Category: San Francisco Giants

Giants pull out 7-4 11-inning win over Phils

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The San Francisco Giants Joc Pederson runs the bases after hitting an 11th inning two run homer against third baseman Alex Bohm (left) and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizen’s Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia on Tue May 31, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Tuesday, May 31, 2022

In a game that lasted four hours and 52 minutes, San Francisco used an 11th inning rally to beat Philadelphia 7-4 at Citizens Bank Park.

Donovan Walton’s run-scoring double broke a 4-4 tie, and Joc Pederson iced it with a two-run homer, driving in Walton. Walton drove in Joey Bart, who was placed at second.

Jose Alvarez (2-1), the eighth pitcher to enter the game for the Giants, struck out two and walked two over the last 1 1/3 innings to get the win.

Andrew Bellatti (1-2) surrendered all three San Francisco runs in the top of the 11th. In the Phillies’ 11th, after Odubel Herrera was placed on second base, Johan Camargo fouled out to first, Kyle Schwarber walked, Bryson Stott struck out, and Bryce Harper was intentionally walked to load the bases.

Alvarez struck out Roman Quinn swinging to end the game.

San Francisco had taken a 4-3 lead in the top of the 10th when Wilmer Flores scored on a fielding error. The Phillies extended the game in the bottom of the 10th on a two-out RBI single by Alec Bohm.

The Giants took a 3-1 lead in the top of the fifth on a two-run double to right by Luis Gonzalez, and Mike Yastrzemski’s sacrifice fly to center. Philadelphia came up with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at 3-3. J.T. Realmuto had an run-scoring single, and Rhys Hoskins (who singled) scored when Herrera grounded into a double play.

Gonzalez was 4-for-5, leading the Giants’ 12-hit attack. San Francisco starter Jakob Junis went 4 1/3 innings, giving up an earned run on three hits and two walks while striking out three. Jarlin Garcia, John Brebbia, Jake McGee, Tyler Rogers, Dominic Leone and Camilo Duval also saw action out of the Giants’ bullpen.

Phillies starter Ranger Suarez lasted 4 1/3 innings, giving up two earned runs on five hits and three walks. He struck out five.

Carlos Rodon (4-4, 3.60) starts for the Giants on Wednesday, facing the Phillies’ Aaron Nola (2-4, 3.56); first pitch is at 2:05 PDT.

Home Run Giants: Long ball propels SF past the Phillies, 5-4 in 10 innings

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By Morris Phillips

The part of the Giants’ season where Evan Longoria hits the ball over the fence everyday is starting to gain some appeal.

Longoria’s ninth inning home run gave the Giants the lead for the first time all afternoon and they went on to beat the Phillies 5-4 in 10 innings at Citizens Bank Park on Memorial Day.

Manager Gabe Kapler suspended his National Anthem protest for a day, as the pressing issues for both clubs took center stage.

“While I believe strongly in the right to protest and the importance of doing so, I also believe strongly in honoring and mourning our country’s service men and women who fought and died for that right,” Kapler wrote in a statement issued before the game.

The Phillies came up short in the late innings for the second straight day, ratcheting up the pressure on manager Joe Girardi, who has seen his club drop 11 of their last 15 games. Longoria’s home run off Corey Knebel, then Curt Casali’s two-run homer off Andrew Bellatti in the tenth had the familiar Philly boo birds in full effect.

“Everyone in that room and in this room has gone through tough times in your life and you get to the other side,” Girardi said. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t be in this room.”

The Giants’ rough times continued the first two days in Cincinnati, but Longoria’s exploits have the club on a modest two-game win streak after losses in 16 of their previous 27 games.

Longoria started the season on the injured list to recover from a surgically repaired finger. He made his debut on May 11 and went his first 11 appearances without a home run. But he’s homered five times in the last five games, with Giants winning three of the five.

Casali credited his home run to Giants’ starter Logan Webb, who had his very best stuff marred by a trio of home runs, including Kyle Schwarber’s that pushed the game to extras.

“I didn’t care who did it, honestly. You want to win every game, but I wanted to win that game so bad,” said Casali. “Just what (Webb) did and being able to come out for the ninth and have that heartbreak ending to his day. Man, he pitched well today. That’s vintage Logan Webb. He had everything going.”

Webb pitched eight plus allowing four hits and the three, solo homers. What stood out for Webb was his 10 strikeouts, no walks and a bundle of swings and misses.

“I had thrown the first eight,” Webb said. “We were up, and I wanted to win. It sucks I couldn’t finish it.”

Philadelphia’s Ranger Suarez and Jakob Junis are the announced pitchers for Tuesday’s second game of the series.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Longoria delivers long ball for Giants in comeback win over Reds 6-4

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The San Francisco Giants Evan Longoria celebrates his three run home run in the top of the eighth in the Giants dugout against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati on Sun May 29, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the SF Giants podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris very little doubt that the San Francisco Giants (25-21) Evan Longoria is in a very good place hitting four home runs in his last four games.

#2 Longoria’s home runs were crucial as the Giants wanted to avoid getting swept by the Cincinnati Reds (16-31) with a 6-4 win on Sunday morning. The Giants took some tough defeats on Friday 5-1 and 3-2 on Saturday.

#3 The Reds were in the drivers seat for awhile with a 2-0 lead and Reds pitcher Tyler Mahle throwing seven innings of no hit ball before Longoria and the Giants made their comeback.

#4 Alex Cobb Giants starting pitcher threw well in his own right allowing just two runs, four hits, eight strikeouts.

#5 The Giants are in Philadelphia for a three game series and Logan Webb (5-1, 3.54) and the Phillies (21-26) will start Kyle Gibson (3-2, 3.94) a 4:05 pm PDT start.

Join Morris for the Giants podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

SF’s Eighth Inning Surge Beats Reds 6-4; Giants avoid getting swept

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San Francisco Giant Evan Longoria circles the bases after hitting a three run homer in the eighth inning to help defeat the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati on Sun May 29, 2022 (AP News photo)

Eighth Inning Surge Beats Reds 6-4

By Barbara Mason

It has been a tough start for the San Francisco Giants (25-21)on this most current road trip. Dropping two games in a row to the Cincinnati Reds (16-31) was a bit of a shocker to most. The Reds are simply not a good team: they are a club that the Giants should be able to handle.

The second game of this series was a tough loss for San Francisco with some curious decisions made in the ninth inning which may have cost them the game although they had numerous opportunities to come away with this contest. It was a team effort in this loss with 11 runners left stranded when all was said and done.

San Francisco took on the Reds in game three hoping to avoid the sweep. It was not looking good for the Giants until the eighth inning. The Reds again took the early lead in the second inning. Kyle Farmer scored off a Albert Almora Jr. single for the early 1-0 lead.

In the sixth inning the Reds extended their lead. Tyler Naquin doubled driving in Joey Votto for a 2-0 lead and this game was looking like more of the same.

The Giants broke this game wide open in the eighth inning. They saved the best for last. Tommy LaStella scored off a Pederson single followed by a home run by Evan Longoria driving in Wilmner Flores and Joc Pederson taking a 4-2 lead.

San Francisco was not finished: Luis Gonzalez would double driving in Thairo Estrada and Brandon Crawford for a 6-2 lead.

The Reds made some noise in the ninth inning when Albert Almora Jr. hit a home run and Farmer scored but that was it for the Reds and the Giants avoided the sweep. The Giants managed to win this game but again the Reds had more hits than San Francisco but the good new was that the Giants were back on the winning track.

Monday the Giants will take on the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Logan Webb (3-1, 3.54) will take the mound for San Francisco. For Philadelphia Kyle Gibson (3-2, 3.94) will get the nod. First Pitch is scheduled for 1:05 at Citizens Bank Ballpark.

Giants Drop A Second Game to the Reds 3-2; Pham suspended three games for pre game slap on Pederson

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The Cincinnati Reds Kyle Farmer (17) high fives teammate Tyler Stevenson after hitting a first inning three run home run at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Sat May 28, 2022 (AP News photo)

Giants Drop A Second Game to the Reds 3-2

By Barbara Mason

Saturday afternoon the San Francisco Giants (24-21) took on the Reds (16-30) in Cincinnati. After losing Friday’s game 5-1, the Giants were looking to bounce back against a team that quite frankly is not a very good one. They couldn’t pull it off losing by a run 3-2 at Great American Park in Cincinnati.

The Reds got on the board in the first inning when Kyle Farmer hit a home run driving in Brandon Drury and Tyler Stephenson for an early 3-0 lead.

The Giants loaded the bases in the second inning but came up empty. In the third inning Yastrzemski would score on a Joc Pederson double for their first run of the game.

San Francisco scored in the sixth inning when Evan Longoria hit a solo home run still trailing 3-2. The Giants had 12 hits to the Reds 5. They had many opportunities in this game but failed to capitalize. One of the most glaring downfalls for the team were the 11 runners on base that failed to score.

The most disappointing inning in this game was the ninth. Curt Casali singled and Yastrzemski walked. With two outs, Wilmer Flores singled and the Giants had the chance to load the bases yet again in this game. Pinch runner Joey Bart was waved home and thrown out at the plate and that was the ball game.

Right fielder Aristides Aquino made a magnificent throw to catcher Tyler Stephenson for the out and the win for Cincinnati in a surprising move by San Francisco.

Post game notes: Major League Baseball announced before Saturday’s game that the Reds outfielder Tommy Pham had been suspended three games Fri-Sun for slapping San Francisco Giants outfielder Joc Pederson in the face before Friday night’s game.

The slapping by Pham stemmed by a Fantasy Football League dispute in the off season. Pham took exception to what Pederson had wrote in explaining that he did not stash players while one of his players was on the IL.

Pham said that Pederson’s comments were disrespectful and there is a code to follow in Fantasy Football, “We had too much money on the line, so I look at it like there’s a code,” and that Pederson was “messing with my money.”

Pham who was with the San Diego Padres last season and Pederson who was with the Atlanta Braves showed a screen shot of what he sent to the Padres joking about the Padres struggle in the final months of the season.

Pham wrote to Pederson saying that Pederson did not know Pham that much to be joking about the Padres struggles like that. Pederson said he knew four or five of the guys on the Padres at the time and it was a joke and for laughs.

Pham however didn’t take it that way and confronted Pederson on Friday and slapped him in the face during batting practice. Pederson said it was a lighthearted joke he knew some of the guys over at the Padres and Pederson said he meant no harm.

But since the slap there might be some unspoken bad blood with Pederson’s teammates who didn’t appreciate Pham slapping their teammate before Friday’s game and they just might be waiting on Pham when the Reds come to San Francisco Jun 24-26 at Oracle Park.

Tomorrow the Giants will take on the Reds in game three of this series. They will try to avoid being swept in this final game. Alex Cobb (3-2, 6.25) will take the mound for San Francisco. For the Reds Tyler Mahle (2-5, 6.32) will get the nod. First pitch is 8:35 AM.

Reds beat Giants 5-1, real fireworks preceded the game

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The Cincinnati Reds Tommy Pham (left) was taken out of the line up before Fri May 27, 2022 game at Great American Ball Park for slapping San Francisco Giants Joc Pederson (right) in the face during batting practice (file photos from TULANEFML)

By Daniel Dullum
Friday, May 27, 2022

All of the action in Cincinnati seemed to take place before the Reds hosted the San Francisco Giants on Friday.

After the game had been delayed for two hours due to inclement weather in the Cincinnati area, the lowly Reds eventually prevailed 5-1.

Joc Pederson, who was in the middle of a pregame dispute with Cincinnati’s Tommy Pham, drove in the only San Francisco run while going 1-for-3.

Giants starter Carlos Rodon (4-4) took his third straight loss, walking three and striking out two while giving up three earned runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. Graham Ashcraft (1-0) got the win, while Art Warren earned his third save.

Off the field, Pederson got into a pregame disagreement with Pham, leaving Pham as a pregame scratch from the Cincinnati lineup. Pederson, meanwhile, remained in the Giants’ lineup.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that during pregame batting practice, Pham got into an argument with Pederson. The incident ran its course quickly, and Cincinnati manager David Bell stayed in the outfield to speak with Pham after both teams resumed their warmup activities.

Reportedly, according to The Athletic, Pham slapped Pederson over a disagreement involving their fantasy football league. Pham claims that Pederson was the instigator. The two players have never been teammates.

MLB is investigating the incident.

Before the game, Giants manager Gabe Kapler released a statement explaining his decision to discontinue participating on the field for the playing of the national anthem in the aftermath of the mass shooting at a elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, that claimed 21 lives.

Kapler said, in part, that he would only start coming out for the Star-Spangled Banner if he “felt better about the direction of our country.” He also criticized “police officers who had weapons and who receive nearly 40 percent of the city’s funding” for failing to stop the shooter for an hour after parents asked the police to intervene.

Kapler also criticized politicians for their suggestion that ‘locked doors and armed teachers’ would provide a solution. In his online blog, Kapler wrote, ‘Every time I place my hand over my heart and remove my hat, I’m participating in a self-congratulatory glorification of the ONLY country where these mass shootings take place.

“On Wednesday, I walked out onto the field, I listened to the announcement as we honored the victims in Uvalde,” Kapler continued. “I bowed my head. I stood for the national anthem. My brain said drop to a knee, my body didn’t listen. I wanted to walk back inside; instead, I froze. I felt like a coward.”

Adding to the strangeness of the day, the Giants tried to bring in pitcher Jake McGee, who had just been activated from the injured list. But McGee wasn’t on the lineup card given to the Reds and the umpires. So, McGee wasn’t allowed to pitch, and Jose Alvarez came in to pitch instead, giving up two more runs.

Because of the nearly two-hour rain delay, the Reds held a pregame fireworks show to honor local noise ordinances.

On Saturday, Alex Wood (3-3, 4.82) starts for the Giants, while Vladimir Gutierrez (0-6, 8.70) is on the mound for Cincinnati. Game time is 12:10 PDT.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Daniel Dullum: Giants Yastrzemski and Longoria hitting for the long ball; Giants open three game series in Cincinnati tonight

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Wilmer Flores (left) and Mike Yastrzemski (center) are excited for Evan Longoria (right) of the San Francisco Giants who just hit a three run home run against the New York Mets on Wed May 26, 2022 at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP News photo)

On the Giants podcast with Daniel:

#1 Daniel, quite a turn around for the San Francisco Giants on Sunday and Monday they were whipped by the San Diego Padres 10-1 and New York Mets 13-3 but on Tuesday and Wednesday they beat the Mets by scores of 13-12 and 9-3.

#2 One of the key things for the Giants Evan Longoria had a break out game on Wednesday with his two home runs in building the nine run total for the Giants.

#3 Also Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski hit a home run to contribute to the cause it was hit fourth homer for the 2022 season.

#4 The Giants Joc Pederson has his groove he hit his fourth home run in two games Tuesday and Wednesday at Oracle Park. Giants manager Gabe Kapler is happy to see Pederson making good contact.

#5  The Giants open a three game series in Cincinnati (14-30) tonight. The Giants will start Carlos Rodon (4-3, 3.43) and the Reds have not announced a starter yet. First pitch is 3:40 pm PDT at Great American Park in Cincinnati.

Join Daniel Mondays for the Giants podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Is This The Road Trip That Propels The Giants?: The Reds, Marlins and Phillies may not be so accommodating

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By Morris Phillips

With the home fans fed up with a leaky bullpen, and voicing that displeasure, the Giants are hitting the road. This could be good: none of the three teams–Reds, Phillies and Marlins–that the Giants are visiting have winning records at home.

Just what the Giants need to break out, and regain their 2021 form? Well, not so fast. Their opponents are all playing better baseball, and the Giants need to lift their game too. They’ve dropped 14 of their last 25 ballgames bringing into question whether they’re positioned to take advantage of a break in their schedule.

The rollercoaster Reds are the best example: after a horrendous 3-22 start to the season, they’ve been pretty good. On Thursday, the Reds wiped out the Cubs 20-5, their 11th win in their last 19 games.

“Splitting the series, especially against the Cubs in your division, gives the guys in the clubhouse some confidence,” said Cincinnati’s Kyle Farmer, who hit two home runs in the blowout. “Our lineup, we hit the ball really well today. We’ve got to keep carrying it on.”

“We haven’t had too many of those, and they don’t come around too often,” Reds manager David Bell said. “For us, those games can carry over.”

Entering Great American Ballpark less than 24 hours after the Reds drop a 20-spot can be intimidating. But thankfully, the Reds are a rebuilding club that scoring fewer than four runs per game on average and have hit just 37 home runs which ranks them in baseball’s bottom third. And no one’s seen this: the last time the Reds scored 20 runs was September 1999 when they were still in old Riverfront Stadium (Cinergy Field).

These Reds have a not-so-youthful core trying to establish themselves, along with veterans Joey Votto (.156 batting average) and Tommy Pham (.233) trying to regain their strokes. Infielder Jonathan India may be their most promising position player, but he’s appeared in only 11 games due to injury.

What the Giants are sure to notice is the Reds’ porous pitching staff which is allowing 5.71 runs per game and has already gifted their opposition with 56 home runs. Given that, the Giants should be well positioned, but there is the issue of the Reds playing better baseball of late.

The Phillies loosely constructed collection of veteran sluggers has held up defensively, but that hasn’t boosted their pitching staff, which is allowing more than four runs a game. Bryce Harper is injured and unable to throw and play defense, but he’s settled into his DH role for the next six weeks until his elbow heals up. J.T. Realmuto is another bright spot who routinely cuts down opponents’ running games. But overall, the Phillies have been in and lost too many high scoring games.

The Marlins look to be better, and they’ve been much more competitive, but at 18-24 few will notice the difference. What stands out is the team’s promising starting pitchers, and the pitching staff’s impressive 3.38 ERA. What ails them is their propensity to lose close ballgames, which explains why they’ve scored more than they’ve given up but have a losing record.

Former Athletic Jesus Luzardo is dealing with a forearm strain so that means a new face could emerge in the final game of the road trip. The Marlins are pondering bringing up their fourth-ranked prospect Edward Cabrera, who struck out 11 in six innings in his most recent minor league start. Prior to that, the Giants will have their hands full with Miami starters Elise Hernandez and Pablo Lopez.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Giants Longoria and Yastrzemski homer off rookie Met pitcher Szapucki

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San Francisco Giants slugger Evan Longoria rounds the bases in what would be the first of two home runs off of New York Mets rookie Thomas Szapucki in the second inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed May 25, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Giants podcast with Michael Duca:

#1 San Francisco Giants (24-19) after getting clobbered in back to back laughers one against the San Diego Padres and another against the New York Mets (29-17) came back to beat one of baseball’s best team for the second straight time 9-3 on Wednesday afternoon.

#2 The Giants scored early and scored often with five runs in the first and four in the second the Giants have been getting run production in their last two games.

#3 Was there any doubt that Evan Longoria would break out and get a home run off of Mets starter Thomas Szapucki. For Szapucki he was making his second Mets appearance. Szapucki was brought up by the Mets as the Mets are facing a lack of bench players.

#4 Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski has been seeing the ball well he hit his fourth home run of the season off Szapucki. Talk about Yastrzemski’s recent success at the plate.

#5 The Giants open a three game series in Cincinnati (13-30) Friday night the Giants will start Carlos Rodon (4-3, 3.43) and the Reds have not announced a starter yet. First pitch is 3:40 pm PDT at Great American Park in Cincinnati.

Join Michael for Giant podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Start Fast, Make It Last: Two innings of fireworks carry the Giants past the Mets, 9-3

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–This Giant lead didn’t precede one of the most confounding, wildest finishes a baseball imagination could conjure up. This giant lead–9-0 Giants after two innings–led seamlessly to a satisfying end to the home stand for a team trying to navigate successfully despite numerous personnel issues.

Mets rookie Thomas Szapucki was the undisputed victim in seeing four of his 49 pitches leave the park, all with 100 mph plus velocities. Evan Longoria was the biggest beneficiary with his first two homers of the season. The Giants survived on Tuesday, winning 12-11 to end a five-game skid. On Wednesday, they built a win streak powered by their early, rapid-fire home runs.

“I knew it was going to take a little bit of time to settle in,” Longoria said. “I was hoping it would happen sooner and quicker, but it’s a long season. I’ve been making some hard contact that hasn’t landed, so just trying to build off those at-bats and keep moving forward.”

Longoria’s three-run blast in the first comfortably cleared the center field wall, and was followed in short order by Joc Pederson’s two-run shot that was his fourth big blast in less than 24 hours.

The second inning went straight to fireworks with Wilmer Flores’ RBI double followed by back-to-back shots by Yastrzemski and Longoria. Longoria’s ended Szapucki’s afternoon, and peculiarly ended the Giants’ offense for the day.

Jakob Junis pitched six innings for the Giants, allowing three hits and single runs in the second and sixth. Junis, thought to be a stop gap has instead been a rock, throwing at least five innings in all six of his starts.

“If he does nothing else, he’s already helped us win several baseball games,” manager Gabe Kapler said of Junis. “I think we envisioned that he would come up and make very important starts for us. So he’s doing what we expected him to do, but he’s done it in a more sustained fashion.”

The Giants played without Brandon Crawford, who got a much-deserved day of rest. They are still without Brandon Belt, LaMonte Wade Jr., Austin Slater, Curt Casali and Steven Duggar making the win and the salvaged home stand that much sweeter.

“It’s huge,” Pederson said. “We built on the momentum from last night. That’s a World Series-caliber team.”

The Giants open a nine-game trip in Cincinnati on Friday night with first pitch 3:40 pm PDT. Carlos Rodon (4-3, 3.43) will pitch in that one while Cincinnati hasn’t yet announced a starter.