night in their win over the A’s, went the opener route, once again choosing Ryan Walker, who had held Oakland scoreless in his 2-2/3 innings on the hill, which left him 3-0, 2.70.

This afternoon marked his seventh performance as an opener this year, and he again threw 2-2/3 frames of shutout ball, allowing a double to Justin Turner in the first but not permitting anyone else to reach base safely.

Sean Manaea replaced him, struck out Duran on three pitches and remained in the game for another 4-1/3 innings, which included his striking out the side in Boston seventh. He gave up only two hits, both singles, and didn’t walk anybody. Manaea was followed on the mound by Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval.

The visitors chose James Paxton as their starting pitcher. The veteran of 149 big league starts, in which he had a WHIP of 1.20 and opponents batting average of .236, held the Mets to three runs, two of them earned, on three hits and a walk, while striking out seven in his last outing six days ago at Fenway Park.

It brought his season’s record to a respectable 6-2, 3.46. This afternoon, The Big Maple dodged tr0uble for most of five innings, allowing one run, which was earned, on nine hits, a walk, and a wild pitch.. He struck out five.

He threw 104 pitches, 66 for strikes before Richard Bleiler relieved him to open the home sixth. He escaped with a no decision, making his record 6-2, 3.34 for the season. Mauricio Llovera, traded to Boston yesterday, took over when his ex-teammates came to bat in the eighth, and Kenley Jansen made a cameo appearance in the ninth.

The San Franciscans started off strong. Austin Slater smacked Paxton’s first offering to center for a leadoff single. Wilmer Flores followed up with a line drive that took a couple of bounces in left center field before bouncing off the AAA Insurance advertisement for an RBI double.

He advanced to third on JD Davis’s single to left. Patrick Bailey went down swinging, but in the process Davis took second on a wild pitch. That’s when the tide turned Luis Matos grounded out to third, and Michael Conforto to first. A wasted opportunity that left the Giants with a mere one run lead.

The Giants missed another opportunity to add on to their lead in the third. After a one out single by Flores and a walk to Davis, Bailey hit into an around the horn double play to end the inning. They missed another in the fourth.

Conforto got a one out single to right and moved to third when Luciano lofted an opposite field double to right. With the infield in, Schmitt sent a hard line drive straight into the glove of Tristón Casas at first. Mike Yastrzemski walked to load the bases, but Slater flew out to right, and the score remained a tenuous 1-0, San Francisco.

They threatened again in the sixth, but, with two down and two men on base, Conforto took a called third strike on Paxton’s 104th pitch. (It seemed to me that home plate umpire Junior Valentine made the wrong call).

San Francisco finally got their second run in the sixth, against Richared Bleier. Luciano led off with a single to left and went to second when Bleier hit Schmitt with a pitch. Yastrzemski laid down a sacrifice bunt to third that moved both runners up a notch.

Slater sent a hard shot on which Christian Arroyo made a beautiful rapid response catch at second and threw him out at first. Luciano scored on that plate, finally upping the Giants’ lead to 2-0.

San Francisco loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth against Llovera a double by Matos, the leadoff hitter, back to back strikeouts by Luciano and Smith, and an intentional walk to Yastrzemski and an unintentional one to Slater. But Flores, who had gone three for four, took a called third strike. The Curse of the Leadoff Double had struck again.

That meant that it was a 2-0 lead that Camilo Doval was called on to. preserve in the top of the ninth. He began by issuing a 3-2 walk to Masataki Yoshida, pinch hitting for Yu-Cheng Chang, Duran put the tying runs in scoring position with a double off the bricks under Levi’s Landing. And Turner drove them home with a single up the middle.

The Giants came up in their half of the ninth with a 2-2 tie on their hands. That’s because Bailey threw Turner out trying to steal second, Devers flew out to the warning track in left, and Casas went down swinging.

That tie lasted exactly one pitch. Davis blasted Kenley Jansen’s first offering, a 92.1 mph cutter, into the left field bleachers, 387 feet from home. It was his 14th home run and 52nd RBI of the year.

Doval was charged with a blown save but got credit for the win. His records now is 3-3, 2.68. Jansen, now 2-5, 3.15, was the loser.

The rubber game of the current series will start Sunday, afternoon at 1:07. Neither team has announced its probable starter. Count on this one being a bullpen game.