San Francisco Giants pitcher Alex Cobb threw no hit ball for 8.2 innings before surrendering a double to the Cincinnati Reds Spencer Steer at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Tue Aug 29, 2023 (AP News photo)
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San Francisco (69-73). 023 000 01x. – 6 7 1
Time: 2:15
Attendance: 26,078
Tuesday, August 29, 2023
By Lewis Rubman
SAN FRANCISCO–It was all about Alex Cobb tonight at Oracle Park on Tuesday night. He came within one out of pitching a no hitter, getting 26 outs before giving up his first safety while his teammates scored six runs in a resounding 6-1 triumph for the suddenly strong home team.
Sunday’s resilient win over the hard hitting Atlanta Braves and last night’s victory over the visiting Cincinnati Reds, especially the stellar performance by the heralded rookie hurler Kyle Harrison, certainly lifted the spirits around Third and King.
The pair of consecutive victories inched San Francisco a bit closer to Arizona, with only a half game separating the two teams in the race for the National League’s final wild card spot. No less important is that Monday’s defeat of Cincinnati dropped Cincy to a game and half behind San Francisco in the same ranking. Tuesday night’s events dropped the Reds another game behind the Giants.
Slugger Mitch Haniger was back in the Giants’ lineup after having missed 64 days thanks to a broken forearm he suffered in St Louis when hit by a pitch. He’d been batting .230 when he went out of action. He was the DH tonight, batting fourth and went 0-4 but scored a run.
Alex Cobb, an 11 year veteran whose game time record of 6-5, 3.74, while perhaps respectable, didn’t inspire much confidence in the context of his last 15 games, in which he went 3-4, 4.87, and his last seven, in which he posted a 0-3, 6.14 mark.
Tuesday night, he threw a complete game one hitter. The only Cincinnati batter to reach base safely in 8-2/3 innings was Nick Senzel, who got to first on a throwing error by third baseman Casey Schmitt in the third. Cobb struck out eight Reds on his way to his seventh win against five losses and reduced his ERA to 3.57. He threw 131 pitches, 83 for strikes, to 30 batters.
The Rhinelanders sent 25 year old left hander Brandon Williamson to the mound. His six pitch repertoire had earned him a record of 4-3, 4.18 so far in this, his rookie season. He was 3-2, 3.00 in his previous ten starts, indicating that he’s making good progress on the big league learning curve, he threw 105 pitches in six innings, during which he allowed five runs, three of which were earned.
He threw 105 pitches in six innings tonight, allowing five runs, three of which were earned, surrendering six hits, including a four bagger. He didn’t walk anyone but did throw a wild pitch and commit a balk. He took the loss and now is 4-4, 4.20. Ex Athletic Sam Moll relieved him and pitched a perfect bottom of the seventh, followed by Derek Law in the eighth.
San Francisco took an early lead. With one out in the second, Patrick Bailey and JD Davis hit back to back singles to right and right center, respectively, bringing up Paul DeJong. With the count 0-2 on the Giants’ shortstop, who had gotten a hit after his first game with the club, Williamson attempted to pick Davis off at first but in doing so committed a balk, bringing Bailey home and sending Davis to second. After DeJong struck out swinging, Luis Matos doubled into the right field corner, driving in Davis with the Giants’ second run.
Austin Slater’s third inning two bagger off the Uber Eats ad in right overcame The Curse of the Leadoff Double. Williamson retired Thairo Estrada and Wilmer Flores but unleashed a wild pitch to Haniger, which allowed Slater to charge home with San Francisco’s third tally.
It looked as though that would be all they’d get when Haniger grounded to third, but Nelvi Marte’s throw to first was wild, and Haniger reached base. That set the stage for Bailey to blast an 84.6 mph change of pace into the Cincinnati bullpen for his seventh home run of the season and a 5-0 lead for San Francisco.
The orange and back tacked on another run in the eighth. Law issued a leadoff walk to Slater, who scored on Estrada’s down the line double to left, giving the Giants an even half dozen.
Cobb received a nearly unanimous standing ovation when he came out to pitch the top of the ninth. He had thrown 113 pitches. Marte flew out to right on the 114th. Nick Senzel followed and drew the first base on balls Cobb had issued all night.
TJ Friedl flew out to deep right for the second out. Then, on Cobb’s 125th offering, Spencer Steer drove a double to deep right field for a double that ended Cobb’s bid for a no-hitter and a shutout, driving in Senzel, who had gone to second on defensive indifference. Cobb closed out his magnificent performance by striking out Elly De La Cruz looking at a 93.3mph sinker.
This three game series will conclude tomorrow, Wednesday Logan Webb (9-10, 3.51) scheduled to throw the Giants’ first pitch at 12:45. Fellow righty Hunter Greene (2-5, 5.06) will take the mound for Cincinnati.
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