Category: MLB

San Francisco Giants pitcher Tyler Anderson reaches up to catch a high popup in front of the plate hit by the Arizona Diamondbacks Kole Calhoun with a runner coming in from third in Friday night’s game at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-Things were out of sync for Tyler Anderson early on and the San Francisco Giants never were able to get over that hump against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Daulton Varsho hit a two-run single in the top of the fourth inning, helping the Diamondbacks to a hard fought 6-5 victory over the Giants, their first win at Oracle Park in four tries this season.

Ketel Marte hit the seventh pitch of the game into the left field bleachers to give the Diamondbacks a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

That lead did not last long, as Brandon Belt continued his hot streak at the plate, as he doubled in just as hot Alex Dickerson singled with one out.

Marte was back at it in the top of the third inning, as he doubled off of Evan Longorias glove to score Varsho, who singled to lead off the frame for the Diamondbacks.

Once again, the Giants tied it up in the bottom of the third inning, as Donovan Solano reached on an infield single, when he beat Nick Ahmeds throw and allowed Dickerson to score for tie up the game.

Varsho then broke the tie up for good, as his two-run single to right field in the top of the fourth inning, allowed Ahmed and Josh Rojas.

The fourth inning would be the last one for Anderson, who went four innings, allowing four runs on seven hits, walking one and striking out two.

Anderson took the loss for the Giants, as he falls to 1-3 on the season.

Diamondbacks starter Taylor Clarke did not fare in the decision, as he went only three innings, allowing three runs on six hits, walking three and striking out two.

Travis Bergen pitched one inning, as he walked one and struck out one for his first win of the 2020 season. Kevin Ginkel came on in the bottom of the ninth inning and despite a walking a batter, he struck out Brandon Crawford to end the game for his first save of the season.

Mauricio Dubon cut the Diamondbacks lead down to one in the bottom of the fourth inning, as his double scored Joey Bart.

Dubon came up huge on the defensive side of the field, as he robbed Andy Flores of a possible two-run home run, as he leaped and brought the ball back from over the wall. He then did it again in the top of the eighth inning, as he made a sliding catch off the bat of Rojas that led off the top of the inning.

Once again, if the Giants scored a run, you knew that the Diamondbacks would score in the next half inning, as Kole Calhoun hit a sacrifice fly that scored Christian Walker in the top of the fifth inning and then Ahmed followed the Calhoun sacrifice fly up with a single to left field.

Wouldnt you know that in the bottom of the fifth inning, for the fourth time in the game, the Giants scored in the same frame as the Diamondbacks, when Brandon Crawford beat the shift and singled thru the hole that allowed Wilmer Flores.

The streak of where the Diamondbacks and the Giants scored in the same inning came to an end in the bottom of the seventh inning, as Belt launched a solo home run that went over the arcade onto the portwalk and then bounced into McCovey Cove.

Belt continues to hit the ball extremely well, as since August 16 against the Oakland As, Belt is an astonishing 26-for-52 with five home runs, eight doubles and a triple during the stretch.

With a chance to tie up the game or possibly take the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning, as the Giants, they came up with nothing. Bart singled, and brought Steven Duggar out of the dugout to run for Bart, then Dubon singled Duggar to an additional 90 feet and then Mike Yastrzemski was hit by a pitch to load the bases to bring up another hot hitter in Dickerson; however, nothing came out of that.

Dickersons fly ball to Calhoun was not deep enough for Duggar from third; however, Dubon wandered too far off of second base and Calhoun threw to Walker, who then threw to Ahmed to get Dubon to complete the double play. Evan Longoria then hit a ground ball that he thought was foul ball, but was ruled fair and Eduardo Escobar snared it at third base and easily threw Longoria out at first base to end the threat and the inning.

NOTES: This is the third weekend in a row that the Giants and Diamondbacks are facing each other, and the Giants lead the season series 5-2 with three games left between Saturday and Monday.

UP NEXT: Trevor Cahill will look to even up the series for the Giants on Saturday night, as he heads to the mound, while the Diamondbacks will send former Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner to the hill, as he will face his former team for the first time in a regular season game.

The photo proves it that this Diamondback is back . After suffering from back problems that kept him out for much of this season Bumgarner seen here threw against the San Diego Padres Sun Aug 8th Bumgarner will be into pay a visit to his former team the San Francisco Giants for the weekend series and will be getting the start on Saturday night (AP News file photo)

By Jeremy Harness

In spring training, Giants fans undoubtedly anticipated seeing Madison Bumgarner toe the rubber at Oracle Park as a member of the opposing team.

That moment will come this Saturday, as his Arizona Diamondbacks visit the Giants for a three-game series that starts Friday night, with the left-hander starting the second game of the series.

We witnessed Cavaliers fans giving a hero’s welcome to LeBron James during his second return to Cleveland as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers last season. In 2002, the Chicago crowd gave former Bulls great Michael Jordan a minutes-long standing ovation when being introduced in his first game in Chicago with the Washington Wizards.

Cutouts, and whatever kind of fake crowd noise that the Giants brass can think of will be in the crowd to greet Bumgarner this Saturday.

Cutouts.

Fake crowd noise.

Another reason why this joke of an MLB season should have been shut down for good. That, along with the COVID-19 outbreak that ravaged the majority of the Miami Marlins team earlier in the season, as well as an employee of the A’s organization testing positive for the virus, which forced the postponement of their series with the Houston Astros and put the brakes on the ensuing series in Seattle before it even started.

Partially because of this, Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen was caught saying that MLB commissioner Rob Manfred “just doesn’t get it.” Van Wagenen is almost certainly not the only one who feels this way.

Yes, baseball is being played, but there is next to no energy and a severe lack of enthusiasm for obvious reasons, with seemingly the only reason to go on with the season is for owners to line their pocketbooks and to justify paying their players.

And because of that, here we are. There will be no fans in the stands, and that is an absolute shame. Giants fans will not get to see Madison Bumgarner in person to give him the hero’s welcome that he deserves. And that is an injustice.

Brodie Van Wagenen is right. Rob Manfred does not get it. And he has had many chances to figure it out, and he has come up short each time, and this is perfect example of that.

Colorado Rockies Kevin Pillar has second base stolen after the throw is late to the San Francisco Giants second baseman Donavan Solano in the fourth inning of the second and concluding game of the two game series (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Harness

A day after pounding the Colorado Rockies into submission, Thursday afternoon looked very good for the Giants.

Then starter Logan Webb exited the game, and in came the Giants’ bullpen, which has been lights-out in recent weeks. Not this time, however.

The relievers imploded, as two runs crossed the plate in the sixth while five more scored in the seventh inning to surrender their once-sizable lead. The Giants offense, which was dominant in a 23-5 win Tuesday and piled up a 6-1 lead after four innings, could not come up with anything in the last two innings, as the Giants fell 9-6 at Coors Field.

Webb pitched brilliantly for much of the afternoon, going 5 1/3 innings and striking out five while walking only two and was in line to get his third win of the season, but he was ultimately charged with four earned runs.

Mike Yastrzemski continues to swing a hot bat, as he went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI on Wednesday. He started the scoring with a solo home run over the right-field wall, and then he singled in Joey Bart in the fifth.

For the Rockies, shortstop Trevor Story also had three hits and knocked in a run in the fifth with a double. He also made a fine diving stop and threw from one knee deep in the hole in short to rob Bart of a hit.

Center fielder Kevin Pillar, who spent last season with the Giants, had a nice afternoon against his former team, collecting a pair of hits, including a triple in the seventh that gave Colorado the lead for good.

San Francisco Giants Alex Dickerson connects with the first of three home runs for the night. Here he takes Colorado Rockies pitcher Jon Gray deep at Coors Field in Denver on Tuesday night (photo from sfgate.com)

By Jeremy Kahn

When you head to Coors Field in Denver, anything can happen in a game between the San Francisco Giants and the Colorado Rockies.

Alex Dickerson hit three home runs and picked up 16 total bases, tying Willie Mays for the most in the most in the San Francisco era. Mays picked his 16 total bases against the Milwaukee Braves at County Stadium on April 30, 1961.

Dickerson hit a 480-foot home run into the upper deck in right field, helping the Giants to a 23-5 victory over the Rockies at Coors Field.

The Giants tied the San Francisco record for most runs in a game with 23 and most hits in a game with 27, tying the record that took place on June 8, 1990 against the Atlanta Braves at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

Going into the ninth inning, the Giants were trying to become the first team this century to score in all nine innings; however, usual Rockies catcher Drew Butera put a halt to that chance.

The trio of Dickerson, Brandon Crawford and Donovan Solano became the first three players to drive at six runs in the same game since RBIs became a stat 100 years ago during the 1920 season.

Dickerson put the Giants on the board in the top of the first inning, as he launched the second longest home run of the season, as his 480-foot home run that landed in the upper deck came up three feet short of tying Giancarlo Stanton of the New York Yankees for the longest home run of the season.

Once again, Dickerson hit a home run in the top of the second inning, as he hit a two-run home run in the top of the second inning, as the Giants scored four runs and took a 5-0 lead. With the second home run by Dickerson, it became the first home run of game of Dickersons career.

Dickerson hit a double in the top of the fourth inning and then hit his third home run against Jairo Garcia in the top of the sixth.

In the top of the ninth inning, Dickerson barely missed tying Mays record with four home runs, as he doubled off the left-center field wall. It was the fifth hit and second double of the night for Dickerson, who became the first player since Matt Carpenter last season to have five extra base hits in the same game.

Kevin Gausman went five innings, allowing two runs and two hits to pick up his second win of the season. Both of the hits that Gausman allowed were home runs by Garrett Hampson.

NOTES: Those 23 runs were the third-most that the Rockies allowed in team history, behind the 26 runs that the Chicago Cubs scored on August 18, 1995 and the 24 runs they allowed to the Cincinnati Reds on May 19, 1999. The 27 hits by the Giants tied for the most allowed by a Rockies team, set when the Cubs also hit 27 in that 1995 game.

Daniel Robertson was called up from the alternate site in Sacramento and made his Giants debut and singled in his Giants debut in the top of the eighth inning.

Former Giants outfielder Kevin Pillar made his debut for the Rockies, as he started in centerfield, one day after being acquired from the Boston Red Sox.

UP NEXT: Logan Webb looks to even his record on the season at 3-3, as he takes the mound in the series and road trip finale for the Giants, while Kyle Freeland heads to the mound for the Rockies, as they look to split the series.