Category: San Francisco Giants

Kansas City Royals Salvador Perez circles the bases after connecting for a two run home run in the top of the fourth inning against the San Francisco Giants on Wed May 21, 2025 at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP News photo)

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

Kansas City Royals 8 (28-23)

San Francisco Giants 4 (29-21)

Win: Jonathan Bowlan (1-0)

Loss: Logan Webb (5-4)

Time: 2:39

Attendance: 29,064

By Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–The Royals torched Logan Webb for six runs, and their powerful bullpen shut down the Giants’ struggling offense in an 8-4 to take the series Wednesday.

The Royals took the series opener behind seven shutout innings by Kris Bubic on Monday night. Then Tuesday night, Hayden Birdsong was strong over five innings in his first start of the season, and that carried the Giants to a 3-2 win to even the series.

Wednesday, the Giants looked to take the series with their ace, Logan Webb, on the mound. On the surface, Webb was the perfect guy to have going Wednesday, but in baseball, even the best pitchers have their bad days. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened today to Logan Webb Wednesday.

The Royals started off the game with three-straight singles off Webb to plate a run. Webb then followed that up by striking out the side. It was three base-hits followed by three strikeouts. How very Logan Webb of him.

Kansas City went with the old bullpen game, a move they could make with one of the best bullpens in the game.

Daniel Lynch IV took the ball as the opener in the bottom of the first. Matt Chapman walked with one out, and Wilmer Flores singled him over to third base with two outs. Willy Adames came up as the Giants looked for their response, but Adames flew out to end the inning.

Webb’s troubles continued in the top of the second, as the Royals once again scored a run on three straight singles. However, they would tack on an extra run this time on a sacrifice fly by Bobby Witt Jr. to make it 3-0.

Lynch walked Patrick Bailey and LaMonte Wade with two outs in the bottom of the second, and Royals Manager Matt Quatraro brought in Jonathan Bowlan to face the potential tying run in Heliot Ramos. However, Ramos grounded out to third, and the Giants wasted it.

Webb escaped another jam in the top of the third, and the Giants looked to finally get on the board in the bottom of the third. Matt Chapman would do that on his own, as he led off the inning with a home run to left field.

Jung Hoo Lee then doubled, and the Giants appeared to have a rally going. Unfortunately, Bowlan retired the next three, and it was another wasted opportunity for the Giants

Things fell apart for Webb in the top of the fourth. It started when Kyle Isbel reached on an error by Wade at first. Maikel Garcia then hit a chopper back to the mound, and Webb appeared to be ready to throw to second to get the lead runner, but he bizarrely hesitated and lobbed it over to first to barely get Isbel.

That would prove to be extremely costly for Webb, as Witt lined a double out to left-center to get the run right back and make 4-1. Webb struck out Vinnie Pasquantino, but Salvidor Perez, the longtime Royals’ catcher, and lone remaining Royal from the world series teams in 2014 and 2015, hit a two-run home run to right-center to open it up to 6-1.

Webb finished the inning, but he was done after four in what was his shortest and worst start of the season. He gave up six runs on ten hits, and he plain and simply just did not have it today.

Patrick Bailey hit his first home run of the year to center off Steven Cruz with one out in the bottom of the fourth to make it 6-2. The Giants then loaded the bases, and once again brought up the tying run to the plate in Wilmer Flores. However, it would be another wasted opportunity, as Wilmer lined out to center.

Spencer Bivens came in for the top of the fifth as the mop-up guy, and he gave up two runs over three innings. Jordan Hicks, in his second appearance out of the bullpen, threw a one, two, three, inning in the bottom of the eighth. Lefty Erik Miller then worked around two walks in a scoreless top of the ninth.

Despite the amount of wasted opportunities today, the Giants kept fighting it out every single inning. There was no reason they wouldn’t continue to do so down to their final three outs against Lucas Erceg in the bottom of the ninth.

Wade led off the inning with a line-drive base-hit off the top of the glove of Royals’ right-fielder Drew Waters. Heliot Ramos then hit a two-run home run to left-center to cut the deficit to 8-4, and suddenly, this crowd had something to cheer for. Jung Hoo Lee then walked with one out, and the crowd started getting into it.

Wilmer came up and looked to keep it going. It appeared he was going to when he hit a line drive to right, but it was right to Waters for the second out. That seemed to suck the life out of any potential comeback, as Adames struck out swinging to end it.

It is Jonathan Bowlan, who took over for the opener, Lynch, in the bottom of the second, who got the win for Kansas City. Logan Webb suffered his fourth loss of the season.

The Giants fall to 29-21, and while they lost the series, they still end up with a 5-4 homestand. The Giants swept the A’s, but lost two of three to the Diamondbacks and the Royals. Not your usual homestand.

The Giants will now hit the road for their second of three three-city road trips this season. First up, they will go to the nation’s capital to take on the Washington Nationals for three starting Friday night. After D.C., the Giants will head to Detroit for three against the Tigers, and then to Miami for three against the Marlins.

Neither the Giants nor the Nationals have announced their starters for Friday night. First pitch will be at 6:45 p.m EDT. in D.C., and 3:45 p.m PDT back in San Francisco.

Hayden Birdsong (60) San Francisco Giants pitcher delivers to the Kansas City Royals line up in the top of the first inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Tue May 20, 2025 (AP News photo)

Tuesday, May 20, 2025

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

Kansas City Royals 2 (27-23)

San Francisco Giants 3 (29-20)

Win: Hayden Birdsong (2-0)

Loss: Michael Lorenzen (3-5)

Save: Ryan Walker (9)

Time: 2:36

Attendance: 32,118

By Stephen Ruderman

Hayden Birdsong shined in his first start of the season, and the Giants got just enough offense to pull off a 3-2 win over the Royals on Tuesday.

As exciting as this weekend’s sweep of the A’s, the somewhat-harsh reality was that it was mostly Wilmer Flores carrying a struggling offense. That showed again last night when the Royals took the series opener. Tonight, on city connect night, the Giants would have a secret weapon.

Hayden Birdsong showed promise in his 16 starts for the Giants in his rookie season last year. At the start of this season, Bob Melvin placed him in the bullpen, where he has shined. In 11 games this season, Birdsong posted a 2.31, struck out 25 and established himself as a reliable force for the Giants. Before he gave up three runs to the Diamondbacks last Wednesday, his ERA was 1.33.

Birdsong’s skipper rewarded him for his hard work and dominance with a spot in the rotation. Tuesday night, he made his well-earned first start of the season. Birdsong pitched a pair of scoreless innings to start things off, and then he ran into his first test in the top of the third.

Drew Waters led off the top of the third with a base-hit to center field. Birdsong then tried to pick Waters off with a throw over to first base, but he flung the ball into right field, which allowed Waters to go all the way to this. Kyle Isbel stepped up and got Waters in with a sacrifice fly to center, and the Royals fired the opening salvo.

The veteran right-hander, Michael Lorenzen, took the ball for the Royals. Lorenzen escaped a jam in the bottom of the first, and then he threw a one, two, three inning in the bottom of the second. He was then picked up by his defense, who stymied the Giants’ response in the bottom of the third.

After Birdsong got through a scoreless top of the fourth, the Giants would have their response in the bottom of the fourth. Lorenzen hit Willy Adames with one out, and Willy Adames shot a three-bagger out to Triples Alley in right-center to tie it. LaMonte Wade walked, and Casey Schmitt hit a base-hit to left to give the Giants the lead.

Birdsong pitched through a two-out double by Isbel in the top of the fifth. Birdsong got Jonathan India to end the inning with a flyout to left, and his night would be over. Birdsong gave up a run and five hits over his five innings. He didn’t walk anybody, and he struck out four.

Birdsong had done his job, and the Giants had more for Lorenzen in the bottom of the fifth. Mike Yastrzemski reached on an infield hit to start the inning. Wilmer Flores than hit a ground ball off the end of the bat to first-baseman Vinnie Pasquantino on the right side, but as Pasquantino threw to second to try and nail the leading runner, Yastrzemski, he winged it into left field.

The Giants had runners at the corners with nobody out for Jung Hoo Lee. Lee worked the count full, and then Lorenzen hung a curve right down the pipe that Lee shot up the middle into center field for a base-hit. Yastrzemski scored, and the Giants led it 3-1.

Randy Rodriguez entered for the Giants’ starter, as he has done many times this season, in the top of the sixth and threw a scoreless inning. Kyle Harrison then came in and threw a one, two, three top of the seventh.

Harrison was back out for the top of the eighth, but he gave up a leadoff double to the now-journeyman, Hunter Renfroe. Jonathan India grounded out to move Renfroe over to third, and Melvin brought in Camilo Doval.

Bobby Witt Jr. came up and knocked in Renfroe with an infield hit. It was now 3-2, and Witt was aboard as the tying run. Witt tried to steal second, but he was gunned down by Patrick Bailey for the second out. Doval got Pasquantino looking on a cutter right at the bottom of the zone to end the inning.

Melvin then went to his closer, Ryan Walker, in the top of the ninth. Walker shut the Royals down with a one, two, three inning, and the Giants won 3-2.

Kyle Harrison got the win in his first start of the season; Michael Lorenzen took the loss; and Ryan Walker picked up his ninth save.

The Giants are now 29-20—2-2 in the funky city connects—and they can take the series with a win in the rubber match Wednesday. It will be another midweek matinee at the corner of Third and King. The Giants will have their ace, Logan Webb (5-3, 2.42 ERA), on the mound. The Royals will counter with a bullpen game. Daniel Lynch IV (3-0, 1.29 ERA) will take the ball as the opener for Kansas City.

First pitch will be at 12:45 p.m.

Kansas City Royals starter Kris Bubic (50) had a no hit bid going into the sixth inning but lost it on a Wilmer Flores base hit at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Monday May 19, 2025 (AP News photo)

Monday, May 19, 2025

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

Kansas City Royals 3 (27-22)

San Francisco Giants 1 (28-20)

Win: Kris Bubic (3-0)

Loss: Tyler Rogers (2-2)

Save: Carlos Estevez (14)

Time: 2:24

Attendance: 28,432

By Stephen Ruderman

Kris Bubic shut down the Giants’ offense, and Vinnie Pasquantino hit a two-run home run off of Tyler Rogers in the top of the eighth inning to carry the Royals to a 3-1 win in the series opener.

The Giants were riding high off their sweep of the A’s over the weekend. Monday night, they welcomed the Kansas Royals to Oracle Park for a 2014 World Series rematch, and they looked to return to their season-high ten games over .500. Robbie Ray, who came in 6-0, was on the mound, and the Giants were 9-0 in his starts.

Ray was his usual self Monday night. He had to work around a couple of jams, but he struck out seven over seven shutout innings. 

Ray was good Monday night, but Kris Bubic, the young left-hander who took the ball for Kansas City, was lights out. Bubic took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, which ended with a two-out base-hit by Wilmer Flores.

The Giants finally had their first rally of the night going against Bubic in the bottom of the seventh. Willy Adames walked with one out, and Casey Schmitt, who was activated off the injured list prior to the game, roped a double down the left field line to put runners at second and third with one out. 

Tyler Fitzgerald came up and hit a bullet, but it was right to shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. Adames, who had no time to react, was doubled off third to end the inning. It was just bad luck. Fitzgerald hit the ball on the screws, but just to the wrong place. That’s baseball, and that is why certain things like exit velocity don’t always mean everything.

That did it for Bubic, who only gave up two hits over seven shutout innings. He walked three, and he struck out five.

The bad luck that bit the Giants in the bottom of the seventh would rear its head in the top of the eighth when Tyler Rogers came into the game. Jonathan India doubled with one out, and two batters later, Vinnie Pasquantino hit an absolute bomb over the 24-foot-high wall in the deepest part of the yard in right-center field to give the Royals a 2-0 lead. It was only the second home run the usually-reliable Rogers gave up this season.

The Giants looked to respond against left-hander Daniel Lynch in the bottom of the eighth. Sam Huff and Heliot Ramos got base-hits to put runners at first and second with one out. 

John Schrieber was then brought in for Kansas City to face the white-hot MLB RBI leader, Wilmer Flores. Wilmer worked the count full, and was prepared to take Schrieber to a long at-bat. However, Schrieber threw an inside sinker that Wilmer surprisingly chased, and there were two away.

Jung Hoo Lee was now at the plate. Lee took a fastball high for ball one, and then he lined a double to right. Huff scored to put the Giants on the board, but Matt Williams held Ramos up at third. It was up to Matt Chapman, but he popped up to Royals’ catcher Salvidor Perez in foul territory to end the inning.

The Giants were unable to tie it, and the Royals got that run back against Jordan Hicks in the top of the ninth. Hicks was making his first appearance out of the bullpen after getting bumped from the rotation, and his struggles only followed him to the pen.

Maikel Garcia led off the inning with a base-hit to center, and he moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Darion Blanco. Hicks walked Hunter Renfroe with two outs, and then Kyle Isbel lined a base-hit to center that scored Garcia to make it 3-1.

Carlos Estevez came in for the bottom of the ninth. The Giants, as they always did, kept fighting until the very end, as LaMonte Wade lined a base-hit to right-center with one out. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t get anything started, and Estevez set down the next two to close it out.

Kris Bubic was rewarded for his dominant seven-inning performance with the win. Tyler Rogers was tagged with the loss, and Carlos Estevez picked up the save.

The Giants fall to 28-20.

Tuesday, the Giants will look to bounce back behind Hayden Birdsong (1-0, 2.31 ERA), who has just been brought into the rotation, in his first start of the season. Countering Birdsong for Kansas City will be the veteran right-hander, Michael Lorenzen (3-4, 3.76 ERA).

First pitch will be at 6:45 p.m.

Giants News and Notes:

• With Schmitt’s return from the IL, the Giants designated infielder David Villar for assignment. 

Villar had been up with the Giants at various points since 2022, and hit exactly .200 in 118 games with the Giants over four seasons. He also hit exactly .200 in nine games this season.