Category: MLB

San Francisco Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr (31) stands on the foul line paying his respects to former Giants pitcher Vida Blue who passed away at the age of 72 on Sun May 7, 2023 as the Giants prepared to face the visiting Milwaukee Brewers at Oracle Park in San Francisco (@SFGiants photo)

By Michael Roberson

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The San Francisco Giants took the field with heavy hearts, as they lost to the Milwaukee Brewers 7-3 trying to honor the Late Vida Blue.

The announcement of Blue’s death was released approximately 9am PST, with a 1:05pm game start time.

The visiting Brew Crew got the scoring started in the top of the second inning, when catcher William Contreas hit a two run homer, scoring himself and first baseman Rowdy Tellez. 2-0 Brewers in the middle of the second.

The Giants equaled the Brewers tally in the bottom of the frame on a single by second baseman Brett Wisely, scoring catcher Blake Sabol. First baseman LaMonte Wade Jr.knocked in center fielder Austin Slate on a single to left field. 2-2 after two.

Milwaukee was not content with the tie and got back on the scoreboard in the top of the third inning, when shortstop Willy Adames hit a sacrifice fly to left field, sending left fielder Christian Yelich home from third base. 3-2 Milwaukee midway through the third.

The Brewers were at it again during their half of the fifth inning, when Adames knocked out a two run homer, also scoring DH Jesse Winker. 5-2 Brew Crew, midway through five.

Milwaukee added two more runs in the top of the ninth, Yelich single to left field brought in center fielder Joey Wiemer, Adames knocked in Yelich with a single between the third baseman and shortstop. The Brewers were up five runs, 7-2 in the middle of the ninth.

San Francisco showed some pride in their home half of the last inning, with a solo homer to left by shortstop Thairo Estrada, bringing the score to 7-3, which was the final run count.

The Giants are next in action Monday Night, May 8 (6:45 pm) hosting the Washington Nationals. Starting pitchers are righty Jake Irvin (0-0, 2.08) for the Giants and also right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (3-1, 2.13) for the Nationals.

The Brewers fly back home to Milwaukee to host the Los Angeles Dodgers, also May 8.

REST IN PEACE to Vida Blue, Giants, Athletics and Royals Hall of Fame pitcher and all around good guy.

San Francisco Giants second baseman Brett Wisley (70) turns on a Milwaukee Brewers pitch for a home run at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sat May 5, 2023 (@SFGiants photo)

Milwaukee (18-15). 000 000 001. – 1. 6. 0

San Francisco (15-17). 012 000 10x. – 4. 6. 0

Time: 2:30

Attendance: 26,387

Saturday, May 6, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–The Giants tried to make it four in a row and nine out of the last 13 in this afternoon’s encounter with the slumping Milwaukee Brewers, who were trying to end their five game losing streak that on April 30th. A Giant win would be a fitting birthday present to the 92 year old Willie Mays, who broke in to what was then considered major league baseball in 1951.

The New York Giants of that year began as a horror show, with Mays playing for the Minneapolis Millers. Recommended to Leo Durocher by Artie Wilson, he went 0 f0r 12 after his May 25 call up until he got his first hit, a home run off Hall of Famer Warren Spahn. Still, the Giants were 13-1/2 games out of first in mid August, when they caught fire and finally won the pennant with two out in the bottom of the ninth of the last of a three game playoff series against the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Today, behind the solid pitching of Alex Cobb, the current ace of the Giants rotation, San Francisco the Brewers, 4-1. Milwaukee sent Colin Rea, a well travelled but not particularly distinguished veteran to the mound at Oracle Park.

San Francisco took an early lead. Both pitchers retired the first five batters they faced and then walked the sixth. Cobb retired the seventh. Rea didn’t. Joey Bart sent a line drive down the left field foul line that evaded the glove of third baseman Owen Miller to become an RBI double that drove in Michael Conforto.

Thairo Estrada added two more runs to the Giants’ lead, sending an 82.8 mph sweeper into the left field bleachers, 376 feet from home plate, from where it departed at 97.6 mph. It was Estrada’s fifth homer of the season, and drove in LaMonte Wade, Jr., who had singled, giving the Giants’ shortstop his 12th and 13th RBI and his team a 3-1 advantage.

That caused some excitement but not as much as the brouhaha that erupted when Milwaukee came t0 bat in the f0urth. Willy Adames singled to left. Cobb attempted to pick him off. He was called safe. Then first base umpire Jimmy Riggs awarded Adames second base, believing that the throw had been Cobb’s third disengagement of the at bat.

Third base ump and crew chief Chris Guccioni disabused the minor league substitute ump of that misconception, which infuriated Brewer skipper Craig Counsell enough to earn him an ejection from Gucccioni. It took a while for Cobb to recover his rhythm, which enabled the visitors to load the bases. But Cobb recovered and, helped by spiffy pick and throw by Davis at third, kept Milwaukee off the board.

Six innings were enough for Rea. He’d thrown 89 pitches; only 30 were balls. He allowed three runs, all earned, on four hits, one of which was a homer, and struck out four. Tyson Miller relieved him to pitch the home seventh and gave up a solo home run to Brett Wisely, his first. Miller stayed in the game to throw a scoreless bottom of the eighth.

107 pitches, his second highest total of the season, were enough for Cobb. He didn’t allow a run in his seven frames on the mound and permitted only five hits and two walks while striking out five. 39 of those 107 offerings were balls. Taylor Rogers, the southpaw brother of Tyler the Submariner, shut out the Brewers in the eighth.

John Brebbia had a four run lead to protect when he came on in the ninth. He walked the first two batters he faced and went two innings and on Bruce Turang before throwing him two strikes and then receiving a mound visit. After another ball, Turang took a called strike three. Owen Miller stroked a single to left, plating Tellez, the first walkee, and sending Brian Anderson to second. Exit Brebbia. Enter Camilo Duval. He got the job done with two flies to center, the last out coming at the warning track.

Cobb, now 2-1, 2.01, got the well earned win. Rea, nbow 0-3 got the loss. Doval earned his seventh save.

Ross Stripling (0-1 ERA 6.10) will try to make it a sweep when the Giants and Brewers meet at 1:05 tomorrow, Sunday, afternoon to wrap up this three game series. Milwaukee hasn’t yet announced who will pitch for them.

San Francisco Giants’ J.D. Davis, right, celebrates as he runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Fri May 5, 2023 (AP News photo)

Milwaukee (18-14). 200 020 00o. – 4. 7. 1

San Francisco (14-17). 200 030 01x. – 6. 5 2

Time: 2:37

Attendance: 28,614

Friday, May 5, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–It’s only early May. so it’s still almost a month before we can start talking about a June swoon, but the season starts 15 days earlier than it did when 16 teams played a 154 game schedule, 22 games against each of the other teams inter league, so it might be worthwhile to pay some attention to the MLB, or at least the NL standings.

The Giants began the day occupying third place in the four team Western Division of the senior circuit, two games ahead of the cellar dwelling entry from the Mile High City. At 13-17, they trail their arch rivals from Los Angeles by five games, against whom they have 10 games left to play, all in LA except for the final three, which will be played at Oracle Park.

So, if the orange and black can put their bullpen in order, tighten up their defense, reverse the aging process of their infielders and speed the development of some of the others, they’ve got a fighting chance to reach the post season. This is especially the case under the recent changes to the playoff format that has made every .500 team a possible World Series Champion. In any case, it’s hard to swoon when you’re already semi prostrate.

San Francisco’s opponent for Friday night the Milwaukee Brewers, brought a 18-13 record, just a game out of first in the NL Central in spite of a four game losing streak that began on April 30. Their starting pitcher, Corbin Burnes, had an unintimidating record 3-1, 4.01 record for the year but was the NL Cy Young winner for 2021 and finished 2022 at 12-8, 2.94.

The 28 year old righty went up against Sean Manaea, a southpaw who pitched excellent ball over six seasons, including a no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox, for Oakland before slipping into mediocrity with San Diego last year. He was still trying to rise above that level at game time, weighed down by the burden of an 0-1, 7.85 record.

In the end, the Giants won, a hard fought victory of 6-4.

After waiting out a 34 minute rain delay, Manaea got off to a rocky start. William Contreras whacked his third offering off the right field fence for a lead off double. He could have scored on Owen Miller’s follow up single to center, but the Brewers played it conservatively, and Contreras stopped at third. He waltzed home on a single to right by Willy Adames. Miller went to third and Adames was eliminated when clean up hitter Christian Yellich hit into a 4-6-3 double play.

With two outs, Manaea walked Brian Anderson to a chorus of boos for some pretty questionable calls by home plate umpire Chris Guccione. It still looked as if the Throwin’ Samoan might escape with minimal damage, but sometimes you can’t win for losing. Manaea picked Anderson off first, but Adames scored before the tag that ended the inning was made.

The Giants got both runs back in their half of the initial frame with a lead off walk to LaMonte Wade, Jr. and a splash hit 364 feet into the chilly waters of McCovey Cove, Joc Pederson’s fourth four bagger of the year.

Milwaukee came roaring back with a slam against the right field wall by Luke Voit that only a great throw by Michael Conforto kept from being a double. An error by Thairo Estrada at short on what could have, should have been a twin killing that would have eliminated Voit from the base paths seemed to open the door for a Brewer break through, but Manaea’s change up was working beautifully, and the score remained knotted at two after he fanned Joey Wiener and Contreras.

Things quieted down after that. At least for a while. Back to back singles by Tyrone Taylor and Weiner put two men on and the top of the order coming up with no one out. The Brewers diodn’t need any help from their hitters to break tie. Their two base runners pulled off a double steal, and now there were two men in scoring position.

With Owen Miller at bat, Joey Bart tried to pick Taylor off third. He threw the ball into left field, allowing Taylor to score and Weiner to replace him 90 feet from home. Miller’s sacrifice fly to center brought in the second Brewer run of the inning and fourth of the game.

San Francisco took advantage of Milwaukee’s mistakes in the home fifth. Wisely singled to left center with one out and then pilfered second, his second stolen base of the night and of the season. Adames made a wild throw to first on Cal Stevenson’s grounder to short, allowing both runners to advance.

After Wade took a called third strike, Estrada hit a bouncer to the mound. Burnes slipped trying to field it. It scored a single, and it scored Wisely. Peterson followed with a single to right center and was thr0wn out, 8-5-4 but not before Stevenson and Estrada had crossed the plate.

So it was with a 5-4 advantage that John Brebbia entered the game to relieve Manaea to open thje sixth. Manaea ad thrown one weak and four strong innings, allowing four runs, three of them earned, on six hits and two walks. He struck out six. Of the 91 pitches he threw, 63 counted as strikes.

Brebbia put the brew crew down in order and gave way to Tyler, the submarining Rogers, who did the same in seventh, aided by a spectacular diving catch by Haniger of a dying line drive to left center by Contreras for the last out of the frame. The right handed reliever hung around to to dispose of the Brewers with only a single up the middle in the eighth.

Bryce Wilson took over for Burnes for the home seventh and held the hosts scoreless. Milwaukee’s starter had thrown six innings of four hit ball. Although five runs were scored against him, only two were earned. One of those four hits was a home run. He walked three and struck out five. He threw 94 pitches, 56 strikes.

A pinch hitting Wilmer Flores greeted Hoby Milner, the lefty to whom Milwaukee entrusted the Giants’ eighth. The greeting consisted of a 397 foot blast into the left center field bleachers that gave San Francisco a bit of breathing room. A ground out and a base on balls later, Elvis Peguero was on the mound, facing Bart, whom he fanned. He did the same to Wisely.

It was left to Camilo Duval to try close the book on the Brewers, going for his sixth save in seven opportunities. A slider disposed of Voit for a K. Caratinij grounded out to short. Jessie Winker pinch hit for Taylor. With a full count, he drew a walk, bringing the potential tying run at the plate in the person of another pinch hitter, Rowdy Tellez. Doval served him a slider on a 1-2 count. Tellez swung.

And missed.

Manaea got the win, making him 1-1, 6.94. Doval got the safe, and Burnes took the loss, bringing his record to 3-2, 3.86.

Tomorrow afternoon, Saturday, at 4:15, the two teams will have another go at each other. The probable starters will be two right handers,, Colin Rea (0-2, 4.79) and Alex Cobb (1-2, 2.43) for San Francisco.