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A very jubilant San Francisco Giants Donovan Solano rounding the bases in the top of the eighth inning at the Oakland Coliseum after hitting a two run home run against the Oakland A’s on Sun Aug 22, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND-Donovan Solano came through in a pinch just like LaMonte Wade, Jr., just one day earlier.

Solano hit a pinch hit two-run home run off of A.J. Puk in the top of the eighth inning, giving the San Francisco Giants a 2-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics before a crowd of 30,345 at the Coliseum.

Austin Slater led off the inning with a walk, and then Solano hit the first pitch he saw from Puk and put it into the left field seats much to the delight of the Giants fans at the Coliseum.

Tyler Rogers came on to pitch the eighth inning for the Giants, and got out of the jam despite the fact that he allowed two hits in the frame.

Jake McGee closed it out for the Giants, as he picked up his 28th save of the decision, despite the fact that he allowed a double to Josh Harrison with one out in the inning. McGee was able to come back and get Matt Chapman to fly out to Darin Ruf for the second out of the inning and then got pinch hitter Chad Pinder to strikeout swinging to end the game.

Dominic Leone pitched a perfect seventh inning, striking out two and saw his record increase to 3-2 on the season.

The Giants are now 80-44 on the season, their second-best record thru 124 games since moving to California in 1958. Only the 1993 team, that went 83-41 thru the same amount of games was better than this team.

With the win, coupled with the New York Mets 7-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium, and the lead for the Giants in the National League West increased to 2.5 games over the Dodgers.

The Athletics finally got on the board in the bottom of the six inning, as Tony Kemp led off the sixth inning with a double, and then scored on a Mark Canha singled, Canha took second on the throw home, and it looked like it was going to be a big inning for the Athletics, Sterling Marte reaching on a fielding error by Brandon Crawford; however, the umpires got together and conferred about it, Canha was called out for getting hit on the foot and Marte was then awarded a single instead of reaching on an error.

Webb was able to get out of the jam, despite the fact that Marte stole second, as he got Matt Olson to pop out and then Jed Lowrie grounded out to Webb to end the inning.

Despite not being involved in the decision, Webb pitched a great game, as he went six innings, allowing one run on five hits, not walking a batter and striking out seven.

Frankie Montas was lights out for the Athletics, as he went seven innings, allowing only two hits, walking only two and striking out nine and like Webb, Montas did not fare in the decision.

Frankie Montas: First pitcher in Athletics history to throw 7+ scoreless innings, allow ≤ 2 hits, strike out 9+, and NOT get a win, this according to Doug Kern.

Buster Posey walked to lead off the top of the fourth inning, but when then caught stealing, when Yan Gomes threw to Olson, who threw to Kemp to tag out Posey and that would be the last rally of the game for the Giants until the Solano two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning.

Mike Yastrzemski picked up the final hit of the game for the Giants until the Solano home run in the top of the eighth inning, as he singled off of Montas in the top of the fifth inning.

The Giants next baserunner was not until Slater reached via the walk in the top of the eighth inning, just prior to the Solano pinch hit home run.

Over the final two innings, the Athletics were unable to get any runners across the plate, despite the fact that they had runners on second and third in the bottom of the eighth inning, when Marte doubled to right field that sent Canha to third after he hit into a force play; however, Rogers was able to get out of the jam, as he got Olson to ground out to end the inning.

NOTES: When Solano came up with the pinch-hit home run in the top of the eighth inning, it was the 14th pinch hit home run of the season for the Giants, tying the 2001 team for the pinch-hit home runs in a season. The 14 pinch-hit home runs by the Giants are the most in the Major Leagues.

The Wade pinch-hit home run on Saturday afternoon was the first of his career, while seven of his 16 home runs this season have given the Giants the lead or tied up the game (six go-ahead, one game-tying). Wade also ranks second on the team in go-ahead RBIs with 16 and game-winning RBIs with 10 and trails Brandon Crawford in both categories.

The Solano home run in the top of the eighth inning, was the 187th by the team this season and they retook the Major-League lead from the Toronto Blue Jays.

During the Bay Bridge Series this weekend in Oakland, the Giants hit six home runs, while the Athletics hit zero.

The Giants are the first team in MLB history to hit pinch hit HRs in the 8th inning or later to erase a deficit and take a lead in back to back games, this according to Sportsradar.

Prior to the game, they were a few roster moves for the Giants. Evan Longoria was placed on the COVID IL, while Reyes Moronta return to the team after his rehab assignment. And optioned to Sacramento.

Sammy Long was recalled from Sacramento, as was Jay Jackson and Anthony DeSclafani was placed on the 10-day IL (retro to August 19) with right ankle inflammation.

UP NEXT: After a day off on Monday, the Giants will open a three-game series against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Sammy Long (probable) will open the series against Tylor Megill on Tuesday.

The Oakland A’s Starling Marte slides below San Francisco Giants third baseman Wilmer Flores for a stolen base in the first inning at the Oakland Ring Central Coliseum (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND-LaMonte Wade came up with the biggest hit of the day for the San Francisco Giants when it was needed the most.

Wade came off the bench to pinch hit for Darin Ruf and launched a pinch-hit two-run home run off of Lou Trivino with one out nto the Budweiser viewing section of the right field seats in the top of the ninth inning, as the Giants defeated the Oakland Athletics 6-5 before a crowd of 36,230 at the Coliseum.

The Wade home run came after Buster Posey struck out for the first out of the inning, and then Brandon Belt, which then brought Mike Yastrzemski off the bench to run for Belt and he scored just in front of Wade on what proved to be the game-winning hit for the now 79-43 Giants.

Tyler Rogers pitched a perfect eighth inning, where he struck out two in the frame to pick up his fourth win of the season against just one loss.

Jake McGee came on to close it out in the bottom of the ninth inning, as he retired the Athletics in order for his 27th save.

Things did not start out good for the Giants, as Mark Canha reached third base on a fielding error by Wilmer Flores, who then scored on a Starling Marte double in the bottom of the first inning.

Coupled with the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 victory over the New York Mets, the Giants lead over the Dodgers stays at 1.5 games in the National League West.

After both Matt Olson and Mitch Moreland were retired by Kevin Gausman, Josh Harrison was hit by a pitch and then hit an opposite field single that scored both Marte and Harrison after the duo pulled off a double steal.

Kris Bryant got the Giants within one run in the top of the second inning, as he hit his 22nd home run of the season just out of the reach of Canha in left field. Ruf, who walked to lead off the inning for the Giants also scored on the two-run home run.

Gausman, who was looking for his 13th win of the season did not receive a lot of help from his offense nor his defense, as he went just 3.2 innings, allowing five runs (two earned), allowed six hits, walked just one and struck out five and he did not fare in the decision.

Jarlin Garcia came on to replace Gausman, and was effective, as he went 2.1 innings, allowing one hit and one strikeout before giving way to Dominic Leone.

The quartet out of the bullpen went the final 5.1 innings, allowing zero runs on two hits, not walking a batter and striking out four.

Things were looking for Sean Manaea, as he was in line for the win for the Athletics, but he did not go the required five innings, as he got into trouble in the top of the fifth inning.

Manaea got the first two batters of the inning out, but then he hit Brandon Belt and then walked both Ruf and Bryant and Bob Melvin decided that he needed to go to his bullpen.

Former Giants pitcher Yusmeiro Petit came on to replace Manaea, and immediately ended the threat, as he Flores to lineout to Tony Kemp to end the potential rally.

In all, Manaea, went 4.2 innings, allowing two runs on four hits, walking three and striking out three.

Harrison gave the Athletics a two-run lead in the bottom of the third inning, as he doubled to left field to score Matt Olson, who singled with one out.

Gausman did not help himself in the bottom of the fourth inning, as Sean Murphy singled to lead off the inning, then Kemp doubled to right field that sent Murphy to third base. After Elvis Andrus popped out for the first out of the inning, Canha walked to load the bases, Gausman then unloaded a wild pitch with Marte at the plate that allowed Murphy to score from third base.

After striking out Marte, Gausman was replaced by Garcia, who got Matt Olson to fly out to Ruf in left field to end the inning.

Andrew Chafin came on to replace Petit in the top of the seventh inning, and after Buster Posey to fly out for the first out of the inning, both Brandon Belt and Ruf hit back-to-back home runs to get the Giants within one run.

Going into that at-bat, Belt was 0-for-16 against Chafin; however, Belt got that elusive first career hit and launched his 17th home run of the season, one shy of his career high that he previously reached in 2015 and 2017.

This was the eighth time this season that the Giants have gone back to back during the 2021 season, and the second time this week.

After putting the first two runners on via singles, Jake Diekman was able to get out of the jam, as Curt Casali hit an attempted sacrifice bunt that Diekman caught, then Brandon Crawford was caught stealing between second and third, where he was tagged out by Harrison. On the play, Tommy La Stella moved up to second base.

Diekman was able to get out of the jam, as he got Austin Slater to strikeout to end the inning. It was a rough day for Slater, who went 0-for-5 on the afternoon.
Like Slater, Posey also went 0-for-5, as the top two hitters in the Giants lineup went a combined 0-for-10.

NOTES: After the dramatic victory, the Giants have now won 18 out of their last 25 games and are 22-12 since the All-Star break.

With four home runs on the afternoon, the Giants have now hit 186 home runs on the season and are now tied with the Toronto Blue Jays with the most home runs in the Major Leagues.

The Giants are now 37-25 (.597) away from Oracle Park, good enough for the second-best record in the Majors behind the Milwaukee Brewers, who are 42-21 (.667) away from American Family Field.

UP NEXT: Logan Webb goes for the Giants in the finale on Sunday afternoon, as he looks to win his eighth game of the season. Frankie Montas takes the mound for the Athletics, as he goes for his 10th win of the season.

Oakland A’s Yan Gomes slides in for the score in the bottom of the fourth inning at the Oakland Coliseum during a two run inning against the San Francisco Giants (AP News photo)

San Francisco 1 – 5 – 1

Oakland 4 – 6 – 0

By Lewis Rubman

Friday August 20, 2021

OAKLAND–For all the misery the A’s endured while on the road last week, they came home to find themselves still in the midst of an exciting pennant race, only two and a half games behind Houston, who, like Oakland, had gone 5-5 and their last ten games, in the struggle to win the AL West.

The danger comes from outside the division, where the Yankees have a one game lead for the first wild card slot, and the Red Sox only a half a game behind the green and gold for the only remaining vacancy at the play off motel.

Even without the interest spurred by the pennant race, tonight’s game promised excitement. People may not chant “BEAT L.A.!” at an Oakland-San Francisco encounter (although I’ve heard that at some of them), but emotions run pretty high when the cross bay rivals meet, more so in the stands than on the field.

By some stroke of statistical coincidence, the Giants’ position is a bit of a mirror image of Oakland’s. San Francisco leads the NL West, two and a half games ahead of the Dodgers. The Jints took two out of the three games between they played against at Oracle Park in the June half of this year’s Bay Series.

Even though it’s not likely that Chris Bassitt will be able to pitch in any of the forty games left on the Athletics’ schedule, the rapid improvement of his prognosis after the terrible injury he sustained on Wednesday in Chicago has lifted the team’s spirits.

The return of Chad Pinder to the active roster, announced today, strengthened the home team’s depth in both the infield and the outfield. He was joined in tonight’s starting line-up by trade deadline additions Starling Marte, Yan Gomes, and Josh Harrison, all of whom having been playing well for their new club. Bear in mind, also, that forty games means eight starts. A mediocre pitcher would, almost by definition, either win or allow the A’s to win, four of those games.

A rebound by Sean Manaea, a strengthened bullpen featuring AJ Puk, the occasional use of an opener, or a combination of the above (or other positive development) would minimize and maybe offset the effects of the A’s losing their all-star mainstay.

Tonight’s starter, James Kaprielian, is one of the Oakland hurlers who could ameliorate the effects of Bassitt’s absence. The 27 year old righty went into the game at 6-4, 3.33 and, although he got badly battered by San Diego on July 27 and underperformed in Texas six days ago, allowed only two earned runs in six innings of work against the Rangers at home six days after that. Those were his last three starts, and the only one of them that took place at the Coliseum gave reason to hope.

Kaprielian’s opponent, southpaw Alex Wood, went to the mound at 10-3, but his ERA was 4.14. After all, he’s pitching for the team with the best record in major league baseball this year. He pitched well in his last start, against Colorado on August 15, but surrendered a total of nine earned runs in ten innings against the lowly Diamondbacks over his two previous starts, one in Phoenix and the other in Oracle Park.

The pitchers were pretty evenly matched over the first five innings of tonight’s game, which the Athletics eventually won by a score of 4-1. Neither starter made it to the sixth frame.

Kaprielian had no difficulty keeping the Giants off the board the first time through the batting order, but his control deserted him after retiring his tenth batter faced, LaMonte Wade, Jr., for the second out in the top of the third. He walked Tommy LaStella on a full count and Buster Posey on four pitches.

He proceeded to load the bases by giving a free pass to Brandon Belt, who fouled off one of Karprielian’s offerings. A fly to deep center by the first pitching swinging Kris Bryant enabled the A’s rookie to escape without lasting damage.

But it was Wood who cracked first. He walked Jeff Lowrie to open the home fourth. The A’s DH advanced to third on Yan Gomes’s double to left center. The runners held when Matt Chapman bounced out to short but came home on Harrison’s sharp single to center.

Harrison took second on the throw, and it was runners on first and second a one out after Pinder walked on a three and two pitch that missed. The Giants’ southpaw recovered to strike out Andrus swinging and Canha looking at a third strike that just caught the high and outside corner of the strike zone.

The visitors promptly cut the Athletics’ advantage in half with Mike Yaztremski’s lead off home run, his 19th dinger of the year, a 401 foot blast into the right field seats. The Giants continued to hit Kaprielian hard, with the next two batters, Wade and LaStella, driving Marte to the warning track to corral their towering fly balls. Posey’s fly to deep right ended the frame.

Jake Diekman took over for Kaprielian to start the sixth. In his five innings of work, the A’s starter threw 92 pitches, 54 for strikes and allowed one run, which was earned. He gave up three hits and four walks while striking out four Giant batters.

It was Zach Littell who replaced Wood to open the bottom of the sixth. Wood departed with a line of five innings pitched, five hits, two runs, both earned, two walks, and nine strike outs. Of his 96 pitches, 66 were strikes.

Diekman stayed in the game long enough to retire the Giants in order in the sixth and strike out Alex Dickerson, the only batter he faced in the seventh before yielding to Yusmeiro Petit. It took all of five pitches for him to close down San Francisco for the rest of the inning.

Littel wasn’t as effective in his second inning on the hump. He walked Pinder, got Andrus on a hard line drive that Flores grabbed in a nice play at third, and then retired Canha who forced Pinder at second. But the Giants’ relievere threw a wild pitch with Marte at bat, and Canha was safe at second.

Marte drove him home with a down the line double to right, and that was it for Littell. José Alvarez replaced him. Marte broke for third with Olson at bat. Alvarez threw wildly to try to stop him, Marte was credited with a stolen base and scored on the errant throw. The A´s were up 4-1.

That was the score when Sergio Romo took over for his fellow ex-Giant Petit to face San Francisco in the top of the eighth. Aside from a two out single to Posey, he was lights out.

Lou Trivino toed the rubber in the top of the ninth looking for his 21st save of the season. He got it, allowing only a two out single to Alex Dickerson.

The win went to Kaprielian, He’s now 7-4, 3.25. The A’s now are 17 games above .500 at 69-53. Wood took the loss. He’s now 10-4, 4.11 for the 78-44 Giants.

Saturday afternoon’s contest is scheduled ot start at 1:07 with Sean Manaea (8-8, 3.77) going against Kevin Gausman (12-5, 2.40).