San Francisco Giants Casey Schmitt (10) slugs a single off the Sacramento A’s during the I 80 series at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Sun May 17, 2026 (AP News photo)
San Francisco Giants
Sunday, May 17, 2026
Sutter Health Park
West Sacramento, California
San Francisco Giants 10 (20-27)
Sacramento Athletics 1 (23-23)
Win: Trevor McDonald (2-0)
Loss: Luis Severino (2-5)
Save: Matt Gage (1)
Time: 2:45
Attendance: 12,541
By Stephen Ruderman
WEST SACRAMENTO–The wind was howling a gazillion miles an hour from left field to right field at Sutter Health Park Sunday, and it made for quite a weird game. The Giants looked like they were going to have to battle it out, but they exploded for an eight-run exorcism in the top of the eighth, and they won it by a final of 10-1.
Look, I am not lying about the wind. The wind was blowing so hard that the flags in the lawn beyond right field weren’t just whipping, they were blowing up. Everything was blowing. The flagpoles were blowing. The light towers were blowing. The TVs above us in the outdoor extended press box were blowing, and we had to worry that they would kill us.
As for me, I took my precautions. I used my laptop as a paperweight for my game notes and scorecard. I would have to hope that it would hold up for two or three hours, or however long this game went.
The one thing the wind didn’t do was make me forget that the Giants really needed to win Sunday. Harrison Bader drew a walk off left-hander Jeffrey Springs to start the game, and Casey Schmitt lined a base-hit to right with one out. The Giants had runners at first and second with one out for Rafael Devers. Even with the wind howling, Devers and Willy Adames couldn’t shorten their swings, and they both flew out for yet another wasted opportunity by the Giants.
As I tweeted my frustrations at Rafi and Willy for their selfish at-bats, a massive gust of wind literally blew my laptop off the counter and into my lap. I was lucky enough to only lose my Giants game notes, and keep everything else.
Adrian Houser got off to a rough start this season, but his last two outings prior to today were solid. Houser walked Nick Kurtz to start the bottom of the first, but he then retired the next six.
With two outs and nobody on in the top of the third, Luis Arraez hit a high fly ball deep to right field that Carlos Cortes couldn’t track in the wind. It ended up going out, and Arraez had his second home run of the weekend—and the series—to put the Giants on the board.
Willy Adames reached on a throwing error by third-baseman Zack Gelof with one out in the top of the fourth, and advanced to second on a balk when Springs didn’t step towards first base on a throw over. Matt Chapman then shot a two-out double into the gap in left-center to knock in Adames and make it 2-0.
Houser continued to sail along into the middle innings. However, for whatever reason, he just would not pitch to Kurtz. Houser ended up walking Kurtz all three times he faced him, and he only threw one strike in each at-bat—or shall I say, “plate appearance.” Houser had never faced Kurtz before, so it made no sense.
Houser’s third walk to Kurtz, which came with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, came back to bite him. It put runners at first and second with two outs for Carlos Cortes, who hit a popup to the left side of the infield. It should have gotten the Giants out of the inning, but Matt Chapman and Willy Adames never played at Candlestick Park, so they didn’t know how to field popups in this kind of howling wind. The ball fell in for a Candlestick double to put the A’s on the board. Thankfully, that would be the only run the A’s got in the inning.
Despite Cortes’ Candlestick double, the Giants played a great defensive game in combat with the wind. Matt Chapman had to battle the wind for a tough catch in foul territory to end the bottom of the sixth.
That would also end Houser’s day, and he turned in the solid outing the Giants needed from him. Houser went six innings, and gave up just the run and four hits. Houser also had what Susan Slusser described as “Stu Miller moments,” as the wind knocked him off balance on the mound a few times.
Now, the Giants bullpen needed to hold the lead, and Sam Hentges threw a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the seventh. Tony then had Keaton Winn warm up in the bullpen to pitch what was expected to be a tense bottom of the eighth.
However, the Giants’ offense—and perhaps, you can say the A’s gloves—had other plans in the top of the eighth. The Giants had the top of the order up against Luis Medina, and Bader reached on a ground ball to third that was bobbled by Gelof for the A’s third-baseman’s second error of the game. Arraez walked, and Schmitt lined a base-hit the other way to right to load the bases with nobody out.
It was now time for Rafi to shorten his swing, and he did, as he lined a base-hit to center. Bader scored, and after Lawrence Butler overran the ball, Arraez scored as well to make it 4-1. Willy also shortened his swing, and grounded a base-hit to left to reload the bases.
Mark Kotsay went with Jose Suarez, who got Daniel Susac to ground out to second with the drawn-in infield. A’s second-baseman Jeff McNeil was unable to get a throw to the plate, so he took the sure out at first, and Schmitt scored to make it 5-1.
Kotsay chose to put Matt Chapman on, and Drew Gilbert struck out swinging for the second out. It looked like the walk was going to pay off, but Jung Hoo Lee grounded a base-hit to right to keep the line moving and make it 6-1.
Bader then stepped up for the second time, and shot one down off the end of the bat down the right field line into the wind, which took it out for a grand slam. It was now 10-1, and it was just the second time this season the Giants scored ten runs. The other was April 17 in a 10-5 win over the Washington Nationals in D.C.
As for Keaton Winn, he was in the game anyway, which meant that the bottom of the eighth was his inning all the way. Winn threw a scoreless bottom of the eighth, and Joel Peguero threw a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth.
Oh yeah, and before I forget, Carlos Cortes pitched the top of the ninth for the A’s.
Anyway, Houser got the win, and Springs took the loss.
As I mentioned earlier, the Giants’ defense was incredible today. Luis Arraez, Harrison Bader and Drew Gilbert all made great plays to take away hits. Gilbert had to wrestle with the wind to make a weird diving catch for the first out of the bottom of the ninth.
The Giants improve to 20-27, and they will head down to Phoenix for a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks starting Monday night.
Robbie Ray (3-5 ERA 3.04) will go for the Giants in the series opener Sunday night. Zac Gallen will go for Arizona (1-5 ERA 5.02).
First pitch will be at 6:40 p.m.
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