Category: San Francisco Giants

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.

Giants nip A’s 3-2, take Game 1 of Bay Bridge Series

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Photo credit: @NBCSAthletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

SAN FRANCISCO–The Oakland A’s and the San Francisco Giants played a very entertaining game Tuesday night in the Battle of the Bay. The Giants’ Madison Bumgarner was on the top of his game as he went seven innings and allowed just two hits. The only mistake he made was a gopher ball to Stephen Piscotty in the fifth inning. Bumgarner looked like he has regained the form that made him an All-Star. The A’s starter lefty Brett Anderson pitched well enough to win. He went six innings and allowed two runs and six hits. The Giants had to hang on in the ninth as the A’s scored a run and left the bases loaded as they fell 3-2 to the Giants at Oracle Park.

Both teams played well, and the outcome was in doubt right up to the last out in the ninth. Both teams are in the hunt for a playoff berth, and it felt like it was a playoff game. The Giants evened their record at 60-60, and the A’s fell to 67-52

The A’s drew first blood in the top of the fifth. Madison Bumgarner, who gave up a bloop single to Marcus Semien to start the game, had retired 14 in a row before Stephen Piscotty unloaded his 12th dinger of the year to give the A’s the lead 1-0 midway through the fifth. The Giants failed to score in the bottom of the fifth.

The Giants broke through in the bottom of the second to score two runs. With two out, Anderson gave up three consecutive double to Buster Posey, Evan Longoria, and Kevin Pillar. The Giants lead 2-1 heading into the seventh.

The A’s went down in order in the seventh. A’s manager Bob Melvin, brought in left Jake Diekman to pitch. Anderson’s line was six innings pitched, and he allowed six hits and two runs. The Giants scored a run without the benefit of a hit. Diekman walked Aramis Garcia and Brandon Crawford to start the frame. Bumgarner laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to advance the runners to second and third. Garcia scored when pinch-hitter Scooter Gennett hit a sacrifice fly to center. A’s centerfielder Mark Canha made a sensational catch to rob Joey Rickard to end the inning. The Giants lead 3-1 after seven.

In the top of the ninth, the A’s loaded the bases with one out. Giants reliever Will Smith struck out Matt Olson for the second out, With the crowd on their feet and screaming, Smith walked Canha to force in a run. The A’s now trail 3-2. Smith struck out Chad Pinder to end the game.

Game Notes: The A’s Brett Anderson dropped to 10-8 for the year, and the Giants’ Madison Bumgarner improved to 8-7. Bumgarner has looked like the pitcher of old in his last ten starts. Will Smith earned is 29th save of the season. The Giants are 46-6 when Smith appears in a game.

Up Next: The A’s will conclude the two-game set with the Giants on Wednesday. Homer Bailey will go for Oakland, and Tyler Beede will be on the hill for the Giants. Game time is at 12:30 pm.

Headline Sports podcast with Barbara Mason: Giants to hoist Clark’s retired #22; Raiders’ Brown agrees to wearing new helmet; plus more

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photo from sfgate.com: Former San Francisco Giants player Will Clark gestures to fans during a ceremony honoring the 1989 World Series team prior to a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019, in San Francisco.

On Headline Sports with Barbara:

#1 From that 1989 San Francisco Giants reunion on Sunday night at Oracle Park in San Francisco, former Giants first baseman Will Clark’s number 22 is being retired, Clark hit .303, 2,176 hits, 284 home runs, with 1,205 RBIs in his MLB career.

#2 The Oakland Raiders’ Antonio Brown said he will wear the NFL issued helmet losing the grievance wanted to continue wearing the old helmet that he wore when he was with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The NFL is insisting that all players wear the newly designed helmet that help prevent concussions. Brown said that if he is required to wear the new issued helmet he was going to retire. Brown has had limited play with his frostbite feet holding him back.

#3 Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden said that the Raiders wide receiving depth is as good as it’s ever been with Hunter Renfrow, Tyrell Williams, JJ Nelson, and Antonio Brown. Raider quarterbacks Mike Glennon and Nathan Peterman in preseason are impressed with the receiving core.

#4 The Oakland A’s keep on rolling. They are now 1.5 back of first place for the American League wild card. On Sunday, the A’s kept up their winning ways with a 2-0 win over the Chicago White Sox. A’s pitcher Chris Bassitt started the game and went seven innings, four hits, two walks and seven strikeouts.

#5 While the San Francisco Giants might be out a whopping 19.5 games in the NL West race, their wild card chance improved a whole lot on Sunday with their comeback win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Oracle Park with a 9-6 win. The Giants are now 3.5 games back and had the day off on Monday night.

Join Barbara for Headline Sports each Tuesday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Flawed NL Wild Card hopefuls make for an intriguing, hard-to-predict stretch run

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By Morris Phillips

The Giants can’t seem to keep up, but the foes they’re chasing can’t seem run away.

As the weeks dwindle in the 2019 season, that reality may be the flawed Giants biggest asset. Within the crowded field of NL Wild Card hopefuls, no team can seem to separate themselves from the pack.

And no team’s stretch run to postseason immortality seems more unlikely than the Giants, but in a race this unpredictable, maybe a fit exists.

Among the top seven teams–all within 3 1/2 games of each other–at least five are fooling themselves. The Giants are thinking they can overcome a losing record at home. The Phillies think they can overcome a losing record over the last two-and-a-half months. And the Nationals are attempting to overcome a 19-31 start to their season.

The Mets were 40-51 on July 12th. The Brewers can’t trust their starting rotation. The Cardinals keep seizing and fumbling momentum. And the Diamondbacks traded Zach Greinke.

Those aren’t strategies to to gain momentum. But for two of those clubs, a playoff berth is in the offing. But which two?

The Mets are the hottest in the pack, having won 15 of 16 prior to Sunday. But they have the most difficult schedule over the season’s final 44 games: nine games against the Braves, and series against the division-leading Dodgers and Indians.

The Brewers’ schedule is loaded with tough matchups: nine games with the Cardinals, seven with the Cubs and two-game sets with the first-place Astros and Twins. Their schedule eases considerably in the season’s final two weeks, but can they last that long? ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian suggested an overhaul of Milwaukee’s rotation and their bullpen might be needed to get this club to surge.

The Nationals are on the verge of getting injured Max Scherzer back into their rotation. But their schedule won’t wait for the occasion, they have seven games with the Braves, five with the Phillies and series against the Mets, Indians, Twins, Cubs and Brewers. They have the best opportunity statistically with their narrow lead on all six competitors, but Juan Soto’s ankle injury could change things in a hurry.

The Cardinals lost eight of 10 to playoff contenders, but rebounded nicely with a sweep of the Pirates over the weekend. They got Matt Carpenter and Marcel Ozuna back from injuries this week as well. But nothing about this club says extended win streak and that may be their biggest issue.

The Diamondbacks won Monday, beating the Rockies 8-6 in Denver. That means they’re likely to lose on Tuesday, bringing them back to .500 for the eighth time since July 21. No team is more closely aligned with mediocrity and their rotation is unquestionably thin without Greinke.

The Phillies have dropped six of eight, and they spent their off-day Monday pondering whether to place Jake Arrieta on the injured list. Whether they do or don’t, injuries have defined their season. Personnel issues that severe aren’t usually the precursor to a playoff worthy run.

And the Giants? Something must be resolved with their starting rotation, currently populated with rookies every three out of five days. Connor Menez, Shaun Anderson or Tyler Beede haven’t won a start since July 12.

Preview of the Bay Bridge series between the A’s and Giants

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Photo credit: youtube.com

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s have an off-day on Monday. They finish the eight-game road trip by visiting the San Francisco Giants to play two starting on Tuesday at Oracle Park in San Francisco. Since the game will be played in a National League Park, the A’s will not be able to use a designated hitter.

Tuesday night’s game will feature a battle between two left-handed pitchers. The A’s will send Brett Anderson to the hill to face the Giants. Anderson is 10-7 and has an ERA of 3.99. Anderson earned a win over the Chicago Cubs last week when he went seven innings and allowed just two runs. The Giants will counter with their ace, Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner is 7-7, and his ERA is 3.74. Most people felt that Bumgarner would not be with the Giants at this point in the season, has pitched well lately. He has an ERA of 2.78 over his last nine starts. Bumgarner has started seven games against the A’s and own a record of 4-2.

The A’s and Giants finish the short two-game series on Wednesday. It will be a day game, and Homer Bailey will go for Oakland, and he will be opposed by Tyler Beede. This will be Bailey’s sixth start since coming to Oakland from the Kansas City Royals. His record is 9-8, and his ERA is 5.54. Baily had a bad outing against the Cubs last week. He went 4 2/3 innings and was tagged for seven runs. Beede’s record is 3-6, and his ERA is 5.61. Beede, in his last start, went five innings and allowed five runs. His ERA over his previous four outings is 8.38

The A’s will be seeing a lot of familiar faces in the Giants’ lineup. The Giants’ infield will be Brandon Belt at first base, Brandon Crawford at shortstop, Evan Longoria at third, and newcomer Scooter Gennett at second. Pablo Sandoval is day-to-day with inflammation in his right elbow. Donovan Solano is the backup utility man. The Giants have remade their outfield. They acquired Kevin Pillar from the Toronto Blue Jays. Pillar is an excellent defensive centerfielder. Also, Pillar can steal a base, and he has a lot of pop in his bat. He has hit 15 homers and driven in 62. Austin Slater will probably be in right field, and Mike Yastrzemski will be in left. Mike’s grandfather, Carl Yastrzemski, is in the MLB Hall of Fame.

The catching chores will be handled by Buster Posey and Stephen Vogt. Vogt, who was designated for assignment by the A’s in 2017, would love nothing better than beating his old team. It would be a reminder that they made a huge mistake cutting him loose. Vogt was a huge fan favorite when he was with the A’s.

Bruce Bochy, who is in his final year managing the Giants, has a strong bullpen. The Giants did trade away three relievers at the trade deadline, but they still have standouts such as righties Trevor, Gott, Sam Coonrod, Jandal Gustave, and Reyes Moronta. They will use lefties Williams Jerez, Andrew Suarez, Tony Watson, and Will Smith. Smith has 26 saves and represented the Giants at the All-Star Game.

Both teams have a lot to play for. The A’s are in a dogfight with the Tampa Bay Rays for the second Wild Card. The A’s trail Tampa by just 1 and 1/2 games. The A’s are also in second place in the AL West with a record of 67-51. The Giants had a beautiful month of baseball in July. Their record was 17-3, and that propelled them into the race for the second Wild Card in the National League. They have been struggling a bit in August, but they are 59-60 and are 3 1/2 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals.

The A’s would like to sweep the Giants. They return home to face the two best teams in the American League. They start a four-game set with the rampaging Houston Astros. The Astros have improved their starting rotation and have tormented the A’s this year. Following the Astros series, the A’s meet the New York Yankees for three starting a week from Tuesday. The Yankees, even though they have had so many injuries, sport a potent lineup. Their starting pitching has been suspect, but they have an outstanding bullpen. The A’s pitchers will have their work cut out for them as they try to shut down the Yankees offense. After the Yankee’s series, the A’s finish the homestand with two more games against the Giants. The next 11 games should be terrific baseball. It is what the players live for.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Pillar’s gamer proves it takes a good team to come back and win

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sfgate.com photo: San Francisco Giants’ Mike Yastrzemski (5) is congratulated by Scooter Gennett, right, after scoring against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019, in San Francisco.

On the Giants podcast with Morrris:

#1 San Francisco Giants Kevin Pillar got the game-winner in the eighth inning with a go-ahead triple leading the Giants to a 9-6 victory.

#2 It was a series win for the Giants. Their first series win since defeating the San Diego Padres at Petco Park back on July 26-28th.

#3 The Giants had struggled right after the trade deadline after having a great run in July. What was the difference from the month they had in July going into a slight slump in early August?

#4 The Giants got swept by Washington on this current homestand, but won this series against the Phillies, three out of four.

#5 Now the Giants have the day off on Monday and play the Oakland A’s for two games at Oracle. The A’s can be a tough customer talk about the upcoming series.

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

Pillar wins it late to give Giants the series; SF defeats Phillies 9-6

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photo from sfgate.com:  San Francisco Giants’ Kevin Pillar swings for an RBI triple off Philadelphia Phillies’ Nick Pivetta in the eighth inning of a baseball game Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019, in San Francisco.

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — When the San Francisco Giants they knew that were getting a hitter with power and potential, and this season, Kevin Pillar has done just that.

Pillar went 2-for-4, including the go-ahead triple in the bottom of the eighth inning and the Giants defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 9-6 before a crowd of 36,637 at Oracle Park.

The win by the Giants gave them the series, their first series win since winning two out of three against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.

Evan Longoria led off the inning with a single, and then after both Stephen Vogt and Scooter Gennett were retired by Jose Alvarez, Nick Pivetta came on to face Pillar and he put into the right-center field alley that easily scored Longoria from first base.

Brandon Crawford was then intentionally walked, so that Pivetta could face Will Smith, who was making his first ever plate appearance. With Smith at the plate, Crawford stole second and then Smith shocked everyone, as he lashed an opposite field single that scored both Pillar and Crawford; however, Bryce Harper nearly ruined it, as his throw just missed getting Smith at first base.

Joey Rickard then doubled Smith to third base, where he shared a laugh with Ron Wotus and after a Brandon Belt walk, Pivetta finally got out of the inning, as he got Mike Yastrzemski to ground out to end the inning.

This was a wild game that saw everything, as the Giants took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, as Belt led off the inning with a walk, Yastrzemski then doubled off the left field wall and then Longoria gave the Giants the lead, when he singled up the middle off of Phillies starter Jake Arrieta.

Vogt then singled off of Arrieta that sent Longoria to third base; however, Arrieta regrouped to get Gennett to strike out and then Pillar grounded into a double play that ended the inning.

That 2-0 lead by the Giants was gone by the top of the second inning, as the Phillies erupted for three runs and that was end of the night for Giants starter Conner Menez.

J.T. Realmuto and Scott Kingery each walked, and after Sean Rodriguez struck out, Cesar Hernandez singled to load the bases. Arrieta then struck out for the second out of the inning, but the Phillies got on the board, when Roman Quinn walked and then Harper hit a two-run single that gave the Phillies the lead and that was it for Menez.

Jandel Gustave ended the inning, as he got Rhys Hoskins to fly out to Austin Slater and stop any further damage.

In all, Menez lasted just 1.2 innings, allowing three runs on just two hits, walking three and striking out four.

The Phillies attacked the Giants again in the top of the third inning, as Hernandez hit a two-run single off of the Giants third pitcher of the game and second reliever, Andrew Suarez, who came on to replace Gustave, when Corey Dickerson came on to pinch hit for Rodriguez.

Unfortunately for the Phillies that was the score for just one-half inning, as the Giants came all the way back to tie up the game, as Yastrzemski hit his 12th home run of the season. Longoria then picked up his second hit in as many at-bats, and after a Vogt fly out, Gennett doubled in Longoria to cut the Phillies lead down to one. Pillar then singled in Gennett to tie up the game.

Menez, who went from being on the hook for the loss, ended up getting a no-decision and Arrieta also did not fare in the decision, as he went three innings, allowing five runs on seven hits, walking just one and striking out five.

Gennett gave the Giants once again in the bottom of the sixth inning, as he hit his second home run of the season and first at home. His home run landed in McCovey Cove, the 80th Splash Hit by a Giants batter since the ballpark opened on April 11, 2000.

Dickerson tied up the game in the top of the eighth inning, as his sacrifice fly that took Yastrzemski to the wall easily scored Realmuto from third base. Realmuto led off the inning with a single, then went to third on a Kingery double.

Smith, who came on to replace Tony Watson prior to the Dickerson sacrifice fly then walked Hernandez intentionally and Brad Miller flew out to Yastrzemski to end the inning.

In all, the Giants pitched the final 7.1 innings, allowing three runs on eight hits, walking eight and striking out six.

Smith, who was unable to save the game for just the third time this season ended up with the victory, as he went the final 1.2 innings, allowing just two walks and a strikeout to improve his record to 4-0 on the season.

As a staff, the Giants walked 11 batters and this was the first time since September 20,2006 against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field where they won a game like that. It was the 11th time since moving to San Francisco in 1958 that the Giants (2019 J.G. Spink Award Jayson Stark gets credit for that stat).

NOTES: Gustave, Trevor Gott and Smith each made their first ever plate appearances during the game, and this was the first time since September 21, 1934 that three pitchers made their first ever appearances at the plate in the same game. Sherman Edwards, Whitey Wistert and Lee Grissom each went to the plate for the first time for the Cincinnati Reds in a 16-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at Forbes Field. That is the only other time since 1913 that this occurred in a game, according to STATS, INC.

The 11 walks by the Phillies are a season high, and the first time they turned the trick since April 26, 2009 against the Florida Marlins at Sun Life Stadium in a 13-2 Phillies victory.

Prior to the game, the Giants honored their 1989 National League Championship team, as Will Clark, Don Robinson, Bill Bathe, Chris Speier, Ernie Camacho, Brett Butler, Terry Kennedy, Craig Lefferts, Ernest Riles, Donell Nixon, Atlee Hammaker, Dave Dravecky, Greg Litton, Kelly Downs, Robby Thompson and Mike Krukow were joined on the field by coaches Bill Fahey, Dusty Baker, Norm Sherry and manager Roger Craig.

They also memorialized Jose Uribe, Wendell Kim, Hank Greenwald and General Manager Al Rosen.

Giants President then announced the surprise of the night, The Thrill of the Night, as the Number 22, worn by Will Clark will be retired during the 2020 season.

Clark will join Bill Terry, Mel Ott, Carl Hubbell, Monte Irvin, Willie Mays, Barry Bonds, Juan Marichal, Orlando Cepeda, Gaylord Perry and Willie McCovey in that elusive club.

Christy Mathewson and John McGraw are honored by the team with the letters NY, as they never wore numbers for the Giants.

Jackie Robinsons number 42 is retired throughout Major League Baseball and is also on the façade on the Club Level at Oracle Park.

Ford Frick Award Winners Jon Miller, Lon Simmons and Russ Hodges are honored on the Club Level.

UP NEXT: Madison Bumgarner takes on the mound on Tuesday evening, as the Oakland As make their only trip to San Francisco this season. The As return to the Bay Area after splitting six games in Chicago will send Brett Anderson to the mound in the opener.

MLB The Show podcast with Daniel Dullum: Rookies with three homer games; Cleveland all knotted up with Twins in Central; plus more

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photo houstonchronicle.com: The Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez gets congratulations in the Astros dugout after a first inning home run at Camden Yards, the first of three against the Baltimore Orioles in a 21-run win 23-2 Saturday night.

This week on MLB The Show with Daniel Dullum, who is Sports Editor of the Apache Junction/Gold Canyon News at the home office in Gold Canyon:

1 Rookies making baseball history with three-homer games

2 Indians erase 11-game deficit in AL Central, tie Twins for first

3 Swingin’ A’s 1 ½ games out of AL wild card

4 Samardzija beats Phils, Giants 4 games out of NL wild card

5 Tim Tebow’s baseball season over due to injury

Catch Daniel each Sunday for the MLB podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com