The San Francisco Giants Heliot Ramos slides home for a second inning run. All the Giants runs were needed in this game as they win by a run over the Miami Marlins 3-2 at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sun Apr 10, 2022 (AP News photo)
Miami. 2. 11. 1
San Francisco. 3. 6. 0
Sunday April 10, 2022
By Lewis Rubman
SAN FRANCISCO–People in classical Greece uncertain about their future would consult the oracles, who would respond with ambiguous words that left their petitioners more confused than ever. The last two days at the ballyard on McCovey Cove how well the name of Oracle Park suits the events that take place there.
On Friday, the Giants made a valiant comeback, only to throw one of them away and then make another, successful, one. Yesterday, they came from behind in the fifth inning only to give back the lead in the seventh and ultimately lose the game, the second consecutive game in which they blew a late inning lead.
What do we make of the decent but streak hitting, sure handed Brandon Crawford going 0 for the season and making a key error? Are these harbingers of things to come? And, if they are, what does that mean to the Giants’ future, short, medium, or long term?
The events on the field this afternoon may have contained some clues. What they mean is hard to tell, but we’ll give it a try.
The most obvious, and perhaps the least important, fact is that the Giants defeated the visitors, 3-2 before a crowd of 37,332 paying customers on Sunday. Of course, all the factoids that compose that obvious fact have to be put in context; and that context is that the three games the Giants have played this season constitute 1.85% of the regular season.
Indeed, the most significant of today’s Giant doings may well have occurred before game time. What does the promotion of the promising Puerto Rican prospect, Héliot Ramos, portend? He replaced John Brebbia, who will be on bereavement leave for three days, on the roster.
The Giants clearly thought enough of the 22 year old Ramos to start him today in left, batting in the sixth slot, for his major league debut. Indeed, Ramos was the only Giant to notch multiple hits. He replaced John Brebbia, who will be on bereavement leave for the next three days. When the game ended, the rookie had gone two for three and scored a run.
Starting on the mound for San Francisco was Anthony DeSclafani, starting his second season with the Giants. He had an impressive spring training, giving up only one earned run in 12-1/3 innings pitched, striking out 11 on his way to a 1-0,0.73 record. He went 13-7,3.17 for the Giants, much better than his lifetime big league mark of 50-46,406).
Facing the home team was Trevor Rogers, the runner up in last season’s National League rookie of the year balloting. The then 23 year old southpaw finished with the impressive mark of 7-8, 2.64, recording 157 in 133 innings and didn’t allow an earned run in his one inning stint at the all-star game. He was out of action all of August because of a family medical emergency. This was his first appearance against the Giants.
DeSclafani got off to a rocky start. Jorge Soler’s lead off liner just got past a diving Luke Williams, playing third in his first game of the season. Then Garrett Cooper’s broken bat blooper to right fell in for a hit, and, just like that, there were two on, none down, the meat of the coming up.
Exhibiting grace under pressure, the Giants’ starter struck out Jesús Sánchez and Jesús Aguilar—the first, swinging; the second, looking—before retiring Avisaíl García and the side on a broken bat pop up that threatened to fall into right but was corralled by Thairo Estrada at second.
DeScalfani was in hot water again in the second. Joey Wendle’s leadoff drive bounced a foot out of the hurler´s reach and into right for a single, and Brian Anderson’s blooped fell in front of Ramos for a Texas League single that sent Wendle to third. He scored on Jazz Chisholm, Jr.’s sacrifice fly that Maurcio Dubón harvested in left center field.
After Soler got a hit to center, a nice play by Crawford, diving to his right and riffling a throw to Estrada closed out the frame with minimal damage done and Miami leading by a scant 1-0.
Rogers handcuffed the Giants for an inning, but they broke loose in their half of the second. Flores led off with a four pitch walk, only to be erased in a short to second to first double play. Then Ramos, in his first major league at bat, hit a scorcher to second that Chisholm’s glove deflected to Wendle for an infield single.
Dubón slammed a drive down the left field line that sent Ramos racing home at full speed to tie the score as Dubón pulled into second with an RBI double. Then Luke Williams, in his first AB of the season, brought Dubón in with a single to right that gave San Francisco a 2-1 advantage.
The Marlins might have pulled even in the third, but what looked like some boneheaded baserunning by Sánchez turned what would have been a lead off double to right into a single and a failed attempt to advance when he was thrown out on Ruff’s relay to Crawford of Slater’s return of the ball to the infield.
In contrast, San Francisco took advantage of its third frame opportunities. Slater hit a full count pitch back towards the mound, and Rogers’s throw to first pulled Cooper off the bag.
Ruff’s blast to the foot of the Konica Minolta sign on the left center field wall went for a double that moved Slater to third, whence, after Crawford took a called third strike, he scored on Flores’s sac fly to left. Estrada grounded out to close the inning with the Giants now ahead 3-1.
Miami threatened in the top of the fourth. Windle singled to the mound. Anderson went down swinging. Then Chisholm sent a l o n g double to the right field wall.
With two runners in scoring position, Payton Henry flailed at a slow 2-2 count slider, missing it for out number two. It looked like Desclafani might have notched his third strikeout of the inning, but home plate umpire Ramón de Jesús called it ball four, loading the bases.
Desclafani plunked Cooper, which drove in Wendle, cut the Giants’ lead to a single run, and left the bases loaded. That was it for Desclafani, and Jarlín García entered the fray to retire Sánchez and preserve the Giants’ thin lead.
Desclafani had lasted 3-2/3 grueling innings in which he threw 74 pitches, about 75% of which counted as strikes. He was charged with two runs, both earned. He struck out five, walked one, and hit another of the 20 batters he faced. He left the game with no decision.
García faced five more Marlins without allowing a baserunner before giving way with two out in the sixth to Zack Littell.
Once Littell got his man, Payton Henry, out thanks to a beautiful play by Estrada, the Giants’ second sacker led off the home half of the sixth, facing Shawn Armstrong, who had just entered the game to replace Rogers.
Miami’s starter left the game after throwing 74 pitches with the same 75% strike to ball ratio as Desclafani. Like his counterpart, Rogers allowed two earned runs, but he also gave up an additional, unearned, tally that put him in line to be charged with the loss. He struck out three and walked one.
Armstrong hurled a perfect sixth inning, and his replacement, Anthony Bass also retired the hosts in order in the seventh, as well as getting Ruff, lead off man in the eighth, even though San Francisco’s first baseman drove a line drive to the right field warning track, right the fence before Steven Okert replaced Bass right after the ball was caught.
Littell lasted through the seventh for San Francisco without giving up more than a single to Sánchez, who was wiped out in a double play. Tyler Rogers then came in to set the Marlins down in order in the eighth.
Dominic Leone was called upon to execute the save. He struck out Chisholm for the first out. Stallings, pinch hitting for Henry, also went down swinging. Jorge Soler was the sole obstacle to the Giants’ second win of the season. He popped out to Ruff at first.
Jarlín García was the winning pitcher, with the save going to Leone. Trevor Rogers was the hard luck loser.
San Diego will come to Oracle Park on Monday, throwing Nick Martínez against Alex Wood at 6:45.
