A’s Bounce Back Beating Rangers 9-2 Clocking Four Home Runs

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Oakland A’s JJ Bleday (33) helped pour it on the Texas Rangers with a three run home run in the top of the third inning at Globe Life Field in Arlington on Fri Aug 30, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Oakland A’s (59-76) got a perfect start in game one of their series with the Texas Rangers (63-72). They hit four home runs in this game, two of them from Brent Rooker who now have 33 home runs this season. JP Sears went seven outstanding innings on Friday night. The final was 9-2.

Game wrap: Brent Rooker got the party started early in this game hitting his 32nd home run of the season in the first inning giving the A’s an early 1-0 lead. Texas’ pitcher Jon Gray got into a rhythm going three and out in the second inning. Both pitchers had settled into the game nicely. JP Sears got a taste of what Gray got in the opening inning. He gave up a home run off the bat of the Rangers Nathaniel Lowe and this game was tied 1-1.

In the third inning it was JJ Bleday’s turn to knock his 20th home run of the season out of the park, a three-run homer. Jacob Wilson and Brent Rooker were on base and Oakland had taken a 4-1 lead. Things had gotten a little shaky for Ranger pitcher Jon Gray already giving up two hits, two walks and four earned runs.

Texas would relieve Jon Gray in the fifth inning who finished with three hits, four earned runs, two walks and five strikeouts. Walter Pennington relieved Gray getting out of the fifth inning. Grant Anderson pitched the sixth inning.

He was relieved by Dane Dunning in the seventh inning who gave up two hits one of which included Brent Rooker’s 33 rd home run of the season and his second of the game. The A’s had a 5-1 lead going into the eighth inning.

JP Sears went seven outstanding innings allowing five hits, one earned run, two walks and four strikeouts. Michel Otanez relieved Sears in the eighth inning.

The Rangers made it a three-run ball game when Nathaniel Lowe hit an infield single reaching first base. Travis Jankowski scored on a throwing error by first baseman Seth Brown. Oakland continued to lead 5-2 after eight innings. The A’s were three outs away from winning the first game of this series.

Oakland got the run back in the ninth inning and then some when Lawrence Butler doubled driving Max Schuemann home and the A’s had a 6-2 lead. They would extend that lead 7-2 when JJ Bleday doubled Butler home.

Shea Langeliers came to the plate hitting a two run blast giving Oakland a 9-2 lead and the A’s were sailing deep in the heart of Texas with four home runs in this game. They have hit 15 home runs in their last four games.

This game went into the bottom of the ninth inning with Oakland three outs away from the win. Ross Stripling took the mound looking to close out this game. Stripling did walk one runner but dismissed three Rangers and Oakland had won game one of this series 9-2.

Game notes: Friday evening the A’s started another road series taking on the Rangers. Thursday, they dropped a heartbreaker losing to the Cincinnati Reds after leading 6-1 at one time during the game eventually losing it 10-9.

They had a great offensive game clocking four home runs, three of them off the bat of Lawrence Butler and finished the game with 14 hits. It was the pitching that came up short in that game and Oakland got a better effort on Friday night with starter JP Sears going seven innings allowing five hits and one earned run.

The Rangers starter Jon Gray went 4.2 innings, allowing three hits and four earned runs. Sears helped keep the Rangers under wraps on offense while the A’s line up scored nine runs to put away Texas.

Sunday’s game two will feature Joey Estes starting with a 6-6 win/loss record and a 4.37 ERA. The Rangers Cody Bradford will take the mound with a 4-2 win/loss record and a 3.31 ERA. First pitch for game two is scheduled for 4:05 PM PT.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: A’s have a shot at cutting the Rangers 3rd place lead in Arlington Friday night

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Oakland A’s slugger Lawrence Butler hit three home runs against the Cincinnati Reds. Here is Butler running the bases in the top of the second inning at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati on Thu Aug 29, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 The Cincinnati Reds TJ Friedl’s two RBI walk off single got the Reds the win in close contest 10-9 at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati to conclude the four game series Thursday afternoon.

#2 Up 9-8 the A’s closer Grant Holman just couldn’t close the door on the Reds and all it took was a single to win it for the Reds and Holman couldn’t put Friedl away.

#3 Holman was the pitcher of record with no out in the bottom of the ninth he and the A’s coughed it up. Holman’s line was giving three hits and three runs which was enough damage for the Reds to avoid the sweep and come away with the win.

#4 The A’s Lawrence Butler was nearly a one man wrecking crew belting out three home runs and it one time help put the A’s in the driver’s seat until the Red erased the A’s lead in the bottom of the ninth for the walk off win.

#5 The A’s are in Arlington to face off with the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on tonight for a three game series. The A’s will start JP Sears (10-9, ERA 4.35) for the Rangers Jon Gray (5-5, ERA 4.32). Just underway in Texas.

Jeremiah Salmonson does the A’s podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Marlins-Giants open series Friday night at Oracle

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San Francisco Giants starter Hayden Birdsong pitches to the Milwaukee Brewers line up at American Family Ballpark in Milwaukee on Thu Aug 29, 2024 (AP News photo)

On San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca:

#1 Michael the lost two out of three to the Milwaukee Brewers with the three game series ending on Thursday afternoon at American Family Park. The Giants ran into pitching problems in the second, third and fourth innings giving up six runs which stood up for the Brewers win 6-0.

#2 Giants pitcher Hayden Birdsong got the call and got shelled going 3.2 innings allowing four hits and five earned runs. Birdsong when he first joined the Giants had a couple good starts but it seems like teams are doing some serious study on his pitch location.

#3 Birdsong did have six strikeouts but just couldn’t settle down and struggled through his first three plus innings. Did it appeared that he was just taken out of his game mentally once the Brewers started getting around on his pitches?

#4 On the offensive side of things the Giants couldn’t get any offense going, the Giants got only two hits from Tyler Fitzgerald and Michael Conforto got a hit each but the line up just struggled against Brewers starter Aaron Civale.

#5 The Giants head home to Oracle Park on Friday night. The Marlins will start RHP Adam Oller (1-1, ERA 5.23) for the Giants LHP Blake Snell (2-3, ERA 3.76) first pitch 7:15pm PT.

Michael does the Giants podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s Squander Healthy Lead Falling to the Reds In a Walk Off 10-9

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The Oakland A’s JJ Bleday gets congratulated in the dugout after hitting a top of the fourth inning home run against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark on Thu Aug 29, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Oakland A’s (58-76) had a huge lead, 6-1, going into the bottom of the fourth inning. The Cincinnati Reds (64-70) rallied in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings taking a 7-6. It was tough going on the mound for the A’s who loaded the bases a number of times walking in runs.

Oakland did take a 9-7 lead in the top of the ninth but closing pitcher Grant Holman loaded the bases and the Reds walked away with this game 10-9. Lawrence Butler had another excellent game with three home runs.

The A’s got early runs much as they had in the game two. In the first inning, Oakland scored two runs. Seth Brown who has had a terrific series singled Brent Rooker home for a 1-0 lead. Daz Cameron came to the plate and grounded into a fielder’s choice to shortstop allowing JJ Bleday to score. Oakland extended their lead in the second inning with a Lawrence Butler two run home run (428 feet). After two innings, the A’s had a 4-0 lead.

Not to be outdone, the Reds Will Benson connected for a home run to center (438 feet) in the third inning and Cincinnati was on the board 4-1.

Oakland continued to grind away and unloaded a couple more home runs in the fourth inning. Two solo home runs came off the bats of Lawrence Butler , his second of the game (407 feet) and JJ Bleday (407 feet) giving the A’s a 6-1 lead.

Oakland’s J.T. Ginn started to struggle a bit in the fourth inning giving up a home run to Tyler Stephenson. It was a solo shot but Oakland still had a 6-2 lead. It all came apart in the fifth inning for Ginn loading the bases and walking a run in. Elly De La Cruz grounded out to first and Dominic Smith scored. The Reds had begun to make a move trailing 6-4.

Cincinnati scored another run in the sixth inning. Joe Boyle had relieved Ginn but he also loaded the bases and walked in a run. The Reds continued to chip away at the A’s lead now trailing 6-5.

T.J. McFarland relieved Boyle having to deal with a bases loaded situation and he also walked in a run in a disastrous sequence and this game was tied 6-6. There had been a huge momentum shift when the Reds’ Jonathan India sacrificed into a double play and Dominic Smith scored giving Cincinnati their first lead of the game 7-6. It had been a three run inning for the Reds in a crazy reversal of fortune.

When it began to look grim for Oakland, Lawrence Butler came to the plate to start off the ninth inning and slugged a 427 foot home run to tie up the game 7-7. Butler had really put on a show on this road trip.

JJ Bleday was also having a stellar day already with four hits and he did not disappoint hitting number five and the A’s had runners on second and third with no outs looking to take the lead. Seth Brown who was also having a terrific day knocked a single bringing Brent Rooker and JJ Bleday home taking back the lead 9-7. Oakland had hit four home runs three of them off the bat of Lawrence Butler.

This game went into the bottom of the ninth inning and it was in the A’s court. They needed their defense to step up and close out this game. Oakland pitcher Grant Holman would get his first opportunity to complete a save.

He walked the first at bat, and then went on to load the bases. Tyler Stephenson singled Rece Hinds home and the Reds trailed 8-9. Cincinnati walked off this game when TJ Friedl singled both Elly De La Cruz and Stephenson home. The final score was 10-9 and the Reds had avoided the sweep.

It was a horribly disappointing game for the A’s. They fought hard to get back into the game with some memorable performances from Lawrence Butler, JJ Bleday and Seth Brown. The team finished the game with 14 hits. There was a real letdown on the mound today loading the bases over and over. This was a horrible pitching game starting in the fifth inning and it just went south from there.

On the bright side Lawrence Butler is the first player in MLB with two three-homer games in one season since Aaron Judge accomplished that last year. He is the 25th player in Major League history to do so. As far as A’s history goes Butler is just the second player with two three-homer games in one season since Geronimo Berroa in 1996.

Game notes: Thursday the A’s took on the Reds in game three of their series looking for a sweep and couldn’t seal the deal. It wasn’t easy and what makes it even more difficult is the fact that this series is on the road the A’s had a lead and let it get away.

A’s starter JT Ginn went five innings, allowing four hits and four earned runs. Red starter Julian Aguiar pitched four innings allowing ten hits and six runs and despite getting lit up the Red managed to catch the A’s for a one run win.

The A’s will continue their road trip traveling to Texas for a three game series with the Rangers that will get underway on Friday night. JP Sears will take the mound for Oakland looking to take game one of the series. Sears will bring his 4.35 ERA and his 10-9 win/loss record to start game one. The Rangers will be looking to Jon Gray for a win in the opener. He comes in with a 5-5 win/loss record and a 4.32 ERA. First pitch is scheduled for 5:05 PM.

Bleday 4 hits today

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Cardinal rely on Daniel and Ayomanor to spark the offense in opener vs. TCU Friday

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The Stanford Cardinal wide receiver Elic Ayomanor (right) makes the catch and hangs onto the football against the Colorado cornerback Travis Hunter (left) in overtime at Boulder Colorado on Oct 14, 2023. For the 2024 season the Cardinal will be relying on Ayomanor to maintain such receiving skills. (AP News file photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 Michael just going over some of last season’s numbers for the Cardinal before they open Friday night at Stanford Stadium against the TCU Horned Frogs. Starting with quarterback Ashton Daniels in 2023 Daniels threw 191 completions in 325 attempts for 2247 yards.

#2 Wide receiver Elic Ayomanor caught 62 passes for 1013 yards and six touchdowns. The Cardinal will rely heavily on Ayomanor to make some catches to cover some ground.

#3 Wide receiver Tiger Bachmeier last season had 36 receptions, 409 yards, two touchdowns. How do you see Bachmeier in this one against the Horned Frogs?

#4 The top rushers for Stanford last season were quarterback Justin Lamson and Daniels. Is that an indicator that the quarterback keeper is more of an option than handing it off to the running backs?

#5 Stanford has had a struggle the last two seasons and it’s hopeful they can bounce out of it and get the ship righted. They were well below .500 and at best they hope to get a home victory over the TCU Horned Frogs on Friday night at Stanford Stadium.

Join Michael for the Stanford Cardinal podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Aiyuk and 49ers finally reach four year $120 million deal

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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) is no doubt relieved to have signed an extension with the 49ers for four years at $120 million (file photo by Sports Illustrated)

On the San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor:

#1 It was an offer that had been sitting on the table since Aug 12th and on Aug 29th San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk who was holding in signed for $120 million for four years. Aiyuk could have been hoping to see if that $120 figure would go up.

#2 Dave, how badly did you see how these negotiations went which was going back and forth these last two months.

#3 A couple reporters in Pittsburgh made it sound that Aiyuk was pretty much signed, sealed and delivered. Steelers fans who are passionate about their team have expressed their disappointment on social media. No one from the Steelers front office had guaranteed that Aiyuk was coming to Pittsburgh in the first place.

David Zizmor does the San Francisco 49ers podcasts Wednesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants Birdsong touched for five runs, Brewers Civale blanks SF’s dead offense over seven shutout innings, as Brewers take series with 6-0 win

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Milwaukee Brewers starter Aaron Civale was dealing against the San Francisco Giants throwing a combined two hit shutout at American Family Park in Milwaukee on Thu Aug 29, 2024 (AP News photo)

Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024

American Family Field

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

San Francisco Giants 0 (67-68)

Milwaukee Brewers 6 (77-56)

Win: Aaron Civale (5-8)

Loss: Hayden Birdsong (3-4)

Time: 2:14

Attendance: 30,920

By Stephen Ruderman

The Giants’ offense went dead Thursday, as Aaron Civale pitched a two-hitter over seven innings, and the Brewers got to Hyden Birdsong for five runs in a 5-0 win in the series finale in Milwaukee.

After a big 5-4 seesaw win for the Giants in the series opener on Tuesday, the Brewers exploded for five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning Wednesday night for a 5-3 win to even the series. The Giants were knocked back to .500 at 67-67, as well as a season-high six and a half games back of the third wild card in the National League.

Thursday, the Giants had a chance to win this series on the road against a powerful Brewers’ team. The Giants had an opportunity to get on the board early against Brewers’ starter Aaron Civale in the top of the first inning.

A one-out walk to Tyler Fitzgerald and a two-out base-hit by Michael Conforto put runners at the corners for Matt Chapman. Civale struck Chapman out swinging at a cutter on the outside corner, and the Giants had already wasted a golden opportunity right off the bat.

Hayden Birdsong took the ball for the Giants in the bottom of the first, as he was coming off a start in Seattle on Friday, in which his lack of control knocked him out after four innings. Birdsong threw 80 pitches, and 41 of them were balls. Brice Turang led off the inning with a base-hit to left field, but Birdsong retired the side in order while striking out a pair to end the inning.

Civale threw a one, two, three inning in the top of the second, and then Birdsong would run into trouble in the bottom of the second. First, Grant McCray, who has been impressing with his defense since being called up, robbed Wily Adames of a base-hit with a diving catch in shallow center to start the inning.

Unfortunately, Garrett Mitchell followed that up with a home run to right-center. Birdsong was not out of the woods yet. A walk to Gary Sanchez and a double by Joey Ortiz put runners at second and third with one out, and Blake Perkins knocked Sanchez in with a sacrifice fly to center.

The Giants were unable to do anything with a two-out base-hit by Fitzgerald in the top of the third, and Birdsong ran into more trouble in the bottom of the third. William Contreras drew a walk with one out, Adames singled him over to third two batters later.

Mitchell came up to the plate with runners at the corners and two outs. With a 1-2 count, Birdsong threw a fastball up and away for ball two, and Adames took off for second. The throw from catcher Patrick Bailey, who was activated off the Injured List today, went to shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald, and as Adames backed away and started retreating back towards first, Contreras took off for the plate. For whatever reason, Fitzgerald threw the ball to third, as Contreras scored to make it 3-0, and Adames retreated back to first.

Fitzgerald could have thrown home, but what he really should have done was start running towards Contreras to get him stuck in a rundown. Fitzgerald has been a great story for the Giants this season, but he made a mental mistake, something that has become far too common with analytics people running organizations and baseball people shoved out and unable to teach players basic fundamentals in their development.

Civale threw another one, two, three inning in the top of the fourth, and Birdsong just couldn’t stay out of trouble, as the Brewers rallied once again in the bottom of the fourth. Birdsong retired the first two men he faced, but walks to Perkins and Turang forced him out of the game.

Bob Melvin brought in Sean Hjelle, and he drew a rude welcome from Jackson Chourio, who lined a double off the end of the bat into the corner down the right field line to knock in a pair and make it 5-0. Contreras then singled on a ground ball that got through into left field, and Chourio scored to make it 6-0.

For Birdsong, his struggles with his control and just overall continued, as he gave up five runs and four hits over three and two thirds innings, while walking four and striking out six. He threw 92 pitches, and just 49 of them were strikes.

After a leadoff walk to Jerar Encarnacion to start the top of the fifth, Civale retired the side in order, and the Giants would not get another base-runner for the rest of the game.

Civale went seven shutout innings, as he gave up just two hits, walked two and struck out seven. Left-hander Aaron Ashby, the nephew of former right-handed starter Andy Ashby, then threw a pair of one, two, three innings in the eighth and ninth.

As for Giants’ pitchers today, Hjelle pitched a scoreless inning in the bottom of the fifth, and Landen Roupp pitched three shutout innings. The six and seventh were rocky for Roupp, as he got out of a pair of jams. However, he finished his day nicely with a one, two, three bottom of the eighth.

Aaron Civale got the win, and Hayden Birdsong took the loss.

The Giants have been knocked back under .500, as they fall to 67-68. The Giants are now seven games back of the Braves, who will begin a four-game series Thursday night in Philadelphia against the Phillies.

The Giants will now return home for a six-game homestand with three against the Miami Marlins, and three against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Giants will begin their series against the Marlins tomorrow.

Blake Snell (2-3, 3.76 ERA), who is coming off a rough start in Seattle on Saturday, will take the ball for the Giants, and he will be opposed by Adam Oller (1-1, 5.23 ERA) on Friday night at Oracle Park. First pitch will be at 7:15 p.m.

Giants News and Notes:

Patrick Bailey went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in his return from the IL.

To make room for Bailey on the 26-Man Roster, catcher Andrew Knapp was designated for assignment. Knapp had just been acquired last Friday, and he went 1-for-6 in three games for the Giants with a pait of strikeouts.

Matt Chapman played in his 1,000th-career game Thursday. However, it was nothing special, as like Bailey, Chapman went 0-for-3 with a strikeout.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Giants need change

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San Francisco Giants team president Farhan Zaidi how safe is his job? He most likely will be evaluated by season’s end based on how the Giants finish in September. (SF Chronicle file photo)

Giants need Change

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Although their home base is San Francisco, the Giants hopes for a postseason in 2024 are fading “faster than a New York minute.” They are the “forever”.500 team. The Giants traded Jorge Soler and right-handed reliever Luke Jackson in late July to the Atlanta Braves.

Soler was the only certified slugger the Giants had in their lineup. Their offense is as average as any team, but that is not enough to compete, as it ranks 16th among all 30 MLB teams. There is no tie in baseball; if you can’t score, you can’t win, even if you have the best pitching in the world, and if you want to win the tight games, you need a bullpen as good as the starting rotation, and they do not have that type of bullpen this year.

When they traded Jorge Soler and pitcher Alex Cobb in late July. This was your typical salary dump. Thursday, they put second-baseman Thairo Estrada and relievers Taylor Rogers and Tyler Mazek on waivers. They could not lure great profile players like Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, and Carlos Correa. The Giants were never in the class to compete in a division with three very good teams: the Dodgers, the Diamondbacks, and the Padres.

With 28 games left (including today in Milwaukee), the Giants are 6.5 behind the third Wild Card, the Atlanta Braves. On top of the Giants, on the way to catch the Braves also the Cubs and the Mets, and just 1/2 game behind the Giants, in that bunch, the St Louis Cardinals.

To navigate these numbers in their favor, the Giants need a sensational September charge, but that, for a .500 baseball team, 67-67 is very unlikely. They have not shown they have that team. Even with a strong starting rotation, they will have to deal with Robbie Ray out for 15 days IL. Bob Melvin is one of the best managers in the game, but he is not a magician. The best Jockey in the world cannot win the race if his horse is limping.

Giants need change. Changes should be on the way. One thing is certain, The president of Baseball Operations, Mr. Farhan Zaidi, will soon seek a new job.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play voice on the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network at 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburg and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sportstalk podcast remote from Firefish Grill in Santa Cruz: 49ers, Warriors, Giants talk plus what’s on the menu

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Sportstalk broadcast team at Firefish Grill in Santa Cruz: left bottom and up Firefish general manager Lance Haggard, Kelly Duca (SF Giants), Daisy Amaya (advertising), Lee Leonard (producer), right top and down, Tony the Tiger Hayes (He was a Giant feature writer), Michael Duca (mlb.com and host), Morris Phillips (Cal Bears beat writer) and Marko Ukalovic (San Jose Earthquakes beat writer) (photo by Firefish Grill)

Sportstalk podcast remote from Firefish Grill in Santa Cruz with Michael Duca (host), Marko Ukalovic (San Jose Earthquakes beat writer), Morris Phillips (Cal Bears beat writer) and Tony the Tiger Hayes (Is He A Giant? feature writer)

Our thanks to our hosts at Firefish Grill Owner and chef Mark Gilbert and general manager Lance Haggard. Firefish Grill with Fresh Seafood, Full Bar, and Exceptional Views located at 25 Municipal Pier at the Santa Cruz Wharf near the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. Call 831-423-5200 or visit http://www.firefishgrill.net

Brewers rock Harrison for 5 runs in bottom of fifth, Giants fall short in 5-3 loss, drop 6.5 back of 3rd in NL Wild Card with 28 games left

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Milwaukee Brewers Jackson Chourio reaction after hitting a RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning against the San Francisco Giants at American Family Park in Milwaukee on Tue Aug 27, 2024 (AP News photo)

Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024

American Family Field

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

San Francisco Giants 3 (67-67)

Milwaukee Brewers 5 (76-56)

Win: Freddy Peralta (9-7)

Loss: Kyle Harrison (6-7)

Save: Devin Williams (6)

Time: 2:43

Attendance: 23,247

By Stephen Ruderman

A five-run bottom of the fifth inning for the Brewers did Kyle Harrison and the Giants in, as despite the offense scoring three runs late, they ultimately fell 5-3 in Milwaukee to fall to six and a half games back of the third wild card with 28 games to go.

So far this road trip has been loss-win-loss-win. After losing two out of three to the Mariners in Seattle over the weekend, the Giants hit three home runs and a manufactured run enroute to a big 5-4 win in the series opener at American Family Field Tuesday night.

The Giants came into Wednesday night a game over .500 at 67-66, and five and a half games back of the Braves for the third wild card spot in the National League. That means win-loss-win-loss would not cut it. They had to start stringing together as many wins as possible, and they really had to start consistently hitting with runners and scoring position.

The Giants would be up against Freddy Peralta, who made the start for the Brewers Wednesday night. LaMonte Wade led off the game with a walk, but two batters later, Michael Conforto grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Kyle Harrison took the ball for the Giants, as he made his first start since his six-inning performance against the Chicago White Sox last Monday. Harrison started his outing tonight with a scoreless bottom of the first inning.

The game went along smoothly over the first four and a half innings, as Peralta set 14 of the first 17 hitters he faced, and Harrison gave up just one hit retired 12 of the first 14 men he faced. Harrison was also helped out by an incredible play by shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald in the bottom of the second, as well as a great catch by Michael Conforto in the bottom of the third.

Harrison made it 13 out of 15 when struck Rhys Hoskins out looking on a slurve to start the bottom of the fifth. Andrew Monasterio walked and stole second base, but Harrison struck Joey Ortiz out swinging for the second out.

Harrison was cruising, but all of the sudden out of nowhere, he just fell apart. Sal Frelick walked, and Jackson Chourio broke the ice with a base-hit the other way to right field, which knocked in Monasterio to give the Brewers a 1-0 lead.

Blake Perkins knocked in a pair with a double off the bottom of the wall in left to make it 3-0. William Contreras then hit a home run to left-center, and the Brewers had suddenly gotten to Harrison for five runs on three-straight hits to knock him out of the game.

Harrison was dealing through four and two thirds innings, as he struck out seven, but the sudden onslaught of three-straight hits and five runs made his start a completely different story. Sean Hjelle then came in and got Wily Adames to fly out to end the inning.

Peralta came back out for the sixth and retired the first two men he faced. The Giants then made some noise with two outs when Fitzgerald hit an opposite-field single to right and Conforto walked. However, Heliot Ramos struck out to end the inning, and the Giants wasted another opportunity.

Peralta threw six shutout innings and struck out eight. He retired 17 of the 22 batters he faced.

Austin Warren made his Giants’ debut with a scoreless bottom of the sixth inning, and the Giants would finally have some luck against Trevor Megill in the top of the seventh.

Matt Chapman led off the top of the seventh with a double and advanced to third on a ground out by Mike Yastrzemski. Thairo Estrada finally got the Giants’ first RBI hit with a runner in scoring position since Saturday with an infield hit deep into the hole at third, and Chapman scored to put the Giants on the board.

Warren came back out to throw a scoreless inning in the bottom of the seventh, and Brewers Manager Pat Murphy summoned Jared Koeing for the top of the eighth. Koeing struck out the first two guys he faced, and then the Giants would put a two-out rally together.

Fitzgerald lined a base-hit to center, and Conforto hit an opposite-field double that bounced off the wall in left to knock Fitzgerald in and make it 5-2. Ramos then lined a base-hit to left-center, and suddenly, it was a 5-3 game.

Despite their struggles with runners in scoring position, you still have to give the Giants’ offense credit. They have been resilient and have grinded it out all season. They have never believed they were out of a game, and they were in a good position to pull off a big comeback Wednesday night.

Spencer Bivens got out of a jam in scoreless bottom of the eighth, but Devin Williams thwarted any hopes of a Giants’ comeback with a one, two, three top of the ninth, and the Brewers won 5-3.

Freddy Peralta got the win; Kyle Harrison got saddled with what truly was a sudden loss; and Devin Williams got his sixth save of the year.

The Giants fall back to .500 at 67-67, and with the Braves’ 5-1 win over the Twins in Minneapolis, the Giants are now a season-high six and a half games out of the nearest playoff spot with 28 games to go.

Time is truly now running out for the Giants, and if they want to have any hope of making a last-minute run in September, they need to start winning now.

The Giants can still take the series with a win Thursday. Hayden Birdsong (3-3, 4.57 ERA) will look to be the stopper, and he will be opposed by Aaron Civale (4-8, 4.84 ERA), who will take the ball for the Brewers. First pitch will be at 1:10 p.m. in Milwaukee, and 11:10 a.m. back home in San Francisco.

Giants News and Notes:

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Prior the Giants placed Thairo Estrada, Taylor Rogers and Tyler Matzek on waivers prior to the game. They will be available to any team that wants to pay the remainder of their 2024 salaries.