Tag: Arizona Diamondbacks

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Daulton Varsho legs out a throw to San Francisco Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr on Tue Sep 28, 2021 at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-Wilmer Flores came off the bench to hit for LaMonte Wade, Jr., and he eventually came up with the hit of the night.

Flores hit a flare over the head of Ketel Marte into right field to score Evan Longoria in the bottom of the sixth inning to start the rally that ended up helping the San Francisco Giants to a 6-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks before a crowd of 28,122 at Oracle Park.

With the victory, the Giants lowered their magic number to win the National League West down to four and maintained their two-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West, who defeated the San Diego Padres 2-1 at Dodger Stadium.

Longoria, who scored the game-winning run reached on a fielding error by Josh Rojas to lead off the inning for the Giants, then Alex Dickerson came off the bench and was hit by a pitch, then Tommy La Stella singled and then Flores flare into right field scored Longoria.

The Giants were not done, as Buster Posey walked to score Dickerson, then Brandon Crawford hit a broken bat single to score Donovan Solano from third base after he came on to run for La Stella and then Posey scored the final run of the inning, when he scored on a wild pitch by Joe Mantiply.

Logan Webb went the first five innings for the Giants, as he allowed one (unearned) run on four hits, walking two and striking out six.

Despite not faring in the decision, the Giants are now 17-2 in the last 19 starts for Webb going back to May 11.

The Giants scored their first run of the game, when Posey scored with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the first inning, as Mike Yastrzemski walked to score Posey.

Diamondbacks starter Luke Weaver struck out the first two batters in the bottom of the first inning, but then Posey doubled, and Crawford and Bryant walked prior to Yastrzemski walking and picking up his 68th run batted in of the season.

Josh Rojas tied up the game in the top of the third inning, when he hit a sacrifice fly that scored Jake McCarthy, who walked to lead off the inning and went to third, when Wade, Jr., was unable to hold on to the pickoff throw from Webb and McCarthy went all the way to third.

McCarthy scored the Diamondbacks second run, as he hit an opposite field solo home run in the top of the seventh inning. It was the third home run of the season for McCarthy.

David Peralta attempted to tie up the game, as he hit a fly ball to the deepest part of the ballpark and was forced to settle for a sacrifice fly that scored Daulton Varsho with the Diamondbacks second run of the inning. Kole Calhoun cut the Giants lead in half, as he singled in Rojas.

Camilo Doval came on in the top of the ninth inning, and despite allowing a double to Geraldo Perdomo that brought the tying run to the plate, Doval was to get Carson Kelly to fly out to Duggar in centerfield and then got Rojas to strike out swinging on a slider to end the game and give Doval his first major league save.

NOTES: Brandon Belt was placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to September 27) with a left thumb fracture, and to replace Belt on the roster, Thairo Estrada was recalled from Sacramento.

The 103 wins by the Giants ties the 1962 and 1993 Giants for the most wins since the team moved to California in 1958. Only the 1904 team that won 106 games, the 1905 Giants, who won 105 and they tie the 1912 New York Giants with 103 wins.

With the 103rd win of the season, the Giants became the third team in MLB history to post that wins in a season after finishing under .500 the season before. They join the 1993 Giants and the 1946 Boston Red Sox, who won 104 games on the season before losing in the World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals.

This was the 15th win for the Giants over the Diamondbacks in 17 games this season, and they are the second team that the Giants have defeated at least 15 times this season, as they went 15-4 against the Colorado Rockies. The most wins that the Giants have over an opponent in a single season is the 1961 Chicago Cubs, whom they went 17-5 against that season.

UP NEXT: Alex Wood goes for his 11th win of the season on Wednesday night, as he takes the mound for the Giants, while Merrill Kelly will take the mound for the Diamondbacks in search of his eighth win of the season.

San Francisco Giants third baseman and centerfielder Kris Bryant hit for two doubles on Thu Aug 5, 2021 at Chase Field in Phoenix against the Arizona Diamondbacks which led to four runs in the ninth and a run in the tenth for a comeback win (photo from USA Today)

By Jessica Kwong

At Chase Field on Thursday afternoon, the San Francisco Giants (69-40) were scoreless and trailed the Arizona Diamondbacks (34-76) by four in the ninth inning. They mustered up four runs, tying the game and winning in a remarkable 5-4 comeback in the tenth inning.

The last time that San Francisco won a game when trailing in the ninth inning by four or more runs was when some of the best to every play the game, Barry Bonds, Will Clark and Matt Williams, were in the lineup.

In the ninth, the first five Giants hitters reached against relievers Taylor Clarke and Tyler Clippard. Then LaMonte Wade Jr. finished turning things around for San Francisco with a two-out, two-strike, single to tie the game.

Giants third baseman Kris Bryant, who was responsible for the game-wing RBI, said, “We had no business winning that game.”

“Their starter really shut us down for what looked like could have been nine innings,” Bryant said. “But I’ve been a part of a few teams that do well later in the game with their backs against the wall and this team definitely has it.”

At the start of the ninth, Bryant, Brandon Crawford and Alex Dickerson chased Clarke from the game with three consecutive hits. Clippard stepped up and Donovan Solano and Brandon Belt contributed a hit and a single.

Giants manager Gabe Kapler said, “for most of the game, we didn’t see that strength, that relentlessness.”

“But all it takes is one inning,” he said. “We always talk about how important the big inning is and that really is about grinding out one at-bat after the other and we saw a lot of those late in the game.”

With Thursday’s victory, the Giants improved to 69-40 at the top of the NL West, four games ahead of the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers and seven-and-a-half games over the San Diego Padres.

The Giants start a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Friday. First pitch is at 5:10 p.m.

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San Francisco Giant starter Kevin Gausman throws to the Arizona Diamondbacks line up in the first inning at Chase Field in Phoenix on Wed Aug 4, 2021 (AP News photo)

Giants Take Game Three in Diamondback Series 7-1

By Barbara Mason

Wednesday night the San Francisco Giants and the Arizona Diamondbacks clashed in Game three of their four game series. The Giants took game one 11-8 in 10 innings. Arizona answered in game two winning that game by the score of 3-1.

Giant starter Kevin Gausman set the tone by throwing six innings giving up six hits and one run and delivering eight strike outs. Gausman pitched well enough that he could have gone the distance. He was followed by relievers Jay Jackson, Tony Watson, and Jose Alvarez who shut the D-Backs hitters down for the rest of the game.

The Giants and Diamondbacks had a slow offensive start in the first three innings for both teams. The Giants broke through in the fourth inning when Donovan Solano homered giving San Francisco the slim lead 1-0.

The Giants would extend their lead in the sixth inning when two Arizona errors allowed 2 runs. Tommy LaStella and Alex Dickerson both scored in thanks to those error. Arizona would score a run in the inning when Cabrera singled driving in David Peralta and after six innings the score was 3-1 in favor of San Francisco.

The Giants broke this game wide open in the seventh inning scoring four runs. Buster Posey doubled, and Dickerson hit a homer with two runners on base. Posey’s doubled allowed Lamonte Wade Jr. to score and after seven complete innings the Giants had a 7-1 lead.

There was not much going on for either team in the eighth inning. Going into the ninth inning, the Giants were three outs away from the win. San Francisco dispatched the Diamondbacks in short order and came away with the 7-1 win.

Tomorrow San Francisco will try to win game four and win this series. First pitch is 12:40 PM.

Arizona Diamondbacks starter Madison Bumgarner throws to the San Francisco Giants line up in the top of the first inning on Tue Aug 3, 2021 at Chase Field in Phoenix (AP News photo)

Arizona Levels the Series Winning 3-1

By Barbara Mason

In last night’s game the San Francisco Giants held what many would have called an insurmountable lead.They were coasting 7-1 after scoring five times in the top of the fifth inning which included a grand slam. The Diamondbacks had other ideas, however, and letting the Giants run away with this game was not among them.

Arizona tied up this game in the seventh inning at eight apiece. It took extra innings but San Francisco prevailed 11-8. A Posey double, a duggar single and a Solano sacrifice was all it took.

For Game Two Madison Bumgarner was on the mound for Arizona. He pitched through seven innings and was having an excellent game. The Diamondbacks were facing Johnny Cueto who pitched through six innings.

Tuesday night the teams met for Game Two of the four game series. Arizona took a 3-0 lead in the second inning when Nick Ahmed doubled and Asdrubal Cabrera also doubled. Ahmed drove in Christian Walker and off of Cabrera’s double Ahmed and Madison Bumgarner scored.

In the fifth inning San Francisco got up on the board via a Curt Casali home run. The score would remain 3-1 through seven innings.

Aaron Sanchez relieved in the bottom of seventh inning for the Giants. He loaded the bases but was able to get out of the inning without giving up a single run. The score would remain 3-1 going into the eighth inning.

It was a quiet inning for both teams and heading into the ninth inning the Giants were running out time. The Giants had a double in the ninth inning off the batt of Solano but that would be it for San Francisco. The final score was 3-1.

It was a very quiet offensive game for San Francisco in tonights game. They will be looking to pick up their offense tomorrow in Game Three of this series. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 PM.

San Francisco Giants starter Anthony DeSclafani seen here pitching in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix Sun Jul 4, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

On the same day that Buster Posey discovered that he would have two teammates joining him at the All-Star Game at Coors Field, he was forced to leave the final game of the road trip early.

Posey, who was elected to the start in the annual midsummer classic was hit on his glove hand in the bottom of the sixth inning after he took a bat to the hand, with fellow catcher Daulton Varsho at the plate.

Manager Gabe Kapler and trainer Dave Groeschner immediately ran to the side of Posey, who said that he was okay; however, after Varsho struck out, Posey left the game and was replaced by Curt Casali. X-Rays on Poseys thumb were taken at Chase Field, and they came back negative.

Posey drove the first run of the game, as he singled in Austin Slater in the top of the first inning and the San Francisco Giants defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-2 at Chase Field.

That was not the only run of the inning by the Giants, as Darin Ruf doubled to center field and Posey scored easily from first base.

Anthony DeSclafani pitched a tremendous game, as he went 8.2 innings. DeSclafani allowed two runs, on six hits, walking two and striking out seven and he saw his record improve to 9-3 on the season.

DeSclafani, who was one out away from his third complete game of the season gave up a long single to Christian Walker with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning that scored David Peralta, who singled and then went to second on defensive indifference with two outs.

Tyler Rogers walked Pavin Smith, but then got Josh Reddick to groundout to Donovan Solano at second base, as he picked up his 10th save in 14 chances on the season.

With the victory, the Giants maintained their one-half game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have nine games in a row since they were no-hit by the Chicago Cubs on June 24 at Dodger Stadium.

After starting the road trip by getting swept against the Dodgers, the Giants came back to finish the road trip at 3-3 and won three out of four in Arizona against the Diamondbacks. The Giants also are now 9-1 on the season against the Diamondbacks.

Slater, who the game-winning two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning on Saturday night was at it again on Sunday, as he hit a solo home run in the top of the third inning for his ninth home run of the season.

Ruf got in the home run act in the top of the sixth inning, as he hit a two-run home run that gave the Giants a 5-0 lead.

Reddick drove in the Diamondbacks first run of the night in the bottom of the seventh inning, as he singled to centerfield that scored Asdrubal Cabrera; however, on the play, Reddick was thrown out at second base by Casali, when he tried to advance after Duggar threw home.

Caleb Smith went six innings, allowing five runs on five hits, while walking one and striking out five and he lost for the fifth time on the season.

NOTES: Brandon Crawford and Kevin Gausman will join C Posey in representing the Giants in this year’s All- Star Game in Colorado. It is the third career All-Star appearance for Crawford, who also to the midsummer classic in 2015 and 2018, and this is the first for Gausman, who grew up in the Denver area.

Crawford ranks among the NL leaders in home runs (17, T-10th), RBI (52, T-7th), SLG (.537, 8th) and OPS (.885, 9th). Gausman sports the second-lowest ERA in the Majors (1.68) behind NYM’s Jacob deGrom and has also thrown 101.2 innings, tied for the ninth-most in MLB while his eight wins are tied for seventh-most in MLB.
The last time that the Giants had at least three representatives in the game was 2016 when Brandon Belt, Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Posey all were All-Stars in the game at Petco Park in San Diego.

This was the first time that the Giants have played on July 4 since the 2018 season, as they were off in 2019 and did not play in 2020 due to Covid-19.

With the victory over the Diamondbacks, this was the first time since the 2016 season that the Giants won on July 4 (Colorado Rockies) and now are 24-39-1 on fourth since moving to California in 1958.

UP NEXT: Gausman takes the mound on Monday afternoon, as he looks for his ninth win of the season and the Giants return home to face the St. Louis Cardinals at Oracle Park. The Cardinals will send left-hander Kwang Hyun Kim to the mound, as he looks for his third win of the season.

The San Francisco Giants Mike Yastrzemski gets congratulations from Thairo Estrada after hitting a third inning home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix on Sat Jul 3, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

Austin Slater came up with the biggest hit of the game when the San Francisco Giants so desperately needed it.

Slater launched a two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning, as the Giants came back to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-5 at Chase Field. The Giants are now 8-1 versus the Diamondbacks this season, as they have scored 70 runs in those eight games, while the Diamondbacks have 38 runs in those games.

The Slater home run was originally measured at 482 feet that would have been the longest home run by a Giants player since STATCAST began back in 2015, breaking the record of Alex Dickerson, who hit a 480-foot home run earlier this season against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field; however, it was eventually measured at 463 feet.

Entering the at-bat that gave the Giants the victory, Slater was mired in a 4-for-41 slump and that all ended with that one swing of the bat.

The Giants jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the third inning, as Mike Yastrzemski hit his 12th home run of the season, then Brandon Crawford tripled in Dickerson that made it 3-0 and then Donovan Solano drove in the final run of the frame that scored Crawford. It that inning, the Giants as a team hit for the cycle.

Unfortunately, the Giants and Sammy Long were unable to hold on to the lead, as the Diamondbacks cut the lead in half, when Asdrubal Cabrera singled to centerfield that scored Jake Faria and then Christian Walker singled to score Nick Ahmed for the second run of the inning.

Ahmed tied up the game in the bottom of the fourth inning, as he hit his second home run of the season that also scored Andrew Young.

The usual Giants defense faltered in the bottom of the fifth inning, as LaMonte Wade, Jr., was unable to field the ball, when the ball hit by Pavin Smith went through his legs that sent Cabrerat to third and Smith up to second.

Following the Wade error, Jose Alvarez replaced Zack Littell, who came on to start the inning in place of Long.

David Peralta greeted Alvarez rudely, as he singled to score Cabrera that gave the Diamondbacks the lead. Alvarez was able to regroup, as he struck out Josh Reddick and then got Daulton Varsho on a great play by Crawford, who threw to Darin Ruf to end the inning.

That would be the score up until Slater hit that two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning that gave the Giants the lead for good.

Long went four innings, allowing four runs on seven hits, walking one and struck out six on the evening.

The quintet of Littell, Alvarez, Dominic Leone, Tyler Rogers and Jake McGee went the final five innings, allowing one unearned run on three hits, walking one and striking out seven. Leone pitched the seventh inning, his only inning of work, as he allowed a hit and struck out one, ended up the getting his second win of the season.

Rogers came on in the top of the eighth inning, where he gave up a hit and struck out that then bridged into closer Jake McGee, who struck out one and picked up his 16th save of the season.

Faria went four innings for the Diamondbacks, allowing four runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out three.

Thairo Estrada, who hit a grand slam in the top of the ninth inning on Friday night made a huge mistake on the bases just prior to the Yastrzemski walk and the Slater home run. Estrada walked with one out; however, he was picked off at first base by pitcher Ryan Buchter that was challenged by Gabe Kapler, but the call was upheld.

Crawford picked up three hits on the evening, including a double that gave him 616 in his career, passing J.T. Snow for ninth-most since the Giants moved to California in 1958.

NOTES: Prior to the game, as the Giants reached the halfway point of the season, the Giants were 51-30 (.630) at the halfway point of the 2021 campaign and the .630 mark is tied for the third-best winning percentage in the SF-era (1958-present) at the halfway point of the season and only the 1993 Giants (53-28, .654) and the 1962 club (52-29, .642) were better.

When Estrada hit his first career grand slam in last night’s win, it was the fifth grand slam by the Giants this season,
which is third-most in the Majors behind the
Braves and Dodgers, who each have seven
apiece entering play today…Estrada became
the sixth Giant since at least 1900 to hit a HR in
his first start with the team…the last to do it was
OF Alex Dickerson, who also did it here in Arizona on June 21, 2019.

Estrada joins Crawford, Brian Dallimore, Alberto Castillo and Bobby Bonds as the only players to hit a grand slam in their first ever game with the Giants.

UP NEXT: Anthony DeSclafani goes for his ninth win of the season on Sunday evening, as the Giants close out the series, while the Diamondbacks will send left-hander Caleb Smith to the hill, as he looks for his third win of the season.