Tag: Alex Wood

Giants bolster rotation add Blake Snell on 2-year deal for $62 million

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Former San Diego Padre Blake Snell who had been a free agent for most of the off season and pre season agreed to a two year deal with the San Francisco Giants on Mon Mar 18, 2024 (AP file photo)

By Stephen Ruderman

The Giants have strengthened their rotation, as they have agreed to sign left-handed ace, and 2023 National League Cy Young Award Winner Blake Snell to a two-year, $62 million contract, according to MLB Network Insider Jon Heyman.

The deal caps off a strong off-season for the Giants, which started off with them adding Bob Melvin as manager, and continued with the signings of Jung-hoo Lee, Robbie Ray, Jordan Hicks and Tom Murphy. Jorge Soler and Matt Chapman were signed during Spring Training, and Snell could be set to join them in the final week of camp.

Blake Snell came up with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2016, and was their ace through the COVID-shortened 60-game sprint season of 2020. He won the American League Cy Young Award in 2018; struggled, but helped lead the Rays to the Postseason in 2019; and led them to the World Series in 2020.

Snell was infamously pulled by Rays Manager Kevin Cash in Game 6 of the 2020 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the bottom of the sixth inning, despite throwing a shutout. After Snell was pulled, the Dodgers scored two runs to take a 2-1 lead, and won the game 3-1 to win their first world championship since 1988.

Following Cash’s controversial move, Snell was traded to the San Diego Padres that off-season. Snell struggled in a 2021 campaign that saw the Padres collapse down the stretch. He then bounced back, and helped lead the Padres to the National League Championship Series in 2022. Snell then won his second cy young award in an otherwise disappointing 2023 season for the Padres.

Snell’s cy young season was believed to be a massive booster for him as he entered free agency. However, Snell, along with Chapman, Cody Bellinger and Jordan Montgomery, who were all represented by prominent agent Scott Boras, all remained on the market as teams reported to Spring Training in February. Snell, along with Chapman and Bellinger were signed after games got underway, and Montgomery remains a free agent.

Snell now joins Logan Webb, who finished second in cy young voting last season. Snell also joins what is set to be a strong rotation for the Giants. Along with Webb and Snell, young left-handed phenom, who saw time late in 2023, will be bumped from the second to the third start in the rotation.

The rotation could also be further fortified by the experiment of turning the flamethrower Jordan Hicks from a reliever to a starter; the return of Alex Cobb and the newly-signed Ray off the Injured List; and the potential of right-handed Carson Whisenhunt making his major league debut later this season.

Snell will still need to pass a physical. Once he was done so, it could be assumed that Snell will join the Giants in their final week of camp in Scottsdale, and will get a start or two prior to the Giants’ opener in San Diego on March. It is most likely that Snell will begin the Regular Season in the minor leagues, and be ready to join the Giants in the middle of April.

Other Notes:

The Giants and Longtime Public Address Announcer Renel Brooks-Moon mutually parted ways on Monday.

Brooks-Moon, who had served as the Giants’ PA announcer for 24 years since then-Pacific Bell Park’s opening in 2000, has enshrined herself into Giants Lore. She was behind the microphone for the Giants’ run to the National League Pennant in 2002, and their three world championships in 2010, 2012 and 2014.

Brooks-Moon was at Barry Bonds’ breaking of the single-season record on Oct. 5, 2001 against the Dodgers, and his breaking of the all-time home run record on Aug. 7, 2007 against the Washington Nationals.

She was also there for Matt Cain’s Perfect Game against the Houston Astros on June 13, 2012, as well as Tim Lincecum’s two no-hitters, which were thrown on July 9, 2009 and June 25, 2014 respectively, both against the Padres.

Brooks-Moon has become a beloved and outspoken figure not just with the Giants, but with San Francisco and the Bay Area. She was the voice of the Cathedral of 3rd and King, and for so many younger fans, they do not know Giants Baseball without her.

There has yet to be word on who Brooks-Moon’s replacement will be, or how the process will play out.

J.D. Davis signed a one-year deal with the Oakland Athletics on Saturday, following his release from the Giants on March 11.

Davis was encouraged to come to Oakland by Alex Wood, who had been a member of the Giants’ rotation from 2021 to 2023. They are also joined by Ross Strippling, who the Giants traded to Oakland on Feb. 2.

Giants Lose Third Straight, Fall to Nationals 5-3

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Photo credit: San Francisco Giants starter Alex Wood wipes his face between pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Friday, July 21, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

By: Mary Anne

The San Francisco Giants took on the Washington Nationals on Friday at Nationals Park. The Giants lost 5-3 to the Nationals in their series opener. San Francisco fell to 54-44 and lost three games in a row, while Washington improved to 39-58 and ended a two-game losing skid.

The Giants’ starting lineup featured LaMonte Wade Jr., Joc Pederson, J.D. Davis, Michael Conforto, Mike Yastrzemski, Patrick Bailey, Blake Sabol, Brett Wisely, Casey Schmitt, and Alex Wood. Wood (4-4, 4.99 ERA) took the loss after pitching for four innings and giving up five hits, five earned runs, two walks, one strikeout, and two home runs.

The Giants got on the board first. J.D. Davis homered on a fly ball to right field for a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

The Nationals quickly responded with a game-tying run and a go-ahead run in the bottom of the first inning. Lane Thomas homered on a fly ball to center field for a 1-1 tie. Keibert Ruiz doubled on a line drive to Blake Sabol. Jeimer Candelario scored for a 2-1 lead. Joey Meneses went to third base.

The Nationals added a run in the bottom of the second inning. CJ Abrams homered on a fly ball to center field for a 3-1 lead.

The Giants tied the game in the top of the third inning. Joc Pederson homered on a fly ball to right field. LaMonte Wade Jr. scored for a 3-3 tie.

The Nationals regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Michael Chavis doubled on a line drive to Blake Sabol. Stone Garrett scored for a 4-3 lead.

The Nationals extended their lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Joey Meneses doubled on a sharp line drive to Blake Sabol. CJ Abrams scored for a 5-3 lead.

Notes
The Giants were saddened to hear about the loss of Tony Bennett, who passed away at 96 on July 21st. Bennett recorded his signature song “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” in 1962. The legendary crooner sang “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” at San Francisco City Hall in 2012 in front of over 100,000 fans in a ceremony commemorating the Giants’ 2012 World Series win.

Giants outfielder Austin Slater reached 500 MLB games played on July 20th.

Up Next
The Giants and Nationals will continue their series on Saturday at 4:05 pm Pacific.

Giants Sweep Pirates With 8-4 Win in Pittsburgh

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Photo credit: post-gazette.com

By: Mary Anne

The San Francisco Giants wrapped up their three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on a positive note, a sweep on the road — and their fifth win in a row. The Giants defeated the Pirates 8-4 at PNC Park on Sunday.

The Giants improved to 52-41, while the Pirates fell to 41-52. Giants pitcher Ryan Walker picked up the win for a 3-0 record after pitching one inning and giving up one strikeout.

The Giants’ starting lineup featured LaMonte Wade Jr., Joc Pederson, J.D. Davis, Michael Conforto, Mike Yastrzemski, Luis Matos, Blake Sabol, Brandon Crawford, Brett Wisely, and Alex Wood. Wood pitched five innings and gave up one earned run, three walks, and one strikeout.

The Pirates got on the board first in the bottom of the second inning. Bryan Reynolds singled on a soft ground ball to Brandon Crawford. Jared Triolo scored for a 1-0 lead. Jason Delay went to third base, while Connor Joe went to second base.

The Giants took the lead in the top of the third inning. J.D. Davis singled on a line drive to Henry Davis. Brett Wisely and LaMonte Wade Jr. scored for a 2-1 lead. Joc Pederson went to second base as a fielding error was made by Henry Davis. Luis Matos grounded out softly to Nick Gonzales to Osvaldo Bido. Joc Pederson scored for a 3-1 lead. J.D. Davis went to third base, while Mike Yastrzemski went to second base with two outs.

The Pirates tied the game in the bottom of the sixth and eighth innings, respectively. Jared Triolo grounded out to Brandon Crawford to LaMonte Wade Jr. Henry Davis scored to cut the Giants’ lead to 3-2 with one out. Triolo was out on a sacrifice fly to Michael Conforto. Andrew McCutchen scored to tie the game 3-3. Josh Palacios went to third base with one out.

The game went to extra innings.

The Giants poured in the runs in the top of the tenth inning. Joc Pederson was out on a sacrifice fly to Josh Palacios. Casey Schmitt scored for a 4-3 Giants lead with one out. Michael Conforto doubled on a sharp fly ball to Henry Davis. Wilmer Flores and J.D. Davis scored for a 6-3 Giants lead. Patrick Bailey doubled on a sharp fly ball to Josh Palacios. Michael Conforto and Mike Yastrzemski scored for an 8-3 Giants lead.

The Pirates cut the Giants’ lead in half in the bottom of the tenth inning. Henry Davis singled on a ground ball to Luis Matos, deflected by Casey Schmitt. Andrew McCutchen scored to pull the Pirates within four, 8-4, but that’s all she wrote.

The Giants will take on the Cincinnati Reds on Monday at 4:10 pm Pacific.

Giants Get Back Into Win Column With 3-0 Shutout Over Blue Jays

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Photo credit: @NBCSGiants

By: Mary Anne

The San Francisco Giants opened their six-game road trip with a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays Tuesday. The Giants returned to the win column with a 3-0 shutout over the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. San Francisco improved to 45-34, while Toronto fell to 43-37.

The Giants’ starting lineup featured LaMonte Wade Jr., Joc Pederson, J.D. Davis, Michael Conforto, Blake Sabol, Thairo Estrada, Patrick Bailey, Brandon Crawford, Luis Matos, and Ryan Walker. Walker pitched just one inning but gave up two hits and three strikeouts.

After four scoreless innings, San Francisco finally got on the board. Patrick Bailey doubled on a line drive to George Springer. Thairo Estrada scored for a 1-0 Giants lead in the top of the fifth inning. Bailey’s double was his eighth of the regular season.

The Giants added two runs in the top of the ninth inning. Thairo Estrada doubled on a sharp fly ball to Whit Merrifield. Joc Pederson and J.D. Davis scored for a 3-0 Giants lead. Estrada’s double was his 18th of the regular season.

The Giants held on to their 3-0 lead to end the ballgame. Giants pitcher Alex Wood pitched five innings and gave up five hits and seven strikeouts. Wood won and improved to 3-2 and a 4.52 ERA.

Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman pitched six innings and gave up three hits, one earned run, one walk, and 12 strikeouts. Gausman took the loss and fell to 7-4 and a 3.01 ERA. Gausman’s a former San Francisco Giant who played for the team from 2020-21.

Notes
Giants infielder Wilmer Flores was reinstated from the ten-day injured list on Monday.

Giants second baseman Isan Díaz was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento after postgame Sunday.

Triple-A Sacramento pitchers Kyle Harrison and Carson Whisenhunt were selected to play in the 2023 All-Star Futures Game on Saturday, July 8, at 4:00 pm Pacific.

Up Next
The Giants and Blue Jays will face off again in a middle game on Wednesday, June 28, at 4:07 pm Pacific.

San Francisco Giants report: Stripling joins Manaea in the latest of signings

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By Morris Phillips and Michael Duca

Former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Ross Stripling throws against the Philadelphia Phillies in the second inning at Citizen’s Bank Park in Philadelphia on Tue Sep 20, 2022. Stripling joined the Giants signing a two year $25 million deal with a option for 2024 (AP News photo)

SAN FRANCISCO– Not waiting for the end of the year the San Francisco Giants made moves this week on Monday they signed former Oakland A’s left hander Sean Manaea who was anchor in the A’s bullpen when he pitched there. Manaea who signed a $25 million for two years with 2024 being a option year.

Manaea pitched for Oakland from 2016 until the end of the 2021 season. He joined the San Diego Padres soon after his former manager Bob Melvin went to manage in San Diego. Manaea’s 2022 season record 8-9 ERA 4.96. Manaea is being considered for the fourth or fifth spot in the Giants rotation. The Giants despite Manaea’s struggles in San Diego say they like what he brought to the Bay Area when he pitched here and he can adjust and the Giants are confident they can get him back on track.

Ross Stripling signing: On the heels of the Manaea signing the Giants signed right hand pitcher Ross Stripling in a $25 million two year deal. The contract call for an opt out after the first season. If Stripling pitches anything like he did in 2022 the Giants may not even give that opt out even a second thought. With Toronto Blue Jays Stripling went 10-4 with impressive 3.04 ERA in 134 plus innings.

Stripling 33, gets a $5 million signing bonus and will receive a $7 million salary for the 2023 season and Stripling who can reach for the brass ring and get a second year will get $12.5 million for the 2024 season. The Giants are looking to replace an effective pitching staff from the 2021 season in the pitchers of Alex Cobb, Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Wood and the Giants are looking for Alex Wood with Logan Webb, Jakob Junis, and Sean Hjelle to fill that void.

Now with Stripling and Manaea joining the pitching staff they could very well get an effective performance that the Giants have been looking for in their rotation. No doubt about it Stripling and Manaea bring lots of experience to the pitching staff. Manaea had had some arm problems in the past when he pitched in Oakland and was looking forward to working that out when he was in San Diego but will get a chance to work with Giants pitching coach Andrew Bailey.

Michael Duca and Morris Phillips both podcast Giants baseball for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cubs Provide Help, Giants Win: Post ASG slide ends with 4-2 win over Chicago

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Things get so bad that sometimes… you need a little help.

The Giants’ seven-game losing streak exposed a club that needs to pitch, hit and defend a lot better to win games. In a stretch this poor, a team with holes can get exposed.

A 4-2 over the Cubs to snap the skid on Thursday didn’t find the Giants miraculously better, but definitely more fortunate after riding a three-run third inning that was fueled by Cubs’ mistakes and decisions.

Patrick Wisdom fanned on an infield pop and gave Mike Yastrzemski a life on second base to start the rally. Yermin Mercedes in the at-bat of the evening–11 pitches, six fouled off–delivered a two-run single after Wilmer Flores was hit by a pitch, a call that was lobbied for by the Cubs. Thairo Estrada knocked in Flores when shortstop Nico Hoerner couldn’t turn Estrada’s well-place grounder into an out.

Alex Wood took a 3-0 lead at that point, and did something with it, pitching into the seventh while allowing just two hits. Wisdom, in an atonement swing, knocked Wood out of the game with a two-run homer that narrowed the Giants’ lead to 4-2. Wood retired 15 in a row at one point, a streak that ended in the sixth when he walked Nelson Velazquez. Wood flirtation with a no-no lasted into the seventh, and was aided by Yastrzemski’s highlight, leaping catch in the right field alley in the sixth.

“The biggest difference in today’s game was we played crisp defense and made some very difficult plays,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “We’re going to be fine if we play strong defense behind our pitchers. That’s probably the most important thing we can do.”

Justin Steele took the loss for the Cubs. Steele was lifted in the fourth after allowing Austin Slater’s RBI double that gave the Giants a 4-0 lead.

The series continues Friday with Marcus Stroman facing Alex Cobb.

Wood starting to find his groove

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San Francisco Giants starter Alex Wood seen here throwing against the San Diego Padres on Sun Jul 10, 2022 in San Diego. Pitched four plus inning on Fri Jul 15, 2022 against the Milwaukee Brewers for the win. (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Harness

SAN FRANCISCO – In a game that quickly became a comedy of errors, which turned into a crazy swing of momentum in the Giants’ favor, what became overshadowed was the re-emergence of starter Alex Wood.

After a mixed bag of results last month, the left-hander turned in his third solid start in a row Friday night at Oracle Park, although the end result did not tell the entire story. He gave up three runs – two earned – on four hits over 4 2/3 innings, but he was undone by an untimely fielding mistake that ultimately cost him a chance at a win.

Wood had not exactly brought his best stuff to his home park. He entered Friday’s contest with a 2-3 home record, while opponents had hit .301 against him in those outings. Particularly damaging was a May 22 start against San Diego that saw him surrender five runs before being yanked after only three innings.

He began to narrow that down in June while collecting a pair of home wins, and that form extended into Friday. After giving up a single to lead off the game, Wood escaped the inning without allowing another runner and was cruising along until the Brewers mounted a two-out threat in the fifth.

With the Giants leading 2-0, Kolten Wong and Jonathan Davis both singled, but he was poised to get out of the inning when Christian Yelich bounced one harmlessly to the right side. However, first baseman LaMonte Wade, Jr. misplayed the hop off the infield dirt, allowing the ball to get past him as a run scored.

At that point, he was pulled for Tyler Rogers, who promptly gave up a walk to load the bases. Andrew McCutcheon, a former Giant, immediately followed that by lashing a bases-clearing double into the left-field corner to give Milwaukee a 4-2 lead.  

Wade busts out of slump

After showing some serious promise last year, Wade has struggled to regain that form at the plate in 2022.

A lot of that has had to do with inflammation in his left knee that knocked him out of a total of 61 games this year. He landed on the injured list last month and had gone 5-for-40 since his reinstatement.

He made some loud contact on Friday night, however, and seems to be showing signs of rejuvenation. After lining out to lead off the first inning, Wade smacked a Woodruff fastball into the gap in right-center in the second and wound up with a stand-up triple, scoring two runs in the process and giving the Giants a 2-0 lead.

However, his fielding error three innings later quickly decreased the impact of the hit, as the miscue was shaping up until the Giants’ late heroics that won them the game in the bottom of the ninth.

Rally Wreckers: Giants do the same stuff in latest loss, 3-2 to the visiting Tigers

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–If the Giants were to find a way not to win a third, consecutive series, this wasn’t the way.

More of the same. When the Giants’ offense fails to get the key hit, and knock in some runs, they often lose. Wednesday afternoon’s loss to the Tigers, 3-2, was just another example in a less than lengthy stretch of games.

“I think it’s as simple as getting one more big at-bat,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “We’ve talked about that for a while now.”

The Giants rallied in the third–leading 1-0, then loading the bases with one out–but came up empty. In the seventh–now trailing 3-1–the Giants had the same, advantageous setup, but scored just once, on Mike Yastrzemski’s fielder’s choice ground ball. A run in each inning, and the hosts are likely winners, and building on a 41-33 record. Instead, they’re stuck in a 3-6 stretch against beatable opponents.

The Giants finished 2 of 9 with runners in scoring position, intriguing, in that the two successes were from guys that could pick it up and change things. Evan Longoria homered in the first inning, and his infield single loaded the bases in the third. Lamonte Wade Jr. returned to action–after missing 61 of the first 73 games–and singled in the seventh. Wade was put in a tough spot, hitting against a tough lefty Gregory Soto in the ninth, when the Giants normally would have pinch-hit, but at that point in the game on Wednesday, Kapler had expended all his hitting options.

Alex Wood–who started, and gave up the decisive two-run homer to Detroit’s Eric Haase in the sixth–best expressed the agony of his own shortcomings and the teams saying “these are the days that are just extremely frustrating. I felt really good. I thought it was the best my slider’s been in a long time, if not (this entire season). So to have that (home run) happen at the end really sucked, to be honest. Just really frustrating.”

“It starts with our staff. Webby and ‘Los have put up their lines. The rest of us have to step our s— up,” Wood said, applauding his staff mates Logan Webb and Carlos Rodón. “Start having the lines match up with how we’re feeling and putting up some zeroes and finishing some starts with zero or one run on the board. A lot of those one-run games are on us.”

There’s some truth to Wood saying this is not all on the offense. And, once again, this is a team with a winning record and a clear-path to the newly, expanded playoffs. But off a 107-win campaign, something missing or somethings are missing. To Wood’s point, the Giants ERA of 3.99 puts them just above the league average. Last season, their staff had a National League top-three ERA virtually the entire season. Defensively, the Giants have committed 41 errors, also a league average number, but reflective of how poor the defense has been, the Giants defensive efficiency, as defined by baseball-reference.com is in the bottom four in all of baseball. What’s that last bit really mean? The Giants could suffer even worse defensively going forward, so far, they’ve made defensive mistakes, but in a lot of cases, not suffered run scored against them.

The Giants open a three-game set with the White Sox on Friday at Oracle Park. Lance Lynn of Chicago and Alex Cobb will get the starting assignments.

Giants Stay Hot, Roast the Royals 6-2 at Oracle Park

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Buoyed by all their success gathered in a sweep of the Dodgers, the Giants kept their momentum going Monday night by breaking open a close game, and beating the Royals 6-2.

Alex Wood stood out, pitching six innings and allowing just four hits. He threw an economical 80 pitches and retired the last ten batters he faced, which was enough for manager Gabe Kapler, who turned to his bullpen to protect a 3-2 lead. Wood pitched with base traffic in the first three innings, but managed to keep the visitors from cashing in outside of a two-run third.

Brady Singer started for Kansas City, and Amir Garrett relieved him in the fifth, and neither seemed comfortable with Singer issuing five walks, and Garrett one to Austin Slater, who advanced to second on a wild pitch, and scored on Thairo Estrada’s base hit that gave the Giants a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Singer issued four consecutive walks in the third, allowing the Giants to tie the game with free passes issued to Darin Ruf and Joc Pederson coming with the bases loaded, forcing in a pair of runs.

In all Giants’ batters drew nine walks, likely infuriating former catcher and Royals manager Mike Matheny. The walks in combination with the Giants five hits–four of them doubles–put the Giants in position to add on with two runs in the seventh and one in the eighth.

Relievers Mauricio Llovera, Jake McGee and Camilo Doval each pitched a scoreless inning after Wood departed with Doval picking up the save. Llovera was a gameday callup from AAA Sacramento as Heliot Ramos was sent out after another short stint with the big club.

The Giants have won four in a row, impressive in that it brings them within three games of the Dodgers and the division lead, and somehow has kept them in front of the Atlanta Braves in the wild card stack, despite the Braves winning a 12th straight on Monday. The Giants hold the lead wild card spot, significant this season in the expanded playoff field which will see that lead team host an opening round series in the postseason.

On Tuesday, the Giants and Royals play game two of a three-game set with Logan Webb, coming off arguably his most impressive start of the season facing Kris Bubic, who has an unsightly 0-3 record with a 9.13 ERA.

Shut Out On South Beach: Giants can’t solve Alcantara in 3-0 loss to the Marlins

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By Morris Phillips

The Marlins with their sub .500 records overall and at home haven’t moved the meter thus far in 2022, but the Miami pitching has. Pablo Lopez and Sandy Alcantara are the headliners with near-100 mph four-seam fastballs, and Alcantara got his chance to make an impression on the reigning NL West champion Giants on Thursday.

Let’s just say mission accomplished.

The 26-year old right hander was electric, throwing 111 pitches with the best of those coming late, in a 3-0 shutout win over the Giants. Alcantara allowed three hits, walked two, struck out eight and kept the Giants off balance by starting 17 of the 25 batters he faced with strikes, and inducing 24 swings and misses. Knowing they were entering a battle, Giants’ hitters got the majority of Alcantara’s pitches out early with several, lengthy at-bats. But the response was simple: as the game wore on, Alcantara became highly efficient, dispatching Giants’ hitters quickly and quietly.

“If it were up to me, I would have stayed until the ninth, but I respect the manager’s decision,” Alcantara said through an interpreter.

Marlins manager Don Mattingly lifted his ace after seven innings, but rightfully termed the process of Alcantara finishing better than he starts by saying, “he finally got that groove that we talk about where it’s like he’s going 75 mph on the highway.”

So ingrained is the process, Mattingly actually delivered the previous quote after Alcantara’s previous start in Atlanta in which he struck out a career-best 14 in eight innings of work.

The timing of Alcantara’s start couldn’t have been better for the Marlins, who played two games in Denver against the Rockies on Thursday before returning home. The Giants, who got an early start in Philadelphia to conclude their series with the Phillies looked like the far more sluggish team as the hosts got RBI hits from Jacob Stallings (second inning), Jesus Aguilar and Miguel Rojas (both in the sixth) to create breathing room for Alcantara.

The Giants dropped their second straight after a pair of wins in Philadelphia. Their lineup was thin with Brandon Crawford, Evan Longoria dealing with bumps and bruises along with Darin Ruf away on the bereavement list following the death of his father. The Giants are also missing Lamonte Wade Jr., Brandon Belt and Austin Slater, who took batting practice and could make his way into the lineup on Friday night.

The poorly-situationed Alex Wood didn’t pitch poorly for the Giants. Wood worked into the sixth inning, allowing two runs on four hits. Wood has dropped three, consecutive starts and his record is 3-5.

“Any time you face a guy like Sandy, he’s pretty good, so there’s no going to be a whole lot of room for error,” Wood said afterwards.

The announced pitchers for the second game of the series are the Giants’ Alex Cobb and Miami’s Elieser Hernandez.