Category: San Francisco Giants

MLB The Show podcast with Daniel Dullum: A’s closing in on Astros in 4-game series; Giants still in the hunt for a wild card spot; plus more

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photo from chron.com: Oakland Athletics’ Robbie Grossman watches his RBI single against the Houston Astros during the third inning of a baseball game Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019, in Oakland, Calif.

On the MLB The Show podcast with Daniel:

1 Swingin’ A’s take first three games out of four with Houston, ½ game out of second in the AL Wild Card

2 Giants feasting on D-Backs’ pitching, still in NL Wild Card hunt

3 Christian Yelich, Aristides Aquino continue slugging ways

4 Yankees skipper makes case for mercy rule in MLB

5 Bill Walton calls White Sox-Angels game

Daniel Dullum does the MLB podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Pillar goes 5-for-5, Belt gets grand slam in Giants’ 5-run win, 11-6

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sfgate.com photo: San Francisco Giants’ Brandon Belt hits a grand slam against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second inning during a baseball game, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019, in Phoenix.

By Jeremy Kahn

In what is the San Francisco Giants’ last trip to Chase Field this season, the team is on fire through the first three games of the series.

Kevin Pillar went 5-for-5, Brandon Belt hit a grand slam and drove in six runs and the Giants defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 11-6 at Chase Field.

With the victory, the Giants clinched the four-game series with one game remaining on Sunday afternoon and Madison Bumgarner on the mound.

Rookie Logan Webb, who grew up in Rocklin made his major-league debut went five innings, allowing two runs (one earned), giving up five hits, walking one and striking out seven, as he picked up the win in his debut.

Webb, who just returned from an 80-game suspension in July for testing positive for Performance Enhancing Drugs.

The right-hander made three starts at Double-A Richmond and then one at Triple-A Sacramento this past Monday.

Things did not start out well for Webb, as he allowed two runs in the bottom of the first inning, as Jarrod Dyson singled to lead off the inning, and then scored on a Wilmer Flores double. After Webb got Eduardo Escobar and David Peralta, Flores scored on a throwing error on a ball hit by Adam Jones.

Webb got out of the jam, as he got Jake Lamb to ground out to first base to end the inning.

That lead for the Diamondbacks would not last long, as Alex Dickerson led off the second inning with a walk, then Flores committed a throwing error, as he tried to flip the ball to Nick Ahmed at second base.

Pillar then came up with his first hit of the game that loaded the bases, and then Belt hit a grand slam that gave the Giants the lead for good.

It was the second career grand slam for Belt, who last hit one off of Luis Perdomo of the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on April 7, 2017.

Brandon Crawford got into the act following the Belt home run, as he singled; however, Webb popped out on a sacrifice attempt for the first out of the inning.

Mike Yastrzemski, who hit three home runs on Friday night then singled to right field and then Stephen Vogt loaded the bases with a base hit of his own.

Evan Longoria drove in the fifth run of the inning, as he hit a sacrifice fly that scored Crawford from third base and sent Yastrzemski to third base.

Diamondbacks pitcher Taylor Clarke did not get out of the second inning, as he went 1.2 innings, allowing five runs (three earned), walking one and striking out one.

Belt drove in his fifth run of the game in the top of the third inning, as he hit an opposite field single to left field that scored Pillar.

The Giants scored another run in the top of the sixth inning, as Longoria grounded into a double play that scored Austin Slater.

Crawford drove in his first run of the game, as he grounded out to Flores that allowed Scooter Gennett from third base.

Slater, who went 2-for-3 on the game after coming into the game on a double switch that saw Yastrzemski move to left field for Dickerson and Slater went into right field, singled to left field to score Pillar to give the Giants what looked like a commanding seven run lead.

The Diamondbacks, who scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on Friday night to tie up the game began the comeback, as Christian Walker hit a solo home run and then Escobar hit a sacrifice fly that scored Dyson in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Pillar drove in a run with his fifth hit of the game that scored Longoria, who singled to lead off the inning.

Belt then drove in his sixth run of the game, as he grounded out to Flores that scored Gennett from third base.

The final two runs of the game came when Ahmed hit a two-run home run off the foul pole in the bottom of the eighth inning.

With the score 11-6 in the top of the ninth inning, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo sent his catcher Alex Avila to the mound and he pitched a perfect ninth inning that included striking out Yastrzemski for the second out of the inning.

Jandel Gustave came on to close it out for the Giants in a non-save situation, and the game ended on a great play from Slater to Gennett to Longoria, as Escobar tried to stretch a double into a triple; however, Slater made a perfect throw to Gennett, who threw to Longoria to end the game.

NOTES: With the addition of Webb to the roster, Joey Rickard was optioned to Sacramento to make room for Webb.

The Giants went 7-for-16 with Runners In Scoring Position.

UP NEXT: Bumgarner will take the mound on Sunday for the Giants, while the Diamondbacks, who will try to avoid the sweep will send Merrill Kelly to the hill.

MLB The Show podcast with Matt Harrington: Kuiper brothers will fly home for father’s funeral; Tatis will miss the rest of season with back injury; plus more

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sportingnews.com photo file: San Francisco Giant broadcaster Duane Kuiper (in photo) along with brothers Giants TV producer Jeff Kuiper and Oakland A’s TV broadcaster Glenn Kuiper (not in photo) will attend their father’s funeral this weekend and will be on bereavement from their broadcasting work.

On the MLB The Show podcast with Matt:

#1 Giants broadcaster Duane Kuiper, A’s broadcaster Glenn Kuiper, and Giants TV producer Jeff Kuiper will all fly to Racine, Wisconsin in preparation of the funeral for their father Henry, who passed away at age 94. Henry was a auctioneer and a farmer locally in Racine and allowed a restaurant to be built on his property. He also was involved in fast pitch baseball and would not let Duane drive the tractor on the family farm because Duane could not drive the tractor straight, leaving ziz zags embarrassing the farming community.

#2 San Diego Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. will sit out the rest of the 2019 season with a back injury. Tatis was a candidate for the 2019 Rookie of the Year award, hitting .317, 13 doubles, 22 home runs, and 53 RBIs in 84 games.

#3 The Boston Red Sox, like much of the American League, crushed the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night with a 9-1 win. Andrew Benintendi and Mitch Moreland got RBI triples and Sox pitcher Rick Porchello pitched six innings, giving up only one run in the victory. For the O’s, it was their fifth straight loss.

#4 Big win for the Minnesota Twins on Friday night with a narrow 4-3 victory over the Texas Rangers. The Twins maintain a 1.5 game lead in the AL Central over the second place Cleveland Indians. The Twins’ Max Kepler and Jonathan Schoop got two-run homers in Arlington Texas.

#5 The Los Angeles Dodgers are just simply running away with it in the NL West. They picked up another victory over the Atlanta Braves 8-3 at Sun Trust Stadium. LA’s Cody Bellinger hit for home run number 41. The Dodgers’ Max Muncy and Justin Turner both hit home runs in the victory Friday night.

Join Matt each Saturday for the MLB podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Yastrzemski hits 3 HRs in Giants’ 10-9 win in 11 innings

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Photo credit: @ESPNStatsInfo

By Jeremy Kahn

Usually, the home run derby takes place at the All-Star Game, but there was one in the desert between the San Francisco Giants and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Mike Yastrzemski hit his third home run of the game in the top of the 11th inning, helping the Giants to a 10-9 victory over the Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

This was the first time in Yastrzemskis career that he hit three home runs in the same game, as the Giants have taken the first two games of this four-game series.

Yastrzemski ended up going 3-for-6 with those three home runs, and drove in four runs. His 16 home runs are the most by a Giants rookie since Buster Posey hit 18 in 2010, when the Giants won their first World Series since 1954.

Jarrett Parker was the last Giants player to hit three home runs in a game on September 26, 2015 against the Oakland As at the Coliseum.

Kevin Pillar hit two home runs for the Giants, who passed the Diamondbacks in the hunt for the Wild Card spot.

With the Giants leading 7-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Diamondbacks, as they scored five runs in the inning to tie up the game.

Eduardo Escobar hit a solo home run, then Wilmer Flores also hit a solo home run and then Adam Jones tied up the game with a three-run home run off of Tony Watson.

Pillar then gave the Giants the lead again in the top of the 10th inning, as he hit his second home run of the game and his 17th of the season.

Lost in the fact that the Giants won the game in extra innings was the fact that Jeff Samardzija pitched a great game, as he went five and a third innings, allowing two runs on five hits, walking two and striking out four.

Former Giants pitcher Mike Leake went six innings, allowing four runs on eight hits, not walking a batter and striking out three. Leake was in line for the loss until Jones hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning that tied up the game.

Both the Giants and the Diamondbacks hit a combined 12 home runs in the game, as Pillar, Yastrzemski and Flores each hit at least two home runs in the game.

The usual Giants bullpen was not up to par, as seven Giants relievers went six and two-thirds innings, allowing seven runs on eight hits, walking one and striking out five. Fernando Abad, Reyes Moronta, Watson, Sam Coonrod, Jandel Gustave, Will Smith and Trevor Gott ended up in the game.

Smith gave up a game-tying home run to Nick Ahmed in the bottom of the 10th inning, as he was able to regroup to get the victory, his fifth win of the season without a loss.

Trevor Gott retired Christian Walker on a ground ball to Donovan Solano for the final out of the game. It was the first save of the season for Gott.

NOTES: Yastrzemskis grandfather Carl hit three home runs in the same game one time in his career, as he did it on May 19,1976 at Tiger Stadium against the Detroit Tigers.

Kyle Barraclough cleared waivers and was outrighted by the team to Triple-A Sacramento.

Johnny Cueto made his third start during his rehab, as he pitched for Class A San Jose at Visalia. Cueto went two and two-third innings, allowing a run on four hits with two strikeouts.

UP NEXT: Logan Webb will make his major-league debut on Saturday night, as he takes the mound for the Giants. Merrill Kelly will take the mound for the Diamondbacks, as he looks for ninth win of the season.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Jerry Feitelberg for Michael Duca: Pillar’s bat helps Giants in month of August; Dickerson back in the lineup; plus more

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Photo credit: jweekly.com

On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Jerry for Michael:

#1 Kevin Pillar has had a good month of August for the Giants, hitting .255, 115 hits, 15 homers and 63 RBIs. He has been clutch. How impressed is Jerry about Pillar?

#2 How important is it to have Alex Dickerson back in the lineup? He suffered an oblique strain and is doing a reduced workout now.

#3 How impactful is it that Pablo Sandoval being out of the line up with the inflamed right elbow and how much will they miss Pablo being around as he will be out at least 10 days on the injured list? Sandoval was hitting .269, 14 home runs and 41 RBIs before the injury.

#4 Manager Bruce Bochy said he wasn’t sure how long Sandoval will be out, but the team will have to see how Sandoval responds to treatment.

#5 The Giants are in Arizona for a four-game series with the Diamondbacks. It’s an important series just being 4.5 out of first place for the NL wild card.

Jerry is filling in for Michael Duca catch Michael who does the Giants podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Rodriguez fires 3-hitter as Giants blank Snakes 7-0

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Photo credit: @KNBR

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Thursday, August 15, 2019

PHOENIX — In its quest for a National League Wild Card berth, San Francisco needed a strong start from Dereck Rodriguez, and got one on Thursday night at Chase Field.

The Giants’ offense — Evan Longoria and Austin Slater in particular — gave Rodriguez plenty of support in a 7-0 win over Arizona.

“I felt good, and I just wanted to attack,” Rodriguez said. “I know we’re close to them in the Wild Card and we’ve got a playoff atmosphere here. It was a lot of fun.”

Rodriguez (5-6), called up Thursday from Triple-A Sacramento, struck out four, walked one and scattered three hits in his 11th start of the season. He retired the first 11 Arizona batters until Eduardo Escobar singled to right with two out in the fourth inning.

“He was throwing strikes. We’ve seen him do that before,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said of Rodriguez, who came into the game with a 5.14 earned run average. “That’s what it was — quality strikes all night. He had all four pitches going and good command of them. He worked both sides of the plate very efficiently too. A great job of pitching.

“He had a very determined look on his face. It’s been an up-and-down year for him. Tonight, he showed what he can do, and we needed it. That was a real shot in the arm for us.”

Rodriguez said he addressed some mechanical issues during his stint with the River Cats.

“I was just trying to get back to what I know I can do — throw strikes,” Rodriguez said. “I notice that when I throw strikes, I’m a different pitcher. It’s just attacking the hitters and the rest takes care of itself. Today, I had a lot of first-pitch swings and a lot of quick outs.”

Longoria was 3-for-5 with a home run and four runs batted in. Slater was 3-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored, Buster Posey was 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored, and leadoff hitter Donovan Solano singled, doubled and scored twice.

“Evan’s been swinging good. Not just tonight, he’s been getting some good at-bats,” Bochy said. “It looks like he’s got his timing and he’s in synch now.”

The four-game weekend set involves two teams in the thick of the National League Wild Card race. Arizona and the Giants are both 3 ½ games in back of Washington and the Chicago Cubs. Both the D-Backs and Giants must pass Philadelphia, Milwaukee and the New York Mets to catch the Nats or Cubs.

San Francisco has won five of its last seven games, while the Diamondbacks have won seven of their last 12 contests.

San Francisco manufactured a pair of runs in the top of the first inning off D-Backs starter Alex Young. The Giants loaded the bases with a leadoff base hit by Solano, followed by a walk to Slater and an infield hit by Posey.

Posey’s slow roller hit the third base bag, after Diamondbacks third baseman Jake Lamb waited for the ball to possibly roll foul. Longoria singled to left, driving in Solano and Slater.

Kevin Pillar grounded into a force out, moving Posey to third, but he was picked off during Scooter Gennett’s at-bat.

“That (first inning) gave me a lot of confidence,” Rodriguez said. “It gives you a lot of room for error. I felt good, even without those two runs. I’m with it.”

Back-to-back one-out doubles by Slater and Posey put the Giants up 3-0 in the fifth. Longoria followed with his 15th home run of the season, scoring Posey.

Belt’s RBI double, drove in Joey Rickard (who walked) to score the sixth Giants run in the sixth. In the eighth, Solano doubled and scored on Slater’s base hit, putting the Giants up 7-0.

Fernando Abad, whose contract was selected Thursday from Sacramento, threw a scoreless ninth inning for the Giants. It was his first MLB appearance since 2017 with Boston.

San Francisco has yet to name a starting pitcher for Friday. Arizona will go with right-hander Merrill Kelly (8-12, 4.75 ERA).

GIANT JOTTINGS: Following Thursday’s game, along with recalling Rodriguez, the Giants optioned LHP Williams Jerez and C Aramis Garcia to Triple-A Sacramento. To make room for LHP Fernando Abad on the 40-man roster, San Francisco designated RHP Kyle Barraclough for assignment. … Game time temperatures: outside – 107 degrees, inside – 77. … Attendance: 19,037.

TAGS: San Francisco Giants, Dereck Rodriguez, Evan Longoria, Austin Slater, Arizona Diamondbacks, NL Wild Card

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Quakes have 4 straight fall-behind games going into Sporting KC match; Did Brown cave after he was mandated to wear new helmet?

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Photo credit: pressdemocrat.com

On Headline Sports with London:

#1  The San Jose Earthquakes took a tough loss to the Colorado Rapids in Colorado last Saturday 2-1. The Quakes came back down 1-0 to tie it, but the Rapids wrapped it up in the end for the win Colorado went back up 2-1.

#2 For Colorado, Diego Rubio received the pass from Keegan Rosenberry with space, Rubio was easily able to maneuver himself into an advantageous position in the 73rd minute for the go ahead and later game-winning goal.

#3 This was the fourth straight game that the Earthquakes had fallen behind in a game something. They’ll have to work on for their next game coming up as they play Sporting KC in their next match their second of three games on the road.

#4 How close or how serious do you think the Oakland Raiders wide receiver Antonio Brown was to calling it quits if he didn’t get to keep his old Pittsburgh Steelers helmet?

#5 A’s and Giants  played a two-game series, which concluded on Wednesday night. These are two teams fighting for a wild card spot and it was a series for the ages because a lot is at stake in the final two months of the season.

London is a beat writer for the San Jose Earthquakes and does Headline Sports each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Spinning Their Wheels: Giants fail to seize momentum in 9-5 loss to Oakland

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO — Whatever momentum the Giants were attempting to seize Wednesday flew over the centerfield wall on the 14th pitch of the ballgame.

Matt Chapman homered off Tyler Beede–the first of his two home runs on the day–and the A’s were off to the races in their 9-5 win that gained them a split of the brief, two-game Bay Bridge Series.

The A’s scored in six of the nine innings, establishing a 7-0 lead in the eight before the Giants rallied with five runs to temporarily make things interesting. Beede surrendered the first eight of Oakland’s 15 hits in a performance that proved there’s currently an imbalance in the abilities of the two Bay Area clubs.

Beede’s struggles put the microscope on the Giants’ rotation that has youthful inexperience in three of the five spots at this critical juncture of the season. Beede is last of the three to win a start, and that was back on July 14. Since then, Beede lost four of his six starts, allowing at least eight hits four times. Manager Bruce Bochy conceded the performances of Shaun Anderson, Connor Menez and Beede are a concern.

“It’s up to me to try to get this figured out,” Bochy said. “You know when you bring up young pitchers you’re going to have some growing pains, and that’s the case.”

Beede’s inability to get ahead in counts played right into the hands of the patient A’s lineup. Matt Olson singled, doubled and was hit by a pitch with Beede in the game, and A’s starting pitcher Homer Bailey fouled off a couple of offerings, then got lucky with a dribbler that turned into an RBI single that made it 2-0. Olson’s double scored two more runs, and Beede was done, one batter into the fifth inning.

“He’s really good at times and then it gets away from him a little bit,” Bochy said of Beede.

Travis Bergen, one of the relievers getting an extended look after the Giants reconfigured their bullpen at the trade deadline, allowed a two-run shot to Robbie Grossman in the sixth to make it 6-0.

Down 7-0, the Giants rallied for five runs in the eighth with Mike Yasztremski’s three-run shot the centerpiece. But Chapman’s second home run in the ninth restored the A’s cushion to three runs.

Alex Dickerson was activated from the injured list but was not in the Giants’ starting lineup. The valuable outfielder pinch hit in the eighth, his ground ball out allowed Evan Longoria to score from third.

The Giants fell below .500 with the loss, which took on more significance when combined with the results on the out-of-town scoreboard. The Phillies, Brewers and Nationals all won, leaving the Giants four games behind the pace of the Cardinals, the current holder of the second wild card spot.

The Giants start another big series in Phoenix on Thursday, the first of four games against the team immediately above in the playoff hunt. Dereck Rodriguez appears to be the likely starter in that one, opposed by Arizona’s Alex Young.

A’s thwart Giants 9-5, split Bay Bridge Series

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By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s, behind a superb performance by Homer Bailey, downed the San Francisco Giants 9-5. Bailey went seven innings and allowed two hits. He walked one and struck out seven to earn his tenth win of the season. The Giants starter Tyler Beede took the loss.

The A’s were in cruise control for most of the game. Bailey left the game with a 7-0 lead, and it appeared the A’s were going to coast to an easy victory. However, the Giants weren’t ready to roll over. They scorched the A’s for five runs in the bottom of the eighth. A’s relievers Joakim Soria, and Yusmeiro Petit did not do well. A’s manager Bob Melvin had to bring in his closer, Liam Hendriks, to get the final four outs of the game. Hendriks rose to meet the challenge.

The A’s Matt Chapman hit a solo home run with two out in the top of the first to give Oakland an early 1-0 lead midway through the inning.

The A’s added a run in the second. Stephen Piscotty received a free pass to first when he worked Tyler Beede for a walk. He went to second on a ground out by Corban Joseph. Joseph was making his first start since being called up from Tripe-A Las Vegas. A’s catcher Chris Herrman ground out the first baseman to the pitcher. Piscotty went to third on the play. Homer Bailey reached on an infield single. Piscotty scored and the A’s lead 2-0.

The A’s plated two more in the third. Robbie Grossman led off with a double to left. Beede hit Matt Chapman with a pitch to put two men on with no out. A’s first baseman Matt Olson then lined a double off the right-field wall to drive in Grossman and Chapman. The A’ lead 4-0.

The A’s scored two more in the sixth. A’s catcher led off with a single. Giants’ lefty reliever Travis Bergen retired Bailey and Semien for the first two outs of the inning. Robie Grossman, batting from the right side, blasted his sixth home run of the season into the seats in left field. The A’s have a commanding 6-0 lead.

The A’s added another run in the top of the eighth. With two out, Khris Davis, pinch-hitting for Homer Bailey, walked. Marcus Semien drove in Davis with a blast that went into the triangle known as “Triples Alley.” Grossman struck out to end the inning. The A’s lead 7-0. The Giants finally put some runs on the board in their half of the inning. They sent nine men to the plate and put five on the board. Bob Melvin brought in Joakim Soria to start the eighth. Soria did not have it as he gave up a single to Brandon Crawford and walked Austin Slater. Crawford went to third on a flyout to right. He then scored the Giants first run on a wild pitch. Slater went to second. Another wild pitch sent SLater to third. Soria walked Brandon Belt. Mike Yastrzemski blasted his 13th bomb of the season to make it 7-4. Melvin brought in Yusmeiro Petit to pitch. Evan Longoria singled, and Stephen Vogt doubled to put men on at second and third with one out. Alex Dickerson, pinch-hitting for the pitcher, grounded out and that allowed Longoria to cross the plate with the fifth run of the inning. Bob Melvin replaced Petit with Liam Hendriks. Hendriks struck out Kevin Pillar for the final out. The Giants trail the A’s 7-5 after eight.

The AS’s added two insurance runs in the ninth. Matt Chapman led off the inning with his second home run of the game. For Chappie, it was his 27th of the season. With one out, Mark Canha singled and went to third on Piscotty’s single. Corban Joseph drove in Canha with a sacrifice fly to center. The Giants failed to score in their half of the ninth. The A’s win 9-5.

Game Notes- The A’s are now 68-52 for the year. They picked up a game on the Tampa Bay Rays as the Rays lost to the San Diego Padres 7-2 on Wednesday. The A’s trail the Rays by two games in the race for the second Wild Card.

Homer Bailey owns an ERA of 1.20 in his last five starts against the Giants.  In nine career starts against the Giants, he is 5-0 and has an ERA of 3.15. He also drove in a run, and it was his first since June 8th, 2014 vs. the Philadelphia Phillies. He also had two hits in the game.

Matt Chapman recorded his third career multi-homer game with two home runs on Wednesday.  Robbie Grossman had his first homer since June 18th at Baltimore. Corban Joseph had his first hit since September 28th, 2018 when he was with Baltimore.

The A’s are 11-7 in interleague play this season and have not lost a series to the Giants since 2015.

Giants notes- Mike Yastrzemski hit his 13th homer of the year with a three-run blast in the eighth. He became the second Giants rookie since 2010 to hit 13 or more homers in a season. Buster Posey was the other in 2010. His 41 RBIs are second-most among NL rookies. The Mets’ Pete Alonso leads with 42. Kevin Pillar was 2-for-four on Wednesday, and he extended his hitting streak to eight games.

The A’s return home to face the AL West leaders, the Houston Astros, Thursday night at the Oakland Coliseum. Mike Fiers will go for Oakland, and Aaron Sanchez will be on the hill for Houston.

The game will start at 7:07 Thursday night at the Oakland Coliseum

Pillar comes through in the clutch in Giants’ 3-2 win

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Photo credit: @KNBR

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — Night in and night out, the San Francisco Giants are finding ways to win ballgames when it is needed the most.

Kevin Pillar doubled in the bottom of the sixth inning to score Evan Longoria, as the Giants came back to defeat the Oakland As 3-2 before a crowd of 36,663 at Oracle Park.

The double by Pillar was the third double in a row off of As starter Brett Anderson, who was cruising until that fateful sixth inning.

Buster Posey got the rally started, as his two-out double went all out to the 421 in right-center field. Longoria then tied up the game, as he lashed a double of his own and then Pillar picked up his 16th go-ahead run batted in and 11th game-winning RBI. Both total lead the Giants.

Jake Diekmann got into trouble in the bottom of the seventh inning, as he walked Aramis Garcia and Brandon Crawford to bring Madison Bumgarner, who laid down the most perfect sacrifice bunt to advance Garcia and Crawford an additional 90 feet. Scooter Gennett then came off the bench to pinch-hit for Donovan Solano, and hit a sacrifice fly that easily scored Garcia from third base.

That sacrifice fly from Gennett was huge, as the As came back to score one run in the top of the ninth inning.

Dustin Garneau and Chris Davis each singled off of Giants closer Will Smith, but then Smith struck out Marcus Semien for the first out of the inning.

Matt Chapman narrowly missed tying the game, as his ball down the left field line went just foul. Chapman then singled to load the bases; however, Smith then struck out Matt Olson for the second out.

Mark Canha then got the As within one run, as he walked on a 3-2 pitch that scored Garneau from third base.

Smith then struck out Chad Pinder to end the game, as he picked up his 29th save of the season in 32 opportunities.

Stephen Piscotty hit a solo home run on a 1-2 pitch that gave the As a 1-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning.

It was the 12th home run of the season that stopped a streak of 13 in a row retired by Bumgarner since he gave up a leadoff single to Semien that curved into fair territory just out of the reach of Garcia at first base in the top of the first inning.

Anderson pitched a solid game for the As, as he went six innings, allowing two runs on six hits, walking no one and striking out four; however, that sixth inning did him in and his record fell to 10-8 on the season.

Despite allowing the home run to Piscotty in the fifth inning, Bumgarner was lights out for the Giants, as he went seven innings, allowing one run on two hits, walking no one and striking out nine.

This was the 17th quality start of the season for Bumgarner, trailing Hyun- Jin Ryu of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who leads the league with 19.

NOTES: With the win, the Giants are now 28-11 this season in one-run games and their 28 wins along with .718 winning percentage lead the major leagues.

The Giants have also won three games in a row for the first time since July 21-23 against the New York Mets and the Chicago Cubs.

It was the Giants 34th come-from-behind win of the season, and their 12th since the All-Star break.

UP NEXT: Tyler Beede closes out the home stand on Wednesday afternoon, as he takes the hill for the Giants, while Homer Bailey closes out the As road trip with a trip to the Oracle Park mound.