Category: San Francisco Giants

San Francisco Giants Mike Yastrzemski heads home after getting congratulations from third base coach Mark Wallberg after hitting home run in the bottom of the eighth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sat Oct 1, 2022 (AP News photo)

Arizona (73-85). 8. 12. 0

San Francisco (79-79). 4. 8. 1

Saturday, October 1, 2022

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–It’s October, but today’s 8-4 Giants’ loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks wasn’t an October Classic. On the contrary, it was an exercise in futility.

The Rattlers sent 5’11”, 170 lb. right handed rookie Drey Jameson to face the Giants in his fourth major league start. He was 2-0, 0.98 in those games, and the deepest he’d gone was the seven innings he hurled in his September 15 debut, and the most pitches he’d thrown was 95 five days later when he beat the Dodgers in Chavez Ravine.

This afternoon showed he’s the real thing. He pitched six innings, yielding two runs, both earned, on six hits, one of which went out of the park, and two walks. He struck out seven, throwing 98 pitche, 65 for strikes, on the way to his third win. His ERA rose to a still better than respectable 1.48.

For the Giants, it was a bullpen game, with 0-0, 1.20 southpaw Scott Alexander as opener for the third time this season. He hung around for an inning and a third, not allowing a hit but having to face four batters because of an error behind him by Thairo Estrada at short.

Jakob Junis took over with no one on and one down in the top of the second and pitched decently but not much better than that.

San Francisco opened the scoring in the bottom of the third. Joey Bart drew a one out, full count walk and moved on to second on what sounded like a broken bat single to center by Joc Pederson. LaMonte Wade, Jr., hard grounder to first took a bad bounce and went for an infield single to fill the bases with Giants.

Estrada grounded to Buddy Kennedy at third, who threw to Josh Rojas at second for the force on Wade, but Estrada beat out the relay to first, driving in Bart with the first run of the game.

They don’t call it Triples Alley for nothing. Christian Walker demonstrated that by walloping Junis’s first offering against the State Farm advertisement in right center field wall and coasting into third with a three bagger.

Josh Rojas plated him with the tying tally on a sac fly to deep center. After Kennedy went down swinging, Arizona resumed its battering of Junis. Corbin Carroll socked a double to right.

Cooper Hummel got the benefit of a semi-intentional walk, and number nine batter Sergio Alcántara sent a sinking liner to left that a diving Jason Vosler couldn’t corral. That brought Carroll and Hummel in with the runs that put the Diamondbacks ahead 3-1.

It was Junis’s fielding rather than his pitching that kept Arizona off the board in the fifth. With runners on the corners and one away, he grabbed Jake McCarthy’s bouncer to the mound and chased Jordan Luplow back to third, tagging him out before closing the frame.

Carroll opened the sixth with a reprise of Alcántara’s double in fourth. But, between Junis’s skill and The Curse of the Leadoff Double, the score remained 3-1.

JD Davis narrowed the gap with two down and the bases empty in the sixth by sending Jameson’s first pitch to him, a 96mph four seamer, into the netting under the batter’s eye, 436 feet deep into centerfield. It was his 12th home run of the year.

The Giants still trailed 3-2 when, after Luplow led off the top of the seventh with a nubber to third that went for a single, Jarlín García relieved Junis, who had gone 4-2/3 innings and allowed three runs and soon would be charged with a posthumous fourth tally, all earned, on eight hits and two walks He threw 83 pitches, 55 for strikes and two walks. He would be charged with his seventh loss of the year against five wins while his ERA rose to 4.42.

The bottom fell out for the Giants with García on the mound. Luplow scored on McCarthy’s single to left. A double by Walker, a single by Rojas, a walk to Kennedy, a sac fly by Hummel, and Alcántara’s double made the score 8-2 in favor of the visitors, who had batted around as they battered their hosts.

Kevin Ginkel took over for Jameson after his long rest on the bench while his teammates took care of business.

Needless to say, García didn’t come out to pitch the eighth. That task fell to Junior Marte, who set the side down in order. Except for a leadoff walk, he did the same in the top of the ninth.

One time Giant Mark Melançon got his first two men out in the eighth, but the 90mph cut fastball he threw to Yaz touched down in McCovey Cove to cut the Rattlers’ lead to five runs. That made 17 homers and. 55 RBIs for Yastrzemski’s disappointing season.

Reyes Moronta pitched a sloppy bottom of the ninth, in which he allowed a run on a single to Austin Slater, who advanced to second on defensive indifference and to third on a wild pitch before Ford Proctor drove him in with a sacrifice fly to left, giving the Giants a small fig leaf as they scored their fourth run against Arizona’s eight.

With this loss, the orange and black were mathematically eliminated from postseason competition.

The Giants close their home season tomorrow afternoon at 1:05. Arizona will send Zach Davies (2-5, 4.18) to the mound. San Francisco’s starter is yet to be named

San Francisco Giants third base coach Mark Hallberg, left, congratulates Ford Proctor, right, after Proctor picked up his first Major League hit at Chase Field against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the top of the seventh inning on Sun Sep 25, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Sunday, September 25, 2022

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Even with their postseason hopes all but fading, the San Francisco Giants put together a solid weekend in the Valley of the Sun, taking two of three games from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Evan Longoria’s pinch-hit single in the top of the eighth inning provided the go-ahead runs in the Giants’ 3-2 win Sunday.

The Giants have won six of their last seven games, and need to go 6-3 over their final nine games to reach .500.

“’I’m proud of the way the guys have prepared throughout this road trip,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “When you get towards the end of the year, it’s been a long season, and a lot of the guys are tired. But the preparation has been excellent, These guys are getting ready for games in the right way with a lot of good game-planning going on.

“We just want to see improvement through these stretches. It’s been a positive road trip in that regard.”

Longoria added, “Obviously, we need a miracle to make the playoffs, but our message has been pretty consistent throughout this month – we need to play hard and for a lot of guys in this room, there’s a lot to play for in terms of a job next year, contract money, whatever it is.

“We preach to go out there and find something every night, and that usually translates into good games and winning.”

Winning pitcher Jakob Junis (5-6) threw 83 pitches in 5 1/3 innings of a bullpen game for the Giants, giving up one run on four hits and a walk with seven strikeouts. Camilo Doval gave up a run in the bottom of the ninth, but struck out Corbin Carroll for the final out, earning his 26th save.

In the Giants’ eighth, Brandon Crawford singled and Jason Vosler drew a one-out walk; both runners moved up on a passed ball charged to Arizona catcher Cooper Hummel before Austin Wynns walked to load the bases.

After Evan Longoria was announced as a pinch-hitter, D-Backs reliever Reyes Moronta replaced Luis Frias (1-1). Longoria delivered a single to left, driving in Crawford and Vosler with the go-ahead runs.

“We depend on (Longoria) in those big moments,” Kapler said. “He had good swings, he’s got plenty of bat speed left, and he knows what to do in those situations.”

J.D. Davis, who went 4-for-5, added a solo home run into the right-center field swimming pool off Diamondbacks reliever Mark Melancon in the top of the ninth, his 10th of the season, extending the San Francisco lead to 3-1.

“If J.D. doesn’t have the most power on the team, he’s right there with everybody,” Kapler said. “He’s locked in right now. We don’t make too much of the hot-hitter thing, but he came through against a pitcher that was throwing really hard.”

The Diamondbacks cut the San Francisco lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth on a sacrifice fly to right by Pavin Smith, driving in Christian Walker, who led off the inning with a double.

Arizona threatened in the eighth when, with two out, Ketel Marte singled and Daulton Varsho walked. After Marte and Varsho advanced on a double-steal, Stone Garrett grounded out to second.

The Diamondbacks pushed a run across in the fifth inning to break a scoreless tie. Sergio Alcantara hit into a fielder’s choice and scored from first on Smith’s double to right.

San Francisco loaded the bases with two out in the top of the seventh, but came up empty. Ford Proctor and Thairo Estrada singled and Mike Yastrzemski drew a walk, prompting the Diamondbacks to replace Kevin Ginkel on the mound with Frias. Davis lined out to Alcantara at shortstop to end the threat.

Proctor’s single was his first major league hit.

“I’m at a loss for words,” Proctor said. “That’s a moment you always dream of. I just wanted to see a bunch of pitches to help me settle in, and just remember that it’s the same game, to step back and breathe a little bit.

“I had my family there, I’m very thankful for them, and so blessed that they could make it out.”

“One of the tougher decisions of the day is whether to start Proctor or Longoria,” Kapler said. “You want to give Proctor a chance to get his first major league hit and contribute like he did today.”

San Francisco opener Scott Alexander gave up one hit in a scoreless first inning. Jarlin Garcia worked 1 2/3 hitless innings with two strikeouts, followed by Junis and Doval.

Arizona starter Drey Jameson scattered five hits over 5 1/3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts and three walks and a hit batter.

The Giants won despite stranding 12 baserunners.

GIANTS JOTTINGS: After taking Monday off, the Giants return home for a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies starting on Tuesday. RHP Logan Webb (14-9, 2.93) will start the first game and Carlos Rodón (13-8, 2.98) is slated to start the third game. Wednesday’s starter has yet to be determined. … Announced attendance for the D-Backs’ final home game of the season was 25,389.

The Arizona Diamondbacks Daulton Varsho (12) signals safe and San Francisco Giants catcher Joey Bart (right) holds the ball up to show umpire in the bottom of the fourth inning at Chase Field in Phoenix on Sat Sep 24, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Saturday, September 24, 2022

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Arizona batted around in the fourth inning, an outburst that provided the Diamondbacks and starting pitcher Merrill Kelly with all the offense they needed to defeat San Francisco 5-3 Saturday.

The loss snapped a five-game Giants winning streak.

Kelly (13-7) continued his mastery over the Giants, giving up two earned runs on four hits and a walk while striking out six. Reyes Moronta struck out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth to get his second save.

The Diamondbacks tallied five times while sending nine hitters to the plate in the fourth. Pavin Smith and Daulton Varsho led off the inning with back-to-back singles off Alex Cobb (6-7), and Christian Walker followed with an RBI single, driving in Smith.

A one-out walk to Josh Rojas loaded the bases, then Alek Thomas hit into a fielder’s choice to first. Wilmer Flores threw home, but his throw pulled the catcher, Joey Bart, off the plate, allowing Varsho to score, and the bases remained loaded. Carson Kelly’s sacrifice fly to center drove in Walker, and Geraldo Perdomo singled to right, driving in Rojas and Thomas.

“Two things – did Wilmer actually get the bag with his foot, and unless you get that close-up angle, it was pretty difficult to tell,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “The second thing – I think Joey thought he still had his foot on the plate. Then he had to reach for the ball and that pulled him off the plate. I think all of that happened really fast.

“Maybe Wilmer thought he grazed the bag and thought he could get two outs. I don’t think anybody is at fault. I think it was a very tricky play that didn’t turn out in our favor.”

Mike Yastrzemski led off the Giants sixth with a 413-foot home run to right, his 15th of the season, cutting the San Francisco deficit to 5-2. Yastrzemski, who was 2-for-3, also had a double in the first inning.

The Giants scored first on an RBI single by Jason Vosler in the fourth, driving in Brandon Crawford, who reached on a two-out single.

Cobb threw 93 pitches in five innings, giving up all five Diamondback runs on five hits. He struck out three and walked two.

The weekend series concludes on Sunday afternoon. Drew Jameson (2-1, 1.38) starts for the Diamondbacks, while San Francisco has yet to announce a starter, and could opt for a bullpen game.

GIANTS JOTTINGS: LHP Thomas Szapucki left Saturday’s game with left hip tightness. Kapler said the decision to pull Szapucki was a precautionary measure. … San Francisco made a number of roster moves prior to Saturday’s game – OF Luis Gonzalez was placed on the 10-day injured list (lower back strain), INF-C Ford Proctor was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento, and OF Lewis Brinson cleared waivers and was outrighted to the River Cats. … Proctor became the 65th player used by the Giants this season, setting a franchise record in that category. … Announced attendance on Saturday at Chase Field was 24,504. The outside temperature at game time was 102 degrees. Time of the game was 2:37.

The San Francisco Giants David Villar (right) gets a forearm bash from teammate Austin Wynns (left) after hitting a two run homer against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix on Fri Sep 23, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Friday, September 23, 2022

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Because of the way scoring works in baseball, Shelby Miller didn’t get the win on Friday night in San Francisco’s 6-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The well-traveled, 31-year-old Miller was just happy for another shot at the major leagues after the Giants selected his contract from Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday.

“It’s crazy to be back,” Miller said. “And it’s good that it was here in Arizona, where I live, so it’s nice to be back, for sure.”

Miller struck out seven of the 12 Arizona batters he faced in 2 2/3 scoreless innings before he was pulled after giving up a two-out double to Ketel Marte in the eighth. Alex Young (1-1) retired pinch-hitter Daulton Varsho to end the threat. Young was the pitcher of record when the Giants took the lead for good.

“Things went better than I hoped they would,” Miller said. “I felt like I commanded my fastball really well and got ahead of guys. My slider was working; just commanding everything and having the hitters on their heels a little bit.

“That was the plan, to get ahead of these guys and have some success.”

I know the season’s coming to an end, and however I can contribute to this team, I’ll try to help. I don’t know if this will benefit me for next year, but I’ll do the best I can and we’ll see what happens.”

Giants manager Gabe Kapler said Miller’s stuff “looked great,” adding, “I’ve seen Shelby have success in the past and it was nice to see him come through like that. He’s been waiting a long time for this opportunity. He came into this game and gave us exactly what we were looking for – he delivered strikes, he worked fast and forced the action.”

The Giants have won five straight games and nine of their last 13. San Francisco manufactured the eventual winning run in the top of the ninth inning.

After Mike Yastrzemski rapped a two-out single, Evan Longoria reached on a fielder’s choice, moving Yastrzemski to third on an error by Diamondbacks third baseman Sergio Alcantara. J.D. Davis followed with a double to left off Caleb Smith (1-3), driving in Yastrzemski with Longoria thrown out at the plate.

In the D-Backs ninth, San Francisco closer Camilo Doval retired Pavin Smith on a groundout and struck out Christian Walker before pinch-hitter Juan Rojas singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Pinch-hitter Alex Thomas grounded out to first baseman Davis to wrap up his 25th save.

“Camilo threw a slider at 101, and a sinker at 95 or 96. That’s quite a fluctuation,” Kapler said. “When Camilo introduced the sinker, it changed his arsenal entirely. At one point, the league was sitting on his four-seamer and slider combo. Lefties were giving him a hard time. Since the sinker came out, it’s been a whole different ballgame.”

San Francisco threatened in the seventh against Diamondbacks reliever

Luis Frias when pinch-hitter LaMonte Wade Jr. walked, Longoria reached on a two-out single and Davis walked to load the bases. But Frias struck out Brandon Crawford to end the rally.

Giants’ starter Carlos Rodón, pitching on eight days rest to allow a blister on his left hand to heal, left after throwing 93 pitches in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out seven and walked three while giving up four earned runs on four hits.

Kapler said it was “very difficult” to pull Rodón in the fifth inning. “It was difficult because we’ve seen him work out of jams like that in the past. So this was very much a what’s better for Carlos and his future decision. Unfortunately, as difficult as that was, it maybe wasn’t an ideal decision for us as a club.

“If it was the middle of the season, we might have let Carlos throw another 10 or 15 pitches. We felt pretty good about bringing in (Yunior) Marte in that situation. That was a decision, right or wrong, that I felt was best for his future.”

A two-out solo home run by Crawford, his ninth of the season, put San Francisco up 1-0 in the second inning. Austin Wynns hit the first pitch he saw from Diamondbacks starter Tommy Henry and parked it in the left field seats to lead off the third, giving the Giants a 2-0 lead.

Arizona tied the game at 2-2 on Stone Garrett’s fourth home run, a two-run shot with two out in the bottom of the third. After Rodón walked Ketel Marte, Garrett drove a fastball up in the zone to left-center and out of the reach of leftfielder Luis Gonzalez.

San Francisco regained the lead at 4-2 on two-run home run by Austin Wynns in the top of the fourth. Longoria led off the inning with a base hit and was thrown out at second after a shallow fly ball to right, allowing Davis to reach on a fielder’s choice. After Crawford struck out, Wynns homered to left, his second of the season.

The Giants extended their lead to 5-2 on Evan Longoria’s RBI single to left. With two out, Wilmer Flores, who walked and was sacrificed to second by Yastrzemski, scored on Longoria’s sharp grounder down the left field line.

That was the end of the night for Henry, who gave up five earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts and two walks in 4 2/3 innings.

On Saturday, the Giants’ Alex Cobb (6-6, 3.48) faces Arizona’s Merrill Kelly (12-7, 3.15) in a battle of right-handers. Game time is 5:10 p.m.

GIANTS JOTTINGS: LHP Carlos Rodón has a chance to be the sixth Giants pitcher to lead the National League in strikeouts. Rodón is second in the NL with 227 strikeouts, trailing Milwaukee’s Corbin Burns, who has 228 after Friday’s games. Tim Lincecum is the only San Francisco Giant to lead the NL in strikeouts (2006, 2009, 2010). … When RHP Shelby Miller appeared in the sixth inning, he became the 64th player used by the Giants this season. That matches a team record set in 2019. The Cubs, Angels and Pirates have also used 64 players this season; the leader is Cincinnati with 66. … Attendance at Chase Field for the 3-hour, 37-minute game was 25,949.