San Francisco Giants’ J.D. Davis (7) celebrates with Michael Conforto after hitting a two-run home run against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed Jul 26, 2023 (AP News photo)
Oakland (28-76). 000 300 000 – 3. 8. 1
San Francisco (56-47). 210. 002 03x. – 8. 9. 1
Time: 2:28
Attendance: 36,142
Wednesday, July 26, 2023
By Lewis Rubman
SAN FRANCISCO–It’s no secret that the Giants have a problem at short. Brandon Crawford has been battling the interrelated difficulties of injuries and the ageing process for the past few years, and Casey Schmitt, who at first seemed to be ready for prime time has, at least for now, shown himself to be not quite ready.
So the Giants looked once more to their farm system and today promoted Marco Luciano from Sacramento and optioned David Villar, another momentary hope for the left side of the infield, to the Rivercats.
Luciano made his big league debut Wednesday night, batting eighth in the order, playing short, and receiving a thunderous ovation on being introduced for his first at bat. He made some nice plays in the field and went 0 for two at the plate, including a deep shot that was caught, but you couldn’t say that he was instrumental in the Giants’ 8-3 decisive victory over the A’s.
It was a bullpen game for the home team, who used Ryan Walker (3-0,2.93) as their opener, the sixth time this season that he’s served the Giants in that capacity. After 2-2/3 innings of scoreless pitching, in which he threw 40 pitches and allowed a single and two walks, he was relieved by Scott Alexander, who had opened last Sunday’s game against the Nationals. Jakob Junis took over for Alexander at the beginning of the visitors’ fourth. Alex Wood, Tyler Rogers, and Luke Jackson followed him.
The cross bay visitors also used an opener. They alternated between announcing Freddy Tarnok (0-1, 4.76 at game time), who in his most recent appearance had pitched three innings of one run ball in relief of Hogan Harris against the high flying Astros last Thursday, and Harris.
Harris’s last outing was in that same July 20 contest. That evening, he hurled six frames of four hit ball, in which he allowed two runs, both earned. Both runs and all but one of the hits came in the sixth inning of that start.
Wednesday, it was Tarnok who was the opener. What he opened seemed like a can of worms. After a lead off walk to LaMonte Wade, Jr. Wilmer Flores went down swinging, but not before Wade had taken second on a wild pitch.
Then JD Davis unloaded his 13th homer of the season, a 353 foot fly to right. Just like that, the Giants were up, two zip. Tarnok had allowed three runs, all earned, on three hits and a walk in his 49 pitch stint on the mound when Harris replaced him with none on and two away in the bottom of the third and fanned Michael Conforto.
The A’s also used Angel Felipe, who entered the game to open the home seventh, and Sam Long, who came in after the A’s challenge to the safe call at second on Luis Matos’s two out double was denied on review.
After receiving his welcoming ovation, Luciano produced a resounding fly to the right field wall that Ramón Laureano brought down for the second out of the home second. The cheering for Luciano continued for a bit, and, when it had died down, Schmitt doubled to left center, driving in Mike Yastremski with San Francisco’s third tally.
The Athletics closed the gap when Jakob Junis took over in the fourth. Brent Rooker popped out to first. Bleday smacked a two bagger to right center. After Jordan Díaz whiffed, Laureano drew a base on balls, and Jace Peterson, hitting for Aledmys Díaz, singled to center, driving in Bleday.
Laureano also scored on the play because of Matos’s throwing error, which also allowed Peterson to take third. He scored the tying run on Shea Langeliers’ single to right.
Needless to say, Alexander didn’t come out for the fifth. Alex Wood did, and he kept Oakland off the board through the seventh. Tyler Rogers allowed a single to Rooker in the eighth, and that was it for the Giants’ pitching staff until Jackson put the game in the books in the top of the ninth/
Wilmer Flores broke the 3-3 tie, leading off the bottom of the sixth with a four bagger that travelled over the Bank of America advertisement just to the left of the 399 foot sign in left center. An out later, Austin Slater pinch hit for Conforto and drove one over the Toyota ad in left. Two blinks of an eye, and the Giants were leading, 5-3. The home runs were Flores’s 14th and Slater’s fifth.
Back to back two out doubles by Matos (off Felipe), Bailley (off Moll), and Yastrzemski (also off Moll), plus a single by Wisely (again, off Moll), who was thrown out trying to advance to second, added three runs to the Giants’ lead, giving Luke Jackson a 7-3 lead to protect in the top of the ninth.
He allowed a leadoff infield single to Jordan Díaz before putting the game on ice
The winning pitcher was Wood, now 5-4, 4.75. The loss went to Harris, now 2-5, 6.07.
The Giants will have a well earned day off tomorrow before Boston comes to town on Friday the 28th.
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