Category: San Francisco Giants

San Francisco Giants podcast Stephen Ruderman: Ray pitching with a lot of consistancy for SF

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San Francisco Giants starter Robbie Ray had a great outing pitching shutout ball for six plus innings giving up three hits and seven strikeouts against the Philadelphia Phillies at Oracle Park in San Francisco Wed Apr 8, 2026 (AP News photo)

San Francisco Giants podcast Stephen Ruderman:

#1 The Giants got a pitching performance once again from starter Robbie Ray who went 6.2 innings, three hits, three walks, and seven strikeouts in the Giants shutout of the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.

#2 It seems like when Ray is starting a lot of the guys really perform a little extra behind Ray not to say they don’t that for the other starters.

#3 Talk about how concerned manager Tony Vitello is about the starting rotation and the bullpen?

#4 Also talk about the bullpen and with Ryan Boruki, Erik Miller, Matt Gage, JT Brubaker, Caleb Killan, Blade Tidwell, Keaton Winn and Ryan Walker.

#5 Matt Chapman and Willy Adames has swung the bat better. They’ve swinging hitting the ball the opposite way which they have been doing constantly which they need to be doing,

Stephen Ruderman is a San Francisco Giants staff writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants shut out Phillies 6-0 on the backs of Robbie Ray and Daniel Susac

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San Francisco Giants’ Daniel Susac, right, hits a two-run triple next to Philadelphia Phillies catcher Rafael Marchan, left, during the eighth inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

By Lincoln Juarez

SAN FRANCISCO – Robbie Ray shut down the powerful Philadelphia lineup in his 6.2 inning line of work. Daniel Susac led the Giants’ offense with his 3-for-4, 2 RBI performance becoming the first player to go 5-for-5 in their first five Major League at-bats since Ted Cox with the Red Sox in 1977. Walker and Winn held down the fort out of the bullpen in 6-0 shutout win. 

The Giants, looking to avoid a fifth straight loss, hosted the Phillies for game two of a three game series Tuesday night at Oracle Park. San Francisco’s bullpen blew another late-game lead, allowing four runs in the seventh inning after Adrian Houser got through six innings with minimal trouble. It was the second game in a row the bullpen had given up costly runs in a late frame, after allowing four runs to score in the eighth inning of Sunday’s series finale with the New York Mets. 

Robbie Ray entered Tuesday’s matchup with a chip on his shoulder to put an end to the abysmal losing stretch. Behind his 3.38 ERA through 10.2 innings in two starts, Ray went the deepest into a game he’s gone so far holding the Phillies scoreless with just three hits through 6.2 innings.  

Willy Adames got the offense started early with a leadoff double against Phillies’ starter Cristopher Sanchez. A Matt Chapman single moved him to third and Luis Arraez dribbled one down the first base line to bring Adames home. It was the first time the Giants scored a run in the first inning since last Thursday against the Mets and it would end up being all they needed.

Arraez drove in two of the four runs in the win putting him one behind Matt Chapman(7) for the team RBI lead. 

Daniel Susac got the start behind the plate for the first time since his outstanding debut in the starting lineup last Thursday. He went 3-for-3 and reached base in all four of his plate appearances. He was included in a short rally when he singled in the second inning becoming the first Giant since Willy McCovey to record a hit in each of his first four Major League at-bats. He recorded two more hits including a two-run triple in the eighth inning to put the game out of reach. 

Ryan Walker relieved Ray of his duties continuing the shutout, throwing 1.1 innings of one-hit baseball while striking out one. 

Keaton Winn secured the win with his scoreless ninth inning. Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper went a combined 3-for-10 while being shutout by a dominant performance by Giants pitching, the first shutout victory since September 28, 2025. 

The rubber match of the three game set will take place Wednesday afternoon with a 12:45pm first pitch at Oracle Park. The Giants will try for their second series win of the season.

Ryan Borucki

Giants bullpen blows another late-inning lead in 6-4 loss to the Phillies

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Photo: Giants relief pitcher Ryan Borucki exits the mound in the 7th inning after giving up two runs (Jay Choi/SF Bay News Lab)

By Vince Cestone

SAN FRANCISCO–For the second day in a row, the San Francisco Giants blew a late-inning lead as the Philadelphia Phillies rally from 4-0 down to win 6-4 at Oracle Park.

After starting pitcher Adrian Houser gave up back-to-back singles to start the seventh inning, Giants manager Tony Vitello brought in lefty Ryan Borucki to try and get through Phillies sluggers Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. That did not go well, as Schwarber walked and Harper hit the game-tying single. The next batter Alec Bohm hit a ground-ball single that gave the Phillies a 5-4 lead, one they would not give back. The Phillies tacked on another run later in the inning on a sacrifice fly by Brandon Marsh.

Some may question Vitello’s decision to bring in Borucki in a leverage spot against two of the best hitters in the game. Borucki is a journeyman pitcher who had a 4.63 ERA in 35 innings with both the Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays. Fellow lefty Matt Gage, who has yet to give up an earned run this season, was not used in the high leverage spot and the Giants paid for it. Gage would go on to pitch a scoreless eighth inning, with the Giants down 6-4.

This latest bullpen blow up comes after Keaton Winn and Erik Miller gave up four runs combined in the eighth inning on Sunday against the New York Mets, giving the Mets a 5-2 come-from-behind victory. The Giants were up 2-1 at the start of the eighth inning on Sunday afternoon.

On Monday night, the Giants finally showed some offense in the third inning, where they scored three runs against Phillies starter Andrew Painter. Painter came into the year 1-0, with a 1.69 ERA. After Willy Adames starting the inning with a double, Luis Arraez followed with an RBI double of his own to give the Giants an early 1-0 lead. Giants third baseman Matt Chapman then tripled in another run. Two batters later, Giants left fielder Heliot Ramos singled in Chapman to give the Giants a 3-0 lead.

The Giants tacked on another run in the fourth inning on a Luis Arraez sacrifice fly. The Giants were up 4-0 and feeling good, but the Phillies got on the board in the fifth inning with two runs of their own. Two singles from the eighth and ninth spots in the batting order ended up scoring in that inning off of Houser.

The Giants did not score another run after the fourth inning. In fact, they only had 2 hits after the fourth inning–a single by Jung Hoo Lee in the eighth and a double by Adames in the ninth.

Houser ended up pitching well, better than his line score indicated. He ended up going six innings, giving up four runs on nine hits and two walks. He struck out three batters.

The Giants are now 3-8 on the year, not the start that Vitello wanted to begin his Giants career. In 2000, the Giants did start the year 3-9 and ended up winning the National League West with 97 wins, but that team had Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent in the middle of their order and Felix Rodriguez and Robb Nen on the back end of the bullpen. The Giants will hope to turn things around quickly, or they can find themselves buried quite early in the season.

Up next, the Giants will try again on Tuesday to get right as they take on the Phillies again in Game 2 of the series. Robbie Ray (1-1, 3.38 ERA) will take the mound for the Giants against lefty Cristopher Sanchez (1-0, 0.79 ERA). Game time is at 6:45 p.m.

San Francisco Giants podcast Stephen Ruderman: Giants conclude four game set with Mets Sunday; SF suffering with no hitting and no pitching in last two games

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San Francisco Giants right hander Logan Webb (62) gets the start against the New York Mets Sun Apr 5, 2026 at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP file photo)

San Francisco Giants podcast Stephen Ruderman:

#1 The Giants are 1-5 in their first six games to start the 2026 season. Since the opening of Pac Bell Park in 2000 this si the worse start for San Francisco going 1-5 or worse.

#2 The Giants have also struggled agianst the New York Mets in their last seven meetings with the Metropolitans the Giants are 1-6 vs. the Mets and have lost two of the first three games against New York in the current series.

#3 The Giants third baseman Matt Chapman has been doing the heavy lifting on offense of sorts when it comes to facing Sunday’s Mets starter Kodai Senga in his last seven at bats against him going 3-4 with a double, two home runs, three RBIs and three walks.

#4 San Francisco starter Logan Webb (1-1 ERA 7.36) got his first win at Petco Park in San Diego on Tue Mar 31st in a 9-3 win. After walking four batters in the first three innings of pitching he settled down and allowed just three runs over six innings.

#5 The Mets will start RHP Kodai Senga (0-1 ERA 3.00) facing RHP Logan Webb (1-1 ERA 7.36) to conclude the four game set with New York a 1:05pm PDT first pitch. The Giants open up a three game series with the Phillies starting Monday night with RHP Andrew Painter (1-0, ERA 1.69) going for Philadelphia and RHP Adrian Houser (0-1, 1.69) first ptich 6:45pm PDT at Oracle Park in San Francisco.

Stephen Ruderman is a San Francisco Giants beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants fall to Mets in 9-0 blowout

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New York Mets pitcher Tobias Myers, right, and catcher Luis Torrens celebrate after the team’s victory over the San Francisco Giants in a baseball game Saturday, April 4, 2026, in San Francisco, (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez)

By Ryan Hannagan

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants fell to the New York Mets 9-0 on Saturday night at Oracle Park, as a lack of offense and costly defensive mistakes proved too much to overcome.

The game remained scoreless through the first inning, highlighted by Giants right-hander Landen Roupp striking out the side in order. However, the Mets broke through in the second inning. After loading the bases, New York capitalized on defensive miscues, including errors by third baseman Matt Chapman and first baseman Jerar Encarnacion, allowing two runs to score. Luis Torrens added a run on a fielder’s choice to give the Mets a 3-0 lead.

San Francisco was unable to respond offensively, managing just three hits through the first seven innings and failing to generate sustained pressure against Mets starter Clay Holmes.

The Mets extended their lead in the fifth inning. Bo Bichette singled to center to score Torrens, and Mark Vientos followed later with an RBI single. Tyrone Taylor, pinch-hitting for Jacob Young, delivered the decisive blow with a three-run home run to left-center, capping a five-run inning and pushing the lead to 8-0.

New York added another run in the seventh inning when Taylor singled to right, scoring Vientos. An error in right field allowed Taylor to advance to second on the play.

Roupp was pulled after 4 2/3 innings, finishing with seven hits allowed and six earned runs while striking out seven. Holmes worked seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits with four strikeouts and two walks.

The Giants’ offense struggled throughout, recording one hit over their final 4 1/3 innings and leaving multiple runners stranded. Jung Hoo Lee’s single in the seventh inning marked their first hit in more than three innings.

San Francisco turned to position player Christian Koss to pitch the ninth inning, and he responded with a three-up, three-down frame.

The Giants were retired in order in the ninth, sealing the shutout. With the loss, San Francisco has now been shut out three times in nine games to start the season.

The series concludes Sunday afternoon, with the Giants looking to bounce back and split the four-game set. Starting pitcher for New York RHP Kodai Senga (0-1 ERA 3.00) for San Francisco RHP Logan Webb (1-1 ERA 7.36) first pitch 1:05 pm PDT.

Mets get Revenge on Giants, Tying the Series, Final Score: 10-3

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San Francisco Giants RHP Tyler Mahle throws a strike at 91.9 mph Four-Seam Fastball on New York Met (#7) Brett Baty on Friday, April 3rd, 2026, at Oracle Park in San Francisco, CA. (Photo Credit by the author Michael Villanueva)

By Michael Villanueva

SAN FRANCISCO – Following San Francisco’s first home win Friday, the team hoped to extend its winning streak to two on Good Friday and San Jose State Night. However, the New York Mets had other plans as it was their turn to make it a big hitting night here in Oracle Park. The Mets would bring in 15 hits Friday night and get the win. The final score would be 10-3.

The winning pitcher would be the New York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean, who almost got himself a perfect game through six innings. San Francisco Giants pitcher Tyler Mahle would take the loss in this game, as he gave up five runs and eight hits for the night.

Both of these teams had different direction performances. The Giants had a great hitting sequence yesterday, but struggled tonight and only got five hits. While on the other side, the Mets’ offense struggled yesterday but prospered overnight and came out swinging. The Mets would tally up 15 hits tonight.

The New York Mets strike first in the first inning with a couple of runs scored by Mets Francisco Lindor and Bo Bichette, making the score 2-0. Giants pitcher Tyler Mahle was having some early struggles, and the Giants’ defense was letting line drives in, getting players on the bases. Also, the Giants had a quick 1-2-3 batting order and weren’t able to respond to the Mets’ hot start.

However, the Mets would go down a man in this game as Juan Soto was removed from Friday night’s game with right calf tightness. Soto will be replaced by left outfielder Tyrone Taylor. Soto went 1-1 in just playing the 1st inning. Though that wasn’t slowing down the Met’s defense, especially thanks to their starting pitcher, Nolan McLean.

The Mets were feeling determined to bounce back after that Game 1 loss to the Giants yesterday. So starting McLean was their clear choice, espcially that Nolan McLean, through his first 9 MLB starts: 2.21 ERA, 65 Ks. The only other pitchers to reach those marks since ER became an official statistic in 1913: Paul Skenes (2024), Orel Hershiser (1984), Jose DeLeon (1983), and Fernando Valenzuela (1981). Elite company to be in for McLean. Just after the first two innings, he would make the Giants go back-to-back, on a 1-2-3 batting order.

Top of the fourth, the Mets would see some success on their offense. As Mets Marcus Semien would get himself a homer and an RBI. The score would now be 4-0. Then Mets Francisco Alvarez would join the party, as he would get himself a solo homerun, making the score 5-0. Finally, once the Giants got the bleeding stopped, it was their turn at bat. Nothing much has changed, though, as the Mets’ defense and Nolan McLean have been a problem all night for the Giants.

By the top of the sixth, the Giants called it a night for their pitcher, Tyler Mahle. Mahle went four strikeouts, two HR, five Runs, and five hits. San Francisco would bring in RHP JT Brubaker. With that, the Giants’ offense was still not scoring. After a great hitting sequence last night, the Giants were struggling to make some contact with the ball. McLean is still in the game, pitching; he has four strikeouts, and is at 78 pitches.

San Francisco would finally get a hit, and it was a big one. Coming from the Giants, Willy Adames, who would hit a ground-rule double to right-center field. He would bring in a run, with Patrick Bailey scoring and Harrison Bader on third base. A much-needed turnaround is needed for the Giants, but the Mets would make the call to end McLean’s night after that hit from them. Nolan McLean was so close to giving him a perfect game. The Mets would bring in LHP Brooks Raley with just one out in the bottom of the sixth.

Mets pitcher Brooks Raley’s fastball would get by his catcher, Francisco Alvarez, which would bring in a run for the Giants. The score would now be 5-2, but the Mets’ defense would kick in and end that stretch for the Giants. So, top of the seventh comes, and Mets Francisco Alvarez made up for his mistake on letting the fastball get by him, and got a run in for San Francisco. So Alvarez decided and wanted to get his second homer of the night at 401ft distance, pushing the Mets’ lead, 6-2.

Still in the top of the seventh, the Mets just kept coming at the Giants. They were able to get two hits, dropping them right in front of the outfielders. So with the Mets’ smart placement hitting, they would get a couple of runs, making the score 8-2. So San Francisco responded by pulling out JT Brubaker, ending him at two strikeouts, one HR, and three hits. The Giants would put in LHP Matt Gage with one out, but he goes to work and gets his first strikeout on his first batter and stops the inning.

After the eighth inning, and going into the final inning of the game. The Giants got a run in to be down just five runs; the score was 8-3. However, that wasn’t enough to start the ninth inning. Mets Brett Baty would get a double down leftfield and an RBI, making the score 9-3. The Giants made one last pitcher change, so the Mets decided to get one last run in as well. By the bottom of the ninth, it was 10-3. So with the Giants one last time at bat, nothing came out of it as the New York Mets would win and tie the series this season, 1-1.

Once more, for the third time this week, the San Francisco Giants will host the New York Mets Saturday night at 6:05 p.m. back in Oracle Park. The Mets will send out RHP Clay Holmes (1-0) as their starting pitcher. The Giants will counter with RHP Landen Roupp, also (1-0), as their starting pitcher. This game again will be broadcasted on NBCS BA.

Giants get 1st Home Win of Season on Sac State Night, taking Game 1 on the New York Mets, 7-2

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San Francisco Giants Luis Arraez (#1) singles on a ground ball to New York Mets right fielder Tyrone Taylor in the bottom of the 3rd inning on April 2nd, 2026, at Oracle Park in San Francisco, CA. (Photo Credits to Jae SF Bay News Lab)

By Michael Villanueva

SAN FRANCISCO – The Giants get their first home win of the season Thursday night as they beat the New York Mets in the first game of their series 7-2. After just getting one run in their entire season home-opener against the New York Yankees, and losing their first three home games. San Francisco would put up 13 hits and seven runs in Thursday evening’s game on Sacramento State Night. The Giants would start off the month with a win.

The San Francisco Giants returned home Wednesday after a four-day trip to San Diego. The Giants would take the first two games against the Padres, but fell to them Wednesday, finishing the series 2-1. The Giants were hoping to take some of their best moments from San Diego and bring them to their home ballpark to get a win for the fans on Thursday evening.

After getting his first loss from the New York Yankees in the team’s season home-opener series. Giants pitcher Robbie Ray would start for the team again, this time, against the New York Mets. Robbie Ray has gone 4-2 with a 3.11 ERA and 46 strikeouts against the Mets. His last matchup against the Mets was dated back in August 1st, 2025. He pitched seven innings, six of those were scoreless, and striking gout six.

Giants left-hand pitcher Robbie Ray goes up against Mets Francisco Lindor and walks him to get the ball game going. Then, just two batters later, Mets Bo Bichette helps put New York on the board first with a double to left field, bringing in Mets Juan Soto to score. Just 26 pitches later, the Mets’ Luis Robert Jr. flies out, ending the top of the first.

With the Giants’ turn at bat, shortstop Willy Adames starts San Francisco off, but gets caught on a slider and strikes out. Left-hand Mets pitcher David Peterson starts off his first batter with a strikeout. Next in-fielder Rafael Devers, who has three career homers against the Mets, sneaks a single for himself. Setting up Luis Arraez to hit a triple, bringing in Devers to tie the game. Next, Matt Chapman would join the party with a double, bringing in Arraez to take back an early lead, 2-1. Matt Chapman would also score when Jung Hoo Lee reached on pitcher David Peterson’s failed catch error on trying to get an assist from first baseman Mark Vientos. After that, the Giants would reach 3 outs, ending their hot start with the score, 3-1, San Francisco leading.

Mets Mark Vientos took the Giants’ hot start personally and got under a slider from Ray and got himself a solo homerun at 406 FT. The score is now 2-3, top of the second at this time. However, Ray and the Giants would be able to hold the Mets off and end the top of the second. So Giants catcher, Daniel Susac, starts the batting order and gets himself a single. Daniel’s hit was his first in the MLB. With the Mets having some early catching errors, the Giants were able to get their batters on the bases. However, a double play and a strikeout later would end the Giants’ second inning stretch.

At the top of the third, Mets Francisco Lindor is back and starting it off once again in the game, and once again was walked for the second time. Once again, Ray’s slider and changeup would get him a couple of strikeouts and great outfield coverage from Harrison Bader. The Giants stand tall on their defense. The momentum shifted to the Giants when it was their turn at bat.

The Giants would be able to put up two runs in their third inning stretch. No outs, runners on all bases, so Jung Hoo Lee understood the assignment. He would do a sacrifice fly out, and bring in Heliot Ramos. Then Harrison Bader would do another sacrifice play to bring in Luis Arraez to get them that second run in to score. However, the Mets’ defense would kick in and get their third outs. By then, the score was 5-2.

At the bottom of the fifth, New York would shut down David Peterson for the night. The Mets would bring out left hand pitcher Sean Manaea, on his first batter up with Daniel Susac, he would walk Susac. Runners on first and second, Mets Manaea was in an awkward position, and Giants Casey Schmitt gets his cutter for a single line drive, and Schmitt gets an RBI Thursday night. The score is now 6-2, with Manaea able to get a strikeout as their 3rdout.

96 pitchers, seven strikeouts, 2 ER’s, and a 3.38 ERA, Giants pitcher Robbie Ray would be shut down at the top of the sixth for the team. Oracle Park would send off Robbie Ray with a standing ovation. San Francisco would bring in Ryan Walker with having one out to his count from ray. Walker, on his first batter, is a strikeout, followed by a pop-up to center field.

Giants were able to put up a run with Rafael Devers getting a homer in for the home crowd. That homer was his first one of the season as he pushed the score to 7-2. After that, the Giants weren’t able to get back on base as the inning closed out. Top of the seventh, the Giants would change pitchers again, this time to right-hand pitcher Blade Tidwell. Giants’ defense would get a double play then a ground out to end the top of the seventh.

In the last three innings of the game, both teams’ defense was able to put up easy three outs in that stretch. Ultimately sealing the Giants’ dub for the home crowd. Giants pitcher Robbie Ray would get his first win of the season Thursday night, and also Giants Blade Tidwell would get his first-ever career save. Also, Giants Casey Schmitt and Daniel Susac would go perfectly at bat, going 4-4 in the box. This was Daniel Susac’s first-ever MLB career start, a homecoming victory for San Francisco.

The San Francisco Giants and New York Mets will continue where they left off, Friday (4/3/26), right back in Oracle Park at 7:15 p.m. The Giants will send out RHP Tyler Mahle, who is 1-0, to go up against the Mets’ RHP Nolan Mclean, who is 0-0. The game will be televised on NBCS BA.

Opinion: Vitello’s Willingness to Experiment May Be Giants’ Biggest Strength

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Manager Tony Vitello #23 of the San Francisco Giants looks on before the game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on March 30, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

San Francisco — The San Francisco Giants have had a tumultuous first week of the 2026 campaign, and we aren’t even two full series into the season.

After being swept at home by the New York Yankees to open the season at Oracle Park in San Francisco, the Giants went into Petco Park in San Diego and took the first two games of a three-game series against the Padres. Game three is scheduled for Wednesday, and as of this writing, that game is yet to take place. The Giants are now 2-3 on the season, and I have a few takeaways after being in attendance for the Giants’ home series and from my early observations in San Diego.

So, Giants fans, don’t panic. We have no idea what the 2026 Giants are yet.

Of course, following the sweep of the Giants at the hands of the Yankees, the city of San Francisco fell to its proverbial knees in agony as the team scored only one run over three games. The offense appeared to pick up right where it left off last season with a deep inability to perform situational hitting and score runs.

However, three games is, of course, not nearly enough of a sample size to understand what the Giants offense will be in the 2026 campaign, and the following two games proved just that.

Let Vitello Cook: Five Games, Three Different Lineups

While the Giants only scored one run against the Yankees in their three-game series, Tony Vitello tweaked his lineup for game three and again for game four.

The game three tweaks were highlighted by elevating Jung Hoo Lee to the leadoff spot and dropping Luis Arraez and Rafael Devers to the third and fourth positions in the order, respectively. Heliot Ramos was moved to the fifth spot, and Willy Adames was dropped to sixth on the card while Patrick Bailey remained at eight. Vitello’s final change was that Harrison Bader was elevated to seventh and Casey Schmitt dropped to ninth in the order.

This initial pivot from Vitello paid immediate dividends as the Giants went from tallying just four hits in the first two games to nine hits in the third game of the season alone. However, the Giants still only mustered one run with the new-look lineup and fell to 0-3 on the season.

So, Vitello pivoted again after the Giants’ off day on Sunday for their first game against the Padres on Monday. With Bader, Bailey, and Schmitt anchoring the seven-through-nine slots in the order, Vitello switched up his top six in hopes of finding something. Vitello elected to go with Willy Adames in the leadoff spot while also moving Rafael Devers up to the second spot and Heliot Ramos to the three-hole. By necessity, that meant Jung Hoo Lee fell to sixth and Luis Arraez and Matt Chapman slotted down to fourth and fifth, respectively. The offense didn’t erupt, but Willy Adames and Matt Chapman each recorded hits while the bottom three in the Giants’ lineup (Bader, Bailey, and Schmitt) each recorded an RBI and were responsible for the team’s runs. It was a sign of life for the club.

On Tuesday, Tony Vitello elected to go with the same lineup that netted him his first win as a big league manager, and it paid off big time in game two of the series.

The Giants secured their first series win of the season, defeating the Padres 9-3 behind a 16-hit performance from a lineup of Willy Adames leading off, followed by Rafael Devers, Heliot Ramos, Luis Arraez, Matt Chapman, Jung Hoo Lee, Harrison Bader, Patrick Bailey, and Casey Schmitt.

The Giants go for the sweep of the Padres on Wednesday, and you may already know the outcome when you read this.

Was it the lineup construction that clicked? Was it simply a team that was due to break out? Who knows. I’m not here to act like I or anyone else has a crystal ball to know exactly what or why it worked. However, you have to give the young manager credit for being willing to make drastic tweaks to his lineup so early in the season to do his best to spark the team. The inverse has been a complaint of recent Giants managers and their slow pace to change things up when it wasn’t working.

It’s obviously much too small of a sample size to tell anything significant, but Vitello appears up for the task, and his recent lineup tweak appears to have his guys in a better spot than even just a week ago. Will the Giants be 16-hit and nine-run scorers every game? Probably not. Will the Giants be a team that is one-hit and routinely shut out this season? Again, probably not. The team is too talented for that to become the norm on a daily basis. The Giants will inevitably fall somewhere in between those points, and it’s incumbent on the fans and the media to give them the chance to figure it out.

After the conclusion of the series in San Diego, the Giants will return home for a four-game series against the Mets and three games against the Phillies. That will be a big test to see what the 2026 Giants are made of.

Adames Paves Way For Giants Win Over Padres 9-3; Giants have shot at a sweep Wednesday

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San Francisco Giants Willy Adames runs the bases after hitting a first inning home run against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park in San Diego on Tue Mar 31, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The San Francisco Giants (2-3) won game two in their series with the San Diego Padres (1-4) 9-3 on Tuesday after winning game one Monday night. They now have the opportunity to sweep the series Wednesday in game three.

Willy Adames was on fire with four hits, two runs and two RBIs. Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman and Jung Hoo Lee each had two hits. Adames and Chapman each had a home run. The Giants offense was fired up having 16 hits in this game.

Game wrap: The Giants went with the same starting lineup they had Monday night with Willy Adames lead-off batter. It worked last night so it was a go in this one. It was certainly a great call when Adames hit the second pitch of the game out of the park, his first home run of the year, 335 feet, giving San Francisco the early lead 1-0.

With two outs Matt Chapman doubled and San Francisco had runners on second and third with Jung Hoo Lee at the plate. Lee hit a double driving Heliot Ramos and Matt Chapman home and just like that the Giants had taken a 3-0 lead.

Marquez got the third out but the Giants had three hits and a nice lead after the first inning, a great way to start the ball game. Logan Webb would take the mound in the bottom of the inning. The Padres also went with last night’s lineup. With two outs the Padres had Fernando Tatis and Jackson Merrill on base but Xander Bogaerts flied out and Webb got out of the inning.

San Francisco loaded the bases in the second inning with only one out. Casey Schmitt singled, Adames singled as did Rafael Devers but Ramos and Luis Arraez both flied out leaving them all stranded missing a great opportunity to extend their lead. The Padres stranded one runner in the bottom of the second. Webb struck out two hitters in the inning.

Chapman got the third inning going with the second home run of the game a solo shot and San Francisco had a 4-0 lead with 8 hits through three innings. San Diego would be looking to do some damage in the bottom of the third and that is exactly what they did. Both Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado walked and a Merrill single drove Tatis Jr. home. Bogaerts grounded out and Machado was able to score and the Padres had cut the Giants lead in half 4-2. Miguel Andujar singled Merrill home and as the inning came to an end the Padres trailed by a single run 4-3.

After pitching through three innings for San Diego Marquez was relieved by Kyle Hart. Marquez went three innings allowing eight hits four runs,(two home runs) and only one strikeout. Hart was perfect in the fourth inning going three and out. After four innings the score remained 4-3 in favor of the Giants.

With two outs in the top of the fifth inning Lee attempted to reach third base after doubling. A replay confirmed Lee was out and the game went into the bottom of the inning. The Giants had a solid fifth inning going three and out.

With two on and no outs in the sixth inning the Giants were again threatening. With a one-run ball game San Francisco needed to pump their lead back up. The Giants added another run when Adames singled Harrison Bader home from second and Patrick Bailey advanced to second.

Devers reached first base on an infield hit and San Francisco had the bases loaded and the opportunity to get more with only one out. Heliot Ramos singled Bailey and Adames home giving San Francisco a 7-3 lead. A sacrifice drove Devers home extending the Giant’s lead 8-3. As the top of the inning ended the Giants had put 4 more on the board and had 13 hits through six innings. It was a three and out bottom of the sixth.

It was a bit rocky in the third inning for Webb but that aside he pitched a pretty good game. He was relieved by JT Brubaker in the seventh inning. Webb finished the game going six innings allowing three hits, three earned runs, three walks and five strikeouts. He was behind in the count at times but figured it out and finished really strong. Brubaker got out of the inning only giving up a double and it was onto the eighth inning.

The Giants would add one more run in the top of the ninth when Lee singled pinch runner Jared Oliva home for the final score of 9-3 in favor of San Francisco.

The Giants offense was on fire in this game. Adames had four hits, Lee three hits, Chapman and Devers each had two hits. The team had 16 total hits a great night of offense for the team. Webb had a very good game despite struggling in the third inning. He found a way to finish off the last ten hitters he faced.

Game notes: Monday night the Giants won their first game of the season beating the Padres 3-2 in the first game of their three-game series at Petco Park. After a rough start to the season, the Giants turned up their offensive effort taking a 3-0 lead through eight innings. There was a bit of drama in the ninth inning when San Diego’s Jackson Merrill hit a home run with Jake Cronenworth on base cutting the San Francisco lead to one run 3-2.

Giant’s closing pitcher Ryan Walker held it together to get the third out and the Giants held on for the 3-2 win. Relief pitcher Keaton Winn was terrific in the eighth inning allowing no hits, no runs with three strikeouts. You just cannot ask for more.

Tuesday night the Giant’s starter Logan Webb got a far different result than the team’s first game of the season against the New York Yankees last Wednesday. Last Wednesday was a rough one for Webb who finished that game going five innings allowing 9 hits, 7 runs (6 earned) and 7 strikeouts.

In Monday night’s game the Giants not only got a number of runs up on the board but they put a number of players in scoring position. It was a relief to get that first win under their belt and Tuesday night they took game 2. German Marquez for the Padres on Tuesday pitched three innings giving up eight hits, four earned runs, one walk, one strike out.

The Giants head into game three Wednesday looking for a sweep. Starters Adrian Houser (0-0 ERA 0.00) will be on the hill for San Francisco. The Padres will start Nick Pivetta who comes into this game at (0-1 ERA 18.00). First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 PM.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Ohtani returning to pitching duties for Dodgers; Rangers deGrom hoping to rebound from injury; plus more news

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Los Angeles Dodgers Shohei Ohtani gets a turn at bat slugs a single against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the bottom of the first inning at Dodger Stadium on Thu Mar 26, 2026 (AP News photo)

That’s Amaury News and Commentary:

#1 How might Shohei Ohtani’s return to pitching impact the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation and early-season momentum?

#2 What are the expectations and risks surrounding Jacob deGrom’s 2026 debut after his recent injury scare with the Texas Rangers?

#3 What does the historic early-season performance of MLB rookies suggest about the league’s emerging talent pipeline in 2026?

#4 How significant is the reported record-setting contract for prospect Seattle Mariners Colt Emerson, and what does it indicate about teams investing in young talent?

#5 How important was it for former San Francisco Giants pitcher Juan Marichal to appear for Team Dominican during the World Baseball Classic it really inspired the players when he showed up.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.

While in the Bay Area, great food and great prices. 998cuba.com