Category: MLB

San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb throws during the first inning against the New York Mets at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sat Apr 22, 2023 (AP News photo)

New York. 011 000 011 – 4 10 1

San Francisco 420 010 000 – 7. 7. 0

Time: 2:35

Attendance: 29,912

Saturday, April 22, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–A warm, clear day with light breezes; that’s good news for San Francisco, even more so if it’s a Saturday afternoon, and you’re in Oracle Park.

The action on the field also was good news for Giants fans.

Logan Webb, carrying the burden of an 0-4,4.94 record to start the season, set the visitors down in order to get things going. Then, the Giants jumped all over New York’s starter, David Peterson,–who came to town with a mark of 1-2– early and oftenm.

Thairo Estrada led off with an infield single and, after Darin Ruf went down swinging, advanced to third on Michael Conforto’s single to center. A walk to Wilmer Flores made the bases FOG (Full of Giants) on this sunny day. David Villar drove in the hosts’ first tally with a sacrifice fly to center, and the slumping Brandon Crawford accounted for the next three by launching a splash hit homer into McCovey Cove (forgive the redundancy).

A two out walk to Mark Canha and a double by David Vogelbach that landed at the crease where the bleachers meet the brick wall in right center, got back one of the four runs the Giants had racked up in the first.

Undetered, Héliot Ramos led off the home second with with a double to right. Estrada followed with a single to center and then stole second. Rob Drake called him out, but the Giants disputed the call, and the review crew in New York agreeed with them.

Ruff then singled both runners home and took second on the throw that failed to nab Estrada at the plate. The Queenslanders disputed the call, but the review crew back east upheld it The worm had turned, and San Francisco was up, 6-1 .

Wilmer Flores’s 401 foot shot left leading off the fifth upped that lead to 7-1. That was the last inning for Peterson, who had allowed his seven runs, all earned, on seven hits, two for the distance, and a walk. He struck out eight. 64 of his 98 offerings counted as strikes. Edwin Uceta replaced him to pitch the bottom of the sixth and stayed on through the Giants’ last out.

At 97 pitches (63 strikes), Webb had finished his day’s work of seven excellent innings, over the course ofo which he allowed two runs, both earned, on five hits including a home run, and a walk. He had eight Ks to his credit. Brett Baty greeted Scott Alexander, Webb’s replacement, rudely with a single to right. He eventually scored the Mets’ third tally on a single to left by Marte.

After that, Camilo Doval came in to try to preserve the win. With one down, a runner on first, and full count on Vogelbach, home plate Umpire Chad Whitson called a pitch clock violation on Doval. Vogelbach strolled to first, and Canha, the runner of first, trotted to second.

And then the call was reversed, Doval faced Vogelbach again and fanned him. Brett Baty singled Canha home to make it 7-4. Pinch hitter Luis Guillorme grounded out to second, and the Giants had, at long last, something to smile about.

Peterson (1-3, 7.36) was tagged with the loss. Webb got his first win of 2023, against 4 defeats. His ERA now is 4.40. There was no save.

The series concludes tomorrow, Sunday, at 1:00. Righties Tylor Megil (3-1,3.00) and Ross Stripling (0-1, 7.30) will be pitching for the Mets and Giants, respectively.

New York Mets pitcher Joey Lucchesi works against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Fri Apr 21, 2023 (AP News photo)

New York. 010 030 003. – 7. 13. 0

San Francisco. 000 000 000 – 0. 5. 1

Time: 2:15

Attendance: 27,557

Friday, April 21, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–In spite of the stark contrast between the visiting New York Mets’ game time won-lost record of 13-7 and your San Francisco Giants’ mark of 6-12, Mets outcome of the encounter was not a foregone conclusion. The home team entrusted mound duties to the pitcher who has been, in the three weeks that have constituted this season, the ace of its rotation, Anthony DeSclafani, 01-1.42 in his three starts.

The Metropolitans gave the ball to southpaw sinker hurler Joey Lucchesi, the holder of a 19-24, 4.24 mark over a three year span with the Padres and Mets. In 2021, he was sidelined in order to undergo Tommy John surgery and spent last season rehabbing in the minors. Tonight marked his return to the show.

Forgone or not, the outcome of the game was a blow out in favor of the visitors from Queens, a resounding 7-0 defeat for the hoe tea.

Lucchesi, a bay area product from Newark, throws the sinker about 60% of the time, He was good. at it tonight. The Giants hit into three double play during the lefty’s seven inninbgs on the mound , and he’d allowed only men to reach base, four on hits and two on walks. He threw 97 pitches 65 for strikes and was unscored upon.Brooks Raley, like Lucchesi a southpaw, replaced him for the bottom of the eighth, retiring San Francisco in order.

A pitcher’s best friend got DeScalfani out of trouble in the first, but hard hit balls – one of which, number nine batter Luis Guillorme’s two out single with two men on base – had seeing eyes, left him behind, 1-0, when the inning was over.

A combination of factorss cost him and the Giants three more runs in the top of the fifth. Guillorlme led off with a single to center, Brandon Nemmo, who began the day hitting .368, sacrificed him to second. DeSclafani struck Lindor out looking. Jeff McNeil hit a swinging bunt in front of the mound. Joey Bart pounced on it and threw a strike to first. The ball hit McNeil, allowing him to reach first safely and Guillorme to score.

The rule book says thwart when a batter or run reaches base on a throw that hits him, it should be charged as an error to him., so the scorer’s decision to charge Bart with an error was correct albeit unjust. The play itself set up Pete Alonso’s 10th home run of the season, a 415 foot wallop to center that gave him 21 runs batted in and the Metros a 4-0 cushion,

DeScalfani didn’t come out to pitch the sixth. In his five innings on the hill, the righty yielded four runs, all earned but at least three of them undeserved, on seven hits and two walks. He struck out five Metropolitans and threw 80 pitches, 27 of which were balls. His ERA rose to 2.63. Taylor Rogers, who’s bee having trouble getting outs this year, set the New Yorkers down in order in the sixth. Go, as they say in Gottham, figure.

Sean Hjelle replaced Rogers for seventh. He faced the top of the order and yielded only a single to McNeil. He struck oout Nemmo, Lindor, and Alonso. (Don’t let Lindor’s .233l batting average fool you. He started the day batting .290 from the left side, and Hjelle is a righty).

He returned to the hill for the eighth and set the side down in order. He gave up a two out single in the ninth when Estrada broke towards his left and Nemmo poked the ball to the shortstop’s right and into center field. Lindor followed with a clean single to left.

Then Hjelledd hit McNeil with a pitch to load the base for Alonso. He singled. As did Vogelbach. Mark Canha added his safety to mix. At long last, Brett Baty popped out to second, ending the nightmare.

Tommy Hunter completed the shut out, allowing a single to Darin Ruf,, but nothing more.

The win, of course, went to Lucchesi. DeSclafani took the loss.

At 1:05 tomorrow, Saturday, afternoon, the Giants will try to bring their record, which now stands at 6-13, a step closer to .500. They’ll send Logan Webb (0-4, 4.94) to the mound to oppose the Mets’ David Peterson (1-2, 6.10).

New York Mets’ Pete Alonso, right, is congratulated by Tommy Pham (28) after hitting a two-run home run against the San Francisco Giants during the fourth at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Thu Apr 20, 2023 (AP News photo)

New York (NL) 000 501 300. – 9 13. 0.

San Francisco 000 040 000 – 4. 7. 0

Time: 2:34

Attendance: 24,452

Thursday, April 20, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–The Giant’s lopsided 9-4 loss to the Mets tonight came as no surprise

It’s been a trying three weeks for bay area baseball fans. The news of the cellar dwelling A’s contracting to buy a huge swath of Las Vegas real estate coincided with the extension of Oakland’s losing streak to seven games as San Francisco’s was halted at five.

So the deal, announced today, that sent Cal Stevenson to the Giants in exchange for cash smacked of a shifting of deck chairs on the Titanic. (Perhaps it’s worth mentioning that tonight was Cal Night at Oracle Park). The Giants also promoted Tristan Beck from Sacramento and placed Alex Wood on the 15 day IL.

The Giants hoped to stop or at least slow down the sinking of their hopes by sending ex-Athletic Sean Manaea to the mound against the visiting New York Mets, the team that replaced the Giants in 1962 after sneaking out of Coogan’s Bluff in the 1957-58 off season, along with the Dodgers, who escaped from Flatbush, just two years after winning the franchise’s first World Series championship.

Manaea went 50-41, 3.86 for Oakland from 1916 through 1921 and no hit the Red Sox on April 21, 2018. He was traded to San Diego in April of 2021 and signed with the Giants as a free agent in December 2022. Manaea was 8-9, 4.96 for the Padres and was took the mound this evening at 0-0, 4.76. His two year contract pays him $12,500,000 per annum.

The Mets’ starting pitcher was Kodaii Senga, 11 year veteran of ,he Fukoaka Softbank Hawks of Japan’s. Pacific League, for whom he went 87-44, 2.59. He began his day at 2-0, 3.38. 2-0,1.59 in two games against the Marlins. The one team that got to him was the A’s, who touched him up for four earned runs in 4-2/3 inning at the Coliseum , where he got no decision six days ago.

The teams matched zeroes for three innings until, Francisco Lindor got in the way of an 83.6 mph chsnge up, trotted to first, and then trotted home when Pete Alonso took. a full count sinker, thrown at 92.6 mph, deep, 366 feet deep into the left field seats.

The ball left Alonso’s bat at 104 MPH.The blast was his ninth home run of the year, giving him 17 RBI and the Mets a 2-0 lead. Two batters later, it was 4-0. Manaea plunked Jeff McNeil, and Eduardo Escobar parked a slider 371 feet into the left field bleachers He had opened the day with a BA of .120. The Mets tacked on a fifth run on a two out double to left with Luis Guillome, who had walked, on base.

That ended Manaea’s unhappy adventure on the mound He lasted 3-2/3 and had thrown 88 pitches, 51 for strikes, allowing four hits, half of them four baggers, two walks, and two hit batters. He struck out another two. The newly promoted Beck replaced him, closed out the frame and came out for the top of the fifth. In fact, he came out for every subsequent frame, giving a grand imitation of Sponge Bob, as he soaked up innings to rest the weary Giant relief corps.

San Francisco got one run back on Blake Sabol’s leadoff 423 foot dinger over the center field fence, his third homer of the season, and then shaved another run off the visitors’ advantage with LaMonte Wade, Jr.’s second round tripper of ’23. All of a sudden, the tying run was at the plate in the person of JD Davis.

But he struck out, leaving it up to Yastrzemski to keep the rally going.He did that with a single to right that scored Estrada, who had walked and advanced to second on a walk to Conforto, who went to third on Yaz’s safety. Senga unleashed a wild pitch to Wilmer Flores, and Conforto dashed home to make it 5-4.

The Mets counterattacked in the top of the sixth. McNeil went deep to right on a hanging slider to stretch his team’s lead to 6-4. In spite of a double b Guillorme, Beck escaped further damage, getting all three outs via the strikeout route.

Brooks Raley, the only southpaw in the New York bullpen got the nod in the bottom of the sixth and got the Giants down in order. Senga had lasted five frames and surrendered four runs, all earned, on five hits, two for the distance, four walks, and a wild pitch. His pitch total was 85, with 52 counting as strikes.

The Mets continued their counterattack in the seventh. A double by Canha, a Texas League double by Lindor, an Alonso single, a walk to pinch hitter Daniel Vogelbach, and and New York was ahead 9-4 when John Curtiss relieved Raley to open the home half of the seventh, kept San Francisco off the board, and yielded to Drew Smith for the eighth.

Jeff Brigham closed things out with a 1,2,3 bottom of the ninth.

Tomorrow’s game will start at 7:15. New York hasn’t announced their starter. For San Francisco it will be Anthony DeSclafani (1-0,1.42). That’s Friday the 21st at 7:15)

San Francisco Giants right fielder Michael Conforto, right, follows through on a two-run home run as Miami Marlins catcher Nick Fortes, left, looks on during the eleventh inning at LoanDepot Park in Miami on Wed Apr 19, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca:

#1 The San Francisco Giants who avoided getting swept on their latest road trip at LoanDepot Park in Miami on Wednesday afternoon getting home run help from Mike Yastrzemski and Michael Conforto to help defeating the Miami Marlins 5-2.

#2 Miguel after the Giants had a five game losing streak going how important is it that they snapped this skid coming into tonight’s game against the New York Mets at Oracle Park?

#3 Things really got concerning for Giants manager Gabe Kapler as the Giants didn’t even have a hit until the fourth inning and they later got a pinch hit that tied the ball game by Conforto a rope over the rightfield wall against Miami starter Devon Smeltzer.

#4 If you had to point to one area that was the cause for the losing of five road games in a row on this trip. Was it the lack of outfield help or the Giants catching situation is has been in flux.

#5 Giants host the Mets on Thursday night at 6:45 pm Giants will go with the Mets Koda Senga (2-0 ERA 3.38) for the Giants Sean Manaea (0-0 ERA 4.76) to open a four game series at Oracle.

Follow all the Giants podcasts Thursdays with Michael Duca at http://www.sportsradioservice.com