Tag: Arizona Diamondbacks

Giants Drop Game One Against Diamondbacks 4-2, Bob Melvin Ejected

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San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin says his piece after being ejected by plate umpire Quinn Wolcott in the ninth inning at Chase Field in Phoenix on Mon Jun 30, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The San Francisco Giants (45-40) came up short in their series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks (42-42) losing 4-2. It was an interesting game for a number of reasons. Manager Bob Melvin was ejected from the game when he complained to the home plate umpire.

Heliot Ramos got a miserable call and Melvin was out there standing up for his player. When it appeared that Christian Koss had hit a home run and tied up the game, the play was reviewed and it was determined that there was fan interference and Koss was awarded second base. It was not the way the Giants wanted to start this series. They were not able to catch a break in this game.

Game recap: San Francisco was quiet offensively through the first five innings with only 3 hits. The Diamondbacks were fairly quiet as well although in the third inning they were able to put one run up on the scoreboard taking an early 1-0 lead. Jose Herrera hit a sacrifice bunt allowing base runner Alek Thomas to score the early run from second base. Going into the sixth inning, each team had only managed three hits apiece.

The Diamondbacks struck again in the bottom of the sixth inning a home run off the bat of Lourdes Gurriel Jr., a shot to left center extending the Arizona lead 2-0.

San Francisco’s Dominic Smith got the Giants fourth hit of the game in the seventh inning and it was a good one, a double with only one out and Willie Adames at the plate. Adames got an infield single and San Francisco had runners at first and second base with two outs.

Tyler Fitzgerald would try and bring some runs home as he took the plate. Fitzgerald got the job done with some good wood, a bullet deep into center field bringing both Smith and Adames home to tie up this game 2-2. With one good swing, Fitzgerald got the Giants right back in this ball game.

The D’Backs got something going in the bottom of the seventh inning. Alek Thomas hit a single followed by a Jose Herrera single and Arizona had runners on first and third with only one out. The tie was short-lived when Geraldo Perdomo singled driving Thomas home for a 3-2 Arizona lead.

Giving up three singles in a row resulted in Giant’s pitcher Logan Webb exiting the game, relieved by Randy Rodriguez. Rodriguez got San Francisco out of the inning and it was onto the eighth inning.

When it appeared that San Francisco’s Christian Koss had homered in the eighth inning the play was reviewed and it was determined that there was a possibility of fan interference. After a very lengthy review Koss was awarded second base and Brett Wisely would run for Koss when it appeared he had a hip issue.

Arizona got out of the top of the inning hanging onto the 3-2 lead. As it turned out the Giants would need more than one run to tie the game. Eugenio Suarez hit the second Diamondback home run of the game in the bottom of the eighth inning, a solo shot giving Arizona a 4-2 lead.

This game went into the ninth inning and the Giants had their work cut out for them needing at least two runs to tie up this game. It was a three up and three down for San Francisco and the Diamondbacks had won the first game of the series 4-2.

Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb had a very good game but San Francisco just didn’t get the hits or the breaks needed to win this game. Webb got through 6 1/3 innings and allowed seven hits, three earned runs, one walk and seven strikeouts.

Game notes: Monday afternoon the Giants took on the Diamondbacks getting a three-game series underway. The Giants are coming off a disappointing series with the Chicago White Sox losing the series. Some poor production at the plate has hampered the Giants and Monday night was no exception as the Giants again were able to tie the Diamondbacks but couldn’t surpass them and Arizona was able to score twice to hand the Giants seventh loss in their last eight games.

Tomorrow game two will get underway at 6:40 PM. Hayden Birdsong will take the mound for San Francisco with a 4.13 ERA. The Diamondbacks will start Zac Gallen who had a 5-9 win/loss record and a 5.75 ERA. San Francisco will be in search of some improved offense and a win in game two of the series.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Dodgers lose fourth straight; Mets Soto asked to hustle out of batters box; plus more MLB news

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Los Angeles Dodgers two way star Shohei Ohtani grounds out in the bottom of the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodgers Stadium on Mon May 19, 2025. The Dodgers are struggling of late and are on a four game losing streak. (AP News photo)

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 What happened to the Los Angeles Dodgers after taking two out of three from the Sacramento A’s at Dodger Stadium. Then the Dodgers got swept by in three games by the Los Angeles Angels over the weekend and the Arizona Diamondbacks came to town on Monday night and jumped all over Dodger pitching losing 9-5.

#2  New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza will speak to Juan Soto about getting out of the hitter’s box a little faster. Soto was watching his handy work of what he anticipated would a home run instead of running the bases. The ball ended up bouncing off the Green Monster in Boston for a long single on Monday night at Fenway Park. Soto said he thinks he been hustling out of the box pretty hard.

#3 Jose Alvarado might have disappointed his teammates at the Philadelphia Phillies after coming up positive for external testosterone. Major League Baseball suspended Alvarado for 80 games on Sunday. The Phillies were predicted to be a post season team but with Alvarado out that could set them back.

#4 Former St Louis Cardinal Kolten Wong has announced at 34 he will be retiring at 34. Wong finishes his career with a .256 average and finishes just 27 hit short of getting 1,000 hits in his illustrious 11 year career. He finishes with 86 homers, 511 runs scored, and stole 120 bases. Wong won the Gold Glove Awards in 2019 and 2020. Finishing his career in 2023 hitting .183 with four homers over 87 games.

#5 The Kansas City Royals pitcher Kris Bubic pitched a no hitter into the sixth inning only to get charged with a hit by the Giants Wilmer Flores who broke up the no hit bid on Monday night. The Royals got enough good pitching to win the ball game 3-1 in spite of Giants starter Robbie Ray’s great performance pitching seven innings, six hits, no walks, and struck out seven. Ray remains undefeated at 6-0 he didn’t get the loss.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.

San Francisco Giants podcast Morris Phillips: Giants open up three game series with A’s Friday

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Jordan Hicks (right) is relieved by manager Bob Melvin (left) in the top of the third inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed May 14, 2025 (AP News photo)

On San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 The San Francisco Giants dropped a three game series to the Arizona Diamondbacks losing two out of three. Both loses by San Francisco were narrow loses starting with Monday’s 2-1 loss as the Diamondbacks lead off hitter Corbin Carroll hit two home runs which was all the runs the Diamondbacks needed for the win.

#2 The Diamondbacks held onto win on Wednesday afternoon with 13 hits to just hold onto get by the Giants 8-7. The Diamondbacks got home run help from Ketel Marte who hit two homers in the rubber game win.

#3 Giants starter Jordan Hicks gave up Marte’s first home run a solo blast in the first inning then in the top of the fourth Marte homered off Giants reliever Hayden Birdsong. Marte was seeing the ball well during the Wednesday matinee.

#4 The Sacramento A’s come calling on Friday night at Oracle Park in the first of a three game series. This will be the first non Bay Bridge Series between the two clubs since the A’s moved to Sacramento. Still this doesn’t take away from the nostalgia of it all does it?

#5 Morris, taking a look at the starters for this one Friday for the A’s manager Mark Kotsay has not decided on who will start to open the series yet. For the Giants RHP Logan Webb (4-3 ERA 2.60) has been having a lot success out on the mound. How do you see this series.

Join Morris Phillips for the San Francisco Giants podcast each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants game wrap: Giants’ comeback falls just short, as Diamondbacks hold on for 8-7 win to take series

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Arizona Diamondbacks third base coach Shaun Larkin (88) congratulates Ketel Marte (right) after hitting a two run home run in top of the fourth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP News photo)

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

Arizona Diamondbacks 8 (23-21)

San Francisco Giants 7 (25-19)

Win: Ryan Thompson (1-0)

Loss: Jordan Hicks (1-6)

Save: Shelby Miller (3)

Time: 3:14

Attendance: 30,078

By Stephen Ruderman

The Giants came back from down 8-2 to put the tying run 90 feet away at third base in the bottom of the ninth inning, but at the end, the Diamondbacks held on to win this thriller by a final of 8-7 Wednesday.

After a wild win Tuesday night, the Giants looked to take the series over their division rivals Wednesday. However, Giants’ starter Jordan Hicks has had his struggles in the early going this season, and they would continue Wednesday.

Katel Marte shot a home run just fair down the right field line with one out in the top of the first inning to give the Diamondbacks an early 1-0 lead. Arizona then scored two more runs in the top of the second on RBI base-hits by Geraldo Perdomo and Alek Thomas.

The Diamondbacks led 3-0, and they looked to blow it open early, as they still had the bases loaded with nobody out. Hicks caught a break when Corbin Carroll lined a bullet to first-baseman David Villar, who turned an unassisted double play. Marte, who had homered an inning prior, struck out to end the inning, and Hicks got out of it down by just three.

The Giants had their response against Diamondbacks’ starter Eduardo Rodrigurez in the bottom of the second. Just like last night, the suddenly-hot Christian Koss came up with the bases loaded and one out. He didn’t hit a grand slam like last night, but he fisted a base-hit to right, which knocked in Willy Adames to put the Giants on the board. Heliot Ramos then knocked in catcher Sam Huff with a sacrifice fly to right to make it 3-2.

However, the struggles continued for Hicks in the top of the third. Lourdes Gurriel led off the inning with a double, and after Josh Naylor got Gurriel over to third on a bloop single, Hicks was done after just two-plus innings.

Bob Melvin brought up the reliable Hayden Birdsong. Birdsong has been off to a great start this season, and he came into today’s game with a 1.33 ERA. Unfortunately, this would not be Birdsong’s day, as Eugenio Suarez greeted him with a three-run home run to left to open Arizona’s lead back up to 6-2.

After the Giants went down one, two, three against Rodriguez in the bottom of the third, Birdsong was tagged for another home run with one out in the top of the fourth. This one was the second home run of the day for Katel Marte, who hit a two-run shot over the high wall in right-center. The Diamondbacks now had an 8-2 lead.

However, despite their recent offensive struggles, the Giants have never given up, and they have been known to come back and win games. The Giants put runners at first and second with two outs in the bottom of the fourth for Heliot Ramos. Ramos lined a double down the left field line, and both runners scored to make it 8-4, and the Giants had sent their message.

Birdsong got through the fifth, and Spencer Bivens pitched scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh.

Though they went down scoreless in the fifth and sixth, the Giants continued to chip away at Arizona’s lead in the bottom of the seventh against Ryne Nelson. Wilmer Flores singled with one out, and Jung Hoo Lee hit a two-run home run to right-center to make it 8-6.

Erik Miller threw a one, two, three top of the eighth, and Nelson retired the first two men he faced in the bottom of the eighth. Then there was some drama. Koss drew a walk, and Heliot Ramos reached on an infield hit to third. However, Koss rounded second and collided with Diamondbacks’ shortstop Geraldo Perdomo. Koss fell to the ground and appeared to be hurt, and he was promptly tagged out.

However, after Melvin came out to argue, the umpires called Type 2 obstruction on Perdomo. Type 2 obstruction is called when a runner is impeded by a fielder without the ball while a play is not being made on him. With type 2 obstruction, the play continues, and then the umpires determine where the runner would have gone had the obstruction not occurred.

Usually, if a player stops after Type 2 obstruction is called and stays put or assumes he’s entitled to the next base—as is the case with Type 1 obstruction, which is called when a runner is being impeded by a fielder without the ball while a play is being made on him—and he gets tagged out in the process, the out stands.

Diamondbacks Manager Torey Lovullo was furious. His argument very well may have been that Koss was sitting on the ground after the obstruction, and thus should have been out. However, since Koss was hurt and unable to get up and go back to second, he was awarded second base to nullify the obstruction. What also complicated things was that the obstruction was not called until after the play ended.

First Base Umpire and Crew Chief Mark Ripperger explained the crew’s decision to Lovullo, who would be thrown out of the game. On the other hand, Melvin and Giants Third Base Coach Matt Williams did not like that Koss was unable to move up to third.

However, as I mentioned earlier, Koss would have been awarded third on Type 1 obstruction if a play was being made on him while he was impeded. Since this was Type 2 obstruction, because play was not being made on Koss, he had to stay at second.

After all the chaos ended, Wilmer Flores popped out to end the inning.

Giants’ closer Ryan Walker pitched a scoreless inning in the top of the ninth, and the Giants rallied against Shelby Miller in the bottom of the ninth.

Matt Chapman hit a base-hit to left with one out, and then Willy Adames hit a ground-rule double to left-center. After being down 8-2 back in the fourth inning, the Giants had the tying run in scoring position with one out in the bottom of the ninth.

Patrick Bailey, who came in for Huff to catch in the top of the inning, drew a walk to load the bases for Mike Yastrzemski. Yastrzemski struck out swinging, and Melvin sent in LaMonte Wade to pinch-hit for Villar. Wade walked, and Chapman scored to make it 8-7.

Now, the tying run was standing just 90 feet away at third, and the winning run was in scoring position at second. Up came Koss with a chance to be the hero. He took the first two pitches for strikes, and then he took two more pitches to work the count to 2-2. At the end, Koss flew out to center-fielder Alek Thomas in shallow right-center, and the Giants came up just short.

The Diamondbacks ended up taking the series, and it was a tough loss for the Giants. However, the fact that the Giants came back from down 8-2 to put the tying run at third in the ninth shows just how good, resilient and determined the 2025 Giants are. It was a tough loss, but the Giants should hold their heads high as they leave the ballpark and be ready to go against the A’s on Friday.

Eduardo Rodriguez only pitched four innings, so it was Ryan Thomas, who pitched the bottom of the fifth for the Diamondbacks, who got the win. Jordan Hicks took the loss, and Shelby Miller picked up his third save.

The Giants fall to 25-19, and they will get a day off on Thursday. On Friday, the Oakland/Sacramento A’s will come to Oracle Park for a three-game set. Giants’ ace Logan Well (4-3, 2.60 ERA) will take the ball in the series opener Friday night. The A’s have yet to announce their starter.

First pitch will be at 7:15 p.m.

Ray hangs in there for solid outing to stay undefeated, and Koss’ grand salami carries Giants to wild 10-6 win over Arizona

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San Francisco Giants Jung Hoo Lee (51) is congratulated by teammates Heliot Ramos (far left), Mike Yastrzemski (5) in the bottom of the eighth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Tue May 13, 2025 (AP News photo)

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

Arizona Diamondbacks 6 (22-21)

San Francisco Giants 10 (25-18)

Win: Robbie Ray (6-0)

Loss: Brandon Pfaat (6-3)

Time: 3:00

Attendance: 30,960

By Stephen Ruderman

Robbie Ray pitched solid innings after giving up a three-spot in the top of the first inning, and Christian Koss’ grand slam—also his first big league home run—in the bottom of the second propelled the Giants to a wild 10-6 win over the Diamondbacks.

The Giants came into Tuesday night losers of four-straight after Corbin Carroll hit a pair of home runs and Merrill Kelly further stymied the Giants’ offense in the series opener Monday night.

Tuesday night, the Giants had the perfect man on the mound to be the stopper. That was none other than Robbie Ray, who was 5-0. Even better, the Giants came in 8-0 in Ray’s starts this season.

It was Tuesday night, which meant the Giants would be playing their third game in their new funky city connect jerseys. The only bad news was that they were 0-2 in them. Either the Giants were going to lose their first game with Ray on the mound, or they were finally going to win their first game in their new musical threads.

Unfortunately, all signs pointed to the former early on. While Robbie Ray’s night started off nicely with a strike out of Katel Marte, base-hits by Corbin Carroll and the veteran outfielder, Randal Grichuk, put runners at the corners for Arizona with one out.

Eugenio Suarez came up and roped a double down the left field line to put the Diamondbacks on the board. Then up came Josh Naylor, who grounded a base-hit up the middle into center field, which knocked in a pair of runs.

The Diamondbacks had an early 3-0 lead, and they were looking for more. Naylor stole second base, and then he advanced to third on a two-out infield hit by Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Ray was on the ropes, but he was able to get Jordan Lawler to ground out to second, and at last, the inning was over. Ray had to throw 26 innings to get through the top of the first, and the three runs didn’t help either. However, despite their recent offensive struggles, the Giants have tended to respond to big innings by the other team.

Diamondbacks’ starter Brandon Pfaat threw a scoreless bottom of the first, but the Giants would have their response in the bottom of the second. Wilmer Flores started the inning with a base-hit, and Willy Adames drew a walk. LaMonte Wade flew out to right, which got Wilmer over to third, and Patrick Bailey loaded the bases.

Some people, including myself, have questioned Christian Koss’ role on the team. He had not been off to the best start, and he was seen by some as a waste of a roster spot. Last night, he knocked in the Giants’ only run with a two-out base-hit to right in the bottom of the fifth. Tuesday night, he was put in a big spot, as he stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded.

Koss took a sweeper down the pipe. Then he gulfed a sinker down and in, and he lined it to the first row of the bleachers out in left to suddenly put the Giants ahead. It was the big swing of the bat that the Giants had been lacking over the last few days. It also re-fired up the 30,960 at Oracle Park, who would make their presence known throughout the night.

The Giants had their big hit, and they had the lead. Meanwhile, Ray had settled down. After his laborious top of the first, he threw a scoreless top of the second, and a one, two, three top of the third.

The Giants threatened in the bottom of the third and fourth, but were unable to come through. The Giants threatened again in the bottom of the fifth, and this time, they were able to pad their lead. It happened with one out when Willy Adames gulfed a two-run home run in left to make it 6-3. Yeah, I know. It was the third home run in this series hit to the first row of the bleachers.

The Giants were not done. They proceeded to manufacture another run later in the inning. Wade and Koss each got base-hits, and Wade scored on a wild pitch.

Ray finished his night with a scoreless top of the sixth. Even after the three run top of the first, the rest of the night was not a cakewalk for Ray, but he hung in there to give his team six solid innings, which officially counts as a quality start. He also struck out nine. It wasn’t the greatest night for Ray, but it certainly was not a bad night.

Kyle Harrison, back up with the team in the bullpen, gave up a leadoff home run to Corbin Carroll in the top of the seventh. It was Carroll’s third home run of the series, and no, it went beyond the first row. It went into a tunnel beyond the wall in left-center, but it would have gone into the second, third or fourth row.

Harrison retired the next three to get through the top of the seventh. Camilo Doval found himself in trouble in the top of the eighth when the Diamondbacks loaded the bases with one out. Katel Marte hit a chopper back to the mound that Doval turned into a one, two, three double play. You don’t see those every day.

The Giants would add three more runs in the bottom of the eighth off left-hander Joe Mantiply. They all came on a three-run home run by Jung Hoo Lee, who was already somewhat the center of attention prior to the game on South Korean Heritage Night. Lee’s home run hit the green tin atop the 24-foot-high Willie Mays wall in right, so it technically didn’t even reach the first row.

Anyway, Lee’s home run made it 10-4. Naylor hit a two-run home run off Spencer Bivens in the top of the ninth to make it 10-6, but it would really be no problem. Gabriel Moreno grounded out to second to end it, and the Giants won it 10-6.

Robbie Ray gets the win and improves to 5-0. The Giants are now 9-0 in Ray’s starts this season. Brandon Pfaat got the loss.

The Giants get their 25th win to improve to 25-19. And before I forget, the Giants finally have their first win in the new city connects.

The Giants can take the series with a win in the matinee Wednesday at 12:45pm PDT. Jordan Hicks (1-4, 5.82 ERA) will go for the Giants. Countering Hicks for Arizona will be the veteran left-hander, Eduardo Rodriguez (1-3, 6.86 ERA).

First pitch will be at 12:45 p.m.

Carroll slaps two home runs, and Merrill Kelly further stymies Giants in 2-1 D-Backs win

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Arizona Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll, right, is congratulated by Ketel Marte (4) after hitting a home run against the San Francisco Giants during the third inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Monday, May 12, 2025.Jeff Chiu/AP

Monday, May 12, 2025

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

Arizona Diamondbacks 2 (22-20)

San Francisco Giants 1 (24-18)

Win: Merrill Kelly (4-2)

Loss: Justin Verlander (0-6)

Save: Shelby Miller (2)

Time: 2:17

Attendance: 27,387

By Stephen Ruderman

The San Francisco Giants’ woes from Minnesota followed them home; Merrill Kelly further stymied the Giants’ offense, and Corbin Carroll hit a pair of home runs to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 2-1 in the series opener, as the Giants have now lost four games in a row for the first time this season.

After taking two of three from a hot Cubs’ team in Chicago, the Giants were halted in their tracks, and swept by the even-hotter Minnesota Twins over the weekend. It was the first time the Giants were swept this season. However, the Giants’ offense was also stymied over the weekend, as they wasted key opportunities.

The Giants had to put it behind them as they returned home to take on their division rivals, the Arizona Diamondbacks, for the first time this season. Arizona came in after splitting an epic four-game series with the Dodgers down in Phoenix.

It took Justin Verlander nine starts to get his first world series win. Through eight starts as a Giant here in 2025, he had yet to get a win. As he took the ball on this semi-foggy night for his ninth start of the year, you just had to think that he was due.

Verlander escaped some trouble in the top of the first inning, and the Giants came up against Diamondbacks’ starter Merrill Kelly in the bottom of the first. Other than a brutal start on April 3 at Yankee Stadium, in which he gave up nine runs, Kelly has been off to a solid start, and he would dominate tonight.

Kelly began his night with a scoreless bottom of the first. He then threw a one, two, three inning in the bottom of the second.

Corbin Carroll basically slapped an opposite-field home run to the first row of the bleachers in left to lead off the top of the third. Kelly then followed that up with another one, two, three inning in the bottom of the third.

Verlander had to pitch through another jam in the top of the fourth, and the Giants had their first rally of the night against Kelly in the bottom of the fourth. The red-hot Heliot Ramos reached on an infield hit with one out, and Jung Hoo Lee flipped a base-hit to right to move Ramos down to third.

The Giants were in a perfect spot to respond and tie the game. However, they had wasted a lot of opportunities over the weekend in Minneapolis, and that would carry over into Monday night. Wilmer Flores proceeded to ground into an inning-ending double play, and the Giants were unable to get on the board.

That wasted opportunity came back to burn the Giants, as Carol hit his second home run of the night in the top of the fifth to make it 2-0. Willy Adames led off the bottom of the fifth with a double, as the Giants looked to respond. However, Kelly retired the next two, and the Giants were about to waste another rally.

Fortunately, Christian Koss came up with two outs, and lined a base-hit to right. Adames scored to put the Giants on the board, but Koss was tagged out on a rundown between first and second base.

Verlander pitched through some more trouble in the top of the sixth. After giving up a leadoff base-hit to Geraldo Perdomo in the top of the seventh, his night was over.

Verlander had a rough time Monday night, as he didn’t throw any one, two, three innings, and he gave up nine hits. However, he hung in there, and he was able to prevent the Giants’ bullpen from being taxed Monday night. Unfortunately, Verlander once again just could not get any run support, and as a result, he still remains winless through nine starts.

To give credit to the Giants, they kept coming, just as they always have this season. After Kelly threw a scoreless inning in the bottom of the sixth, Wilmer Flores led off the bottom of the seventh with a base-hit to left, and Patrick Bailey singled him over to second with one out.

However, Kelly struck out Luis Matos, and he got Koss to pop out to second to end the inning. It was another wasted opportunity for the Giants.

Tyler Rogers pitched a one, two, three inning in the top of the eighth, and Mike Yastrzemski drew a walk off Jalen Beeks to start off the bottom of the eighth. Matt Chapman struck out swinging, and then Ramos engaged Beeks in a lengthy duel.

The count went full to 3-2, and then Ramos fouled off four-straight pitches. The longer an at-bat goes, the more it swings in favor of the hitter. Ramos was getting a real feel for the pitches Beeks was throwing, and it seemed to frustrate the latter.

The 11th pitch of the at-bat was a changeup on the inside and at the knees that Ramos put perfect wood on and rocketed to left-center. However, it was right in the vicinity of left-fielder Lourdes Gurriel. Gurriel had to make a weird and clunky leap, but he was somehow able to catch it.

That was a real blow to the Giants. Randy Rodriguez threw a one, two, three inning in the top of the ninth, but Shelby Miller came in and shut the Giants down with a one, two, three inning in the ninth to end it.

Merrill Kelly was rewarded with his valiant eight-strikeout performance with the win. Justin Verlander was tagged with the loss, and he falls to 0-3. Shelby Miller picked up his second save, as the Diamondbacks have been going with the closer by committee strategy this season.

The Giants have now lost four in a row for the first time this season, as they fall to 24-18.

The good news is that the Giants have the undefeated Robbie Ray (5-0, 2.84 ERA) going Tuesday night. The even better news is that the Giants are 8-0 in Rays’ starts this season. Though, I guess the bad news is that the Giants are 0-2 in their new city connect jerseys, which they of course wear every Tuesday night at Oracle Park. Something will have to give.

Final Thoughts:

So, the Giants have lost four in a row for the first time this season. The offense is also struggling, as they have wasted a lot of opportunities the last few days.

The Giants are in a legitimate slump for the first time this season, and they are going to be tested. I get that after being mostly-abysmal in key RBI situations over the last three years, people are going to get upset and freak out when they consistently waste opportunities.

However, a big difference between this year and the last three years is that other than the last few days, the Giants’ offense has been money in key RBI situations this season. They also never give up, even now during their slump. They kept fighting Monday night. They made Merrill Kelly have to work in the bottom of the seventh, and of course Heliot Ramos got 11 pitches out of Jalen Beeks in an epic at-bat in the bottom of the eighth.

This is the third year I’ve been covering the Giants, and another thing that stands out between this year’s team and those of the last three years is that the 2025 Giants are a team on a mission. Over the course of the 162-grind, teams are going to slump. It happens. It’s never fun, and they are going to be tested, but I fully expect them to stay the course and fight through it.

Giants unable to get sweep in 8-2 loss to Diamondbacks to close out 7-2 final road trip

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Arizona Diamondbacks starter Zack Gallen struck out 11 San Francisco Giants batters at Chase Field in Phoenix on Wed Sep 25, 2024 (AP News photo)

Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024

Chase Field

Phoenix, Arizona

San Francisco Giants 2 (79-80)

Arizona Diamondbacks 8 (88-71)

Win: Zac Gallen (14-6)

Loss: Mason Black (1-5)

Time: 2:44

Attendance: 23,767

By Stephen Ruderman

The San Francisco Giants were unable to get back-to-back sweeps to close out their road schedule, as the Arizona Diamondbacks took it to Mason Black and the Giants with an 8-2 win to salvage a game in this series on Wednesday night.

When the Giants embarked on this final road trip to play three teams fighting to get into the Playoffs, it seemed as if it was going to be a disaster. Afterall, they had been swept by the Padres, and as they neared elimination, they were utterly lifeless.

However, the Giants ran into two struggling teams in the Orioles and the Royals. The Giants took two out of three in Baltimore, and they swept the Royals in Kansas City. The Giants then went to Phoenix to play a Diamondbacks’ team that was reeling after a devastating loss on Sunday in Milwaukee, in which they blew an 8-0 lead to the Brewers.

The Giants promptly won the first two games of this series. On Monday, Hayden Birdsong gave the Giants a solid five-inning performance, which helped lead the way to a 6-3 win. Then last night, the Giants’ offense broke out for five home runs, and Logan Webb pitched six strong shutout innings in an 11-0 shellacking of the Diamondbacks.

The Giants now looked to get the sweep in their final road game of the season, and stick that fork in the neck of the Diamondbacks, who were on the verge of falling out of the third and final wild card spot in the National League, and get the sweep. However, there would be a small problem for the Giants, and his name was Zac Gallen.

The roof was closed at Chase Field Wednesday night, just as it was in the first two games of this series, as Gallen and the Diamondbacks took the field. Gallen threw a scoreless inning in the top of the first to start things out.

Mason Black would take the mound for the Giants in the bottom of the first. After having to wiggle out of a jam to pitch a scoreless inning in the bottom of the first in his last start at Kauffman Stadium on Friday, Black had a much easier time throwing a scoreless bottom of the first Wednesday night.

The Giants would get on the board in the top of the second, when Tyler Fitzgerald lined a double to center field to knock in Michael Conforto.

Even though Black was off to a stronger start Wednesday night, things fell apart for him in the bottom of the second. Christian Walker hit a ground-rule double the other way to right to start the inning, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit an opposite-field single to right to tie the game.

Jake McCarthy reached on a fielder’s choice, and Eugenio Suarez walked. That brought up Gabriel Moreno, who singled up the middle and into center field to knock in McCarthy, and the Diamondbacks took the lead. Geraldo Perdomo then walked, and Corbin Carol got Suarez in with a sacrifice fly to right to make it 3-1.

Gallen pitched a one, two, three inning in the top of the third, and established that this was going to be a much different game than the first two of this series.

Black then ran into trouble when he took the mound for the bottom of the third, as he walked a pair of guys and gave up a base-hit, which loaded the bases for Arizona with one out. Black got a brief reprieve when he struck Suarez out swinging for the second out. Black then quickly jumped ahead of Moreno 0-2, but he threw four-straight out of the zone to walk Moreno, and Christian Walker scored to make it 4-1.

Black had just walked his fifth batter of the night, and his lack of control knocked him out of the game. Sean Hjelle finished the bottom of the third, and then proceeded to give up a run of his own in the bottom of the fourth.

As for Gallen, he was nails when his team desperately needed it. He gave up just one run and two hits over six dominant innings, and he walked just two and struck out 11.

Left-hander Taylor Rogers pitched a scoreless bottom of the fifth for the Giants, and Erik Miller followed that up with a scoreless bottom of the sixth. Camilo Doval then threw a one, two, three inning in the bottom of the seventh, his first one, two, three inning since Sept. 7.

The Giants got a run off of Justin Martinez in the top of the eighth to make it 5-2, but any late momentum the Giants had would be snuffed out in the bottom of the eighth. The Diamondbacks would then put the game away against Spencer Bivens, as with runners at the corners and two outs, Pavin Smith hit a home run into the pool in right-center, and it was now 8-2.

A.J. Puk and Kevin Ginkel combined for a scoreless bottom of the ninth, and the Diamondbacks got their desperately-needed win.

Zac Gallen got the win, and Mason Black took the loss.

Diamondbacks’ pitchers combined for 17 strikeouts against the Giants Wednesday night, and every single Giant who took an at-bat struck out.

The Giants fall back to under .500 at 79-80, and they end up going 38-43 on the road. Still, they made their mark in the wild card races in both leagues, and they have every reason to hold their heads high and enjoy their final flight back home to San Francisco.

The Giants went 7-2 on what was expected to be a brutal road trip. Not only was it not the brutal trip we all expected, it was tied for their second-best nine-game road trip in franchise history, and tied for their best nine-game road trip in their 67 years in San Francisco.

As for the Diamondbacks, they improve to 88-71, and they are now a game up on the Braves for the third wild card.

The Diamondbacks were already put in a bind with the Braves and Mets squaring off in Atlanta, but now that Hurricane Helene has caused both Wednesday night’s and Thursday’s game between the Braves and Mets to be postponed to a traditional doubleheader on Monday, the day after the originally-scheduled end of the Regular Season on Sunday.

The Giants will return home to close out the season with a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Oracle Park starting on Friday night. Landen Roupp (1-1, 2.70 ERA) will make the start for the Giants, and he will be opposed by Miles Mikolas (9-11, 5.35 ERA).

Prior to Friday night’s game, the winner of the 2024 Willie Mac Award will be announced in a pre-game ceremony. The Willie Mac Award is given annually to the Giants’ player—or in rare cases of a tie, players—who best exemplifies the leadership of the late great hall-of-famer, Willie McCovey. The award is voted on by Giants’ players, coaches, trainers and Manager Bob Melvin.

First pitch is currently scheduled for 7:15 p.m. PDT, but with the Willie Mac Award being announced, the first pitch could be pushed back a few minutes.

National League Wild Card Standings:

  1. Padres 91-67 +3.5
  2. Mets 87-70 —
  3. Diamondbacks 88-71 —

Braves 86-71 1.0

Giants News and Notes:

This morning on KNBR’s Murph and Markus, Andrew Baggarly, the Giants beat writer for The Athletic, discussed the future of Farhan Zaidi. Baggarly noted that the Giants’ ownership board has seemed to have lost patience with Zaidi, and that they are leaning towards making a change.

Zaidi’s fate will most likely be determined in the next one to five days.

Webb goes six strong, and Giants slug five home runs En route to 11-0 shellacking of D-Backs

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San Francisco Giants Brett Wisely (0) celebrates in the Giants dugout after hitting a three run third inning three run homer against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix on Tue Sep 24, 2024 (AP News photo)

Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024

Chase Field

Phoenix, Arizona

San Francisco Giants 11 (79-79)

Arizona Diamondbacks 0 (87-71)

Win: Logan Webb (13-10)

Loss: Brandon Pfaadt (10-10)

Time: 2:33

Attendance: 22,355

By Stephen Ruderman

The San Francisco Giants continued to stay white-hot with the pressure off and have now won seven of their last eight to get all the way back up to .500, as they hit five home runs, and Logan Webb pitched six shutout innings en route to a 11-0 shallacking of the Phoenix Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

The Giants beat the Diamondbacks in the opener of this series last night 3-0, and Tuesday night, they had the chance to do something that has eluded them for most of the season: get back up to .500. They had their ace, Logan Webb, going up against a Diamondbacks’ team that has still yet to recover from their devastating loss in Milwaukee on Sunday.

Brandon Pfaadt would take the ball for Arizona, and while he would pitch a scoreless top of the first inning, Patrick Bailey would put the Giants on the board with a home run to right-center field in the top of the second. It was Bailey’s eighth home run of the season, and his first since July 10.

Mike Yastrzemski came up with runners at first and second with two outs, and he hit a fly ball deep to right-center that appeared to be headed out, but right-fielder Corbin Carroll made a great catch at the wall to take a home run away from Yastrzemski. It would have made it 4-0, but not to worry, the Giants would get that 4-0 lead just an inning later.

Heliot Ramos singled to start the top of the third, and LaMonte Wade doubled him over to third. Matt Chapman struck out swinging, but Michael Conforto continued his great road trip with a three-run shot to left-center, and the Giants indeed had their 4-0 lead. It was Conforto’s 20th home run of the year, and his fourth in his last six games.

The Giants still weren’t done. Bailey walked, and two batters later, after Pfaadt was removed for Blake Walston, Grant McCray reached on an error. That brought up Brett Wisely, and hit a three-run home run to right-center to make it 7-0.

Meanwhile, Webb, who had not been himself in recent starts, was back to his old dominant self. Webb gave up just four hits over six shutout innings, as he walked one and struck out three.

Heliot Ramos joined the home run party with a solo shot to left-center to lead off the top of the fourth, and Tyler Fitzgerald hit a two-run home run to left in the top of the fifth. The Giants now led 10-0.

The Giants would at least manufacture one run Tuesday night. Though granted, it was on a bases-loaded walk to Casey Schmitt in the top of the eighth.

Back to the pitching side, Tristan Beck pitched a scoreless inning in the bottom of the seventh, and Austin Warren pitched a pair of shutout innings in the eighth and ninth to close it out.

Logan Webb got the win, and Brandon Pfaadt took the loss.

The Giants are indeed back up to .500, as they improve to 79-79, and now all they need to do is win three of their final four to get their first winning season in three years. Again, it’s very doable.

As for the Diamondbacks, they really have been thrown off their game since their devastating loss in Milwaukee on Sunday. Unfortunately for Arizona, they’re in a catch 22 with the Mets and the Braves meeting for a three-game series in Atlanta.

The Braves beat the Mets Tuesday night in the opener of their three-game series 5-1, and now the Diamondbacks only have a half-game lead over the Braves for the third wild card. Like the Mets, the Braves have a winning record against Arizona, so the Diamondbacks sputtering in the final week, they have quickly found themselves in big trouble in a suddenly-thrilling pennant race.

The Giants can continue to make their mark on this wild card race Wednesday, as they go for the sweep in their final road game of the season. Mason Black (1-4, 5.88 ERA) will take the ball for the Giants, and he will be opposed by Diamondbacks’ ace Zac Gallen (13-6, 3.74 ERA). First pitch will once again be at 6:40 p.m.

National League Wild Card Standings:

  1. Padres 91-66 +4.5
  2. Mets 87-70 +0.5
  3. Diamondbacks 87-71 —

Braves 86-71 0.5

Giants News and Notes:

Giants President of Baseball Operations met with reporters prior to the game Wednesday night at Chase Field. While he is preparing for the off-season, Zaidi acknowledged that it is not a given that he will make it that far.

We will find out more in the coming days.

Giants stay hot without the pressure and beat Diamondbacks 6-3 for sixth win in last seven games

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San Francisco Giants Matt Chapman (right) slides safely into home plate as the ball eludes Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Jose Herera (left) in the top of the third inning at Chase Field in Phoenix on Mon Sep 23, 2024 (AP News photo)

Monday, Sept. 23, 2024

Chase Field

Phoenix, Arizona

San Francisco Giants 6 (78-79)

Arizona Diamondbacks 3 (87-70)

Win: Hayden Birdsong (5-5)

Loss: Eduardo Rodriguez (3-4)

Save: Ryan Walker (10)

Time: 2:41

Attendance: 23,359

By Stephen Ruderman

The Giants stayed hot and played spoiler again, as they went into Chase Field to beat the Diamondbacks in the opener of this three-game series 6-3 on Monday night.

Now that they have been eliminated, Giants have been playing some of their best ball of the season with the pressure off and. They have gone 5-1 on this final road trip, taking two of three from the struggling Orioles, and sweeping the struggling Royals.

After playing spoiler in the American League Wild Card race, the Giants now had a chance to play spoiler in the National League Wild Card race. As the Giants came into Arizona for their final road series of the year, they would face a Diamondbacks’ team coming off a savage loss yesterday in Milwaukee.

The Diamondbacks looked to bounce back after blowing an 8-0 lead to the Brewers yesterday and falling back into a tie with the Mets for the second wild card spot. Since the Diamondbacks went 3-4 against the Mets this season, that meant they had fallen back into third wild card spot.

Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez made the start for Arizona, and he started the night with a one, two, three inning in the top of the first Hayden Birdsong took the ball for the Giants following a pair of outings in which he had much better command.

However, the Diamondbacks pounced on the young right-hander in the bottom of the first. Back-to-back one-out doubles by Geraldo Perdomo and Joc Pederson gave Arizona a 1-0 lead.

After the Giants wasted a two-out rally in the top of the second, they would get on the board in the top of the third. Heliot Ramos lined a base-hit to center field with one out, and Jerar Encarnacion lined a double the other way to right to knock in Ramos and tie the game.

Michael Conforto lined out, and then up came Matt Chapman. Chapman hit a fly ball deep to left-center, and as Diamondbacks’ center-fielder leapt up against the wall to try and make the catch, he jammed his right shoulder and lost his cap. The ball rolled into center, and after Encarnacion scored, Third Base Coach Matt Williams waved Chapman in, who came all the way home with the inside-the-park home run.

It was Chapman’s 27th home run of the season, and the first inside-the-park home run by a Giant since Denard Span hit one against the Philadelphia Phillies at then-AT&T Park on Aug. 19, 2017. The Giants also have established a recent history of inside-the-park home runs after getting eliminated late in the season.

Conor Gillaspie hit an inside-the-park home run against the Rockies on Sept. 27, 2011, and Kelby Tomlinson did the same against those exact same Rockies On Oct. 3, 2015. Chapman’s inside-the-parker tonight adds to that list.

The Diamondbacks would get one of those runs back in the bottom of the third. With runners at first and second with two outs, Christian Walker hit a double to left that knocked in Corbin Carroll to make it 3-2.

With one out in the top of the fourth, the Giants got that run right back when Casey Schmutt pulled a home run down the left field line to make it 4-2. Schmitt has been swinging the bat well since he was called back up last week, going 6-for-14 in his last five games with that home run and four RBIs.

Michael Conforto hit an absolute bomb to the concourse above the pool out in right-center to make it 5-2 in the top of the fifth. As Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow said on the Giants’ telecast on NBC Sports Bay Area, Conforto hit it where Barry Bonds used to hit them.

Birdsong settled down with a one, two, three bottom of the fourth, and then he worked through a pair of walks to pitch a scoreless inning in the bottom of the fifth. That would end the night for Birdsong, who gave up four runs in five innings, while walking two and striking out six.

One of the biggest reasons Birdsong struggled in August was his command. In his last three outings, his command has been much better, as he has only walked five in his last 15 and two third innings.

Birdsong is slated to start the final game of the season for the Giants on Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals. The question is whether he will make the start, or if the Giants will shut him down, which if they do, he will have ended his rookie season on quite a good note.

Hayden Birdsong pitched a scoreless bottom of the sixth, and the Giants tacked on a run against Scott McGough in the top of the seventh when Matt Chapman hit a triple to center. Just as he jammed his shoulder against the wall and lost his cap when going for Chapman’s inside-the-parker back in the third, the same exact thing happened in the top of the seventh.

Only this time, it was his left shoulder that he jammed into the wall. McCarthy will certainly feel it Tuesday, that’s for sure.

The Diamondbacks got a run off Erik Miller in the bottom of the seventh to make it 6-3, and Camilo Doval pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth. Ryan Walker then took the ball for the ninth, and he threw a one, two, three inning to get his tenth save.

Hayden Birdsong got the win; Eduardo Rodriguez got the loss; and Ryan Walker picked up the save.

The Giants have now won six of their last seven to improve to just one game under .500 at 78-79. If they can go 4-1 in their final five games, which is very much doable, they will have their first winning season in three years.

As for the Diamondbacks, they fall to 87-70, and are now a half-game behind the Mets. They are a game and a half ahead of the Atlanta Braves for the third wild card in the National League.

The two teams will be back at it Tuesday night, and Logan Webb (12-10, 3.58 ERA) will make his second-straight start following a Giants’ win. Right-hander Brandon Pfaat (10-9, 4.66 ERA) will take the ball for Arizona. First pitch will be at 6:40 p.m.

National League Wild Card Standings:

  1. Padres 90-66 +3.5
  2. Mets 87-69 +0.5
  3. Diamondbacks 87-70 —

Braves 85-71 1.5

Giants News and Notes:

Jordan Hicks’ season is over, as he has been placed on the 15-Day Injured List on Friday.

Farhan Zaidi brought in Hicks and converted him into a starter. It was initially a success, but after a rough go of things, Hicks was moved back to the bullpen.

Major League Baseball News and Notes:

Longtime Charlie Blackmon announced that he would retire at the end of the season. Blackmon, a career-.292 hitter, will be hanging it up after 14 seasons, all with the Rockies.

Snell lasts only one inning, but Patrick Bailey carries Giants to 3-2 win to snap four-game skid

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San Francisco Giants starter Blake Snell leaves for the dugout after being removed in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Thu Sep 5, 2024 (AP News photo)

Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

Arizona Diamondbacks 2 (79-62)

San Francisco Giants 3 (69-72)

Win: Ryan Walker (9-3)

Loss: Kevin Ginkel (7-3)

Time: 2:35

Attendance: 27,871

By Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–Blake Snell only lasted one inning, but the Giants snapped their four-game skid with a 3-2 win over the Diamondbacks on a walk-off double by Patrick Bailey, who knocked in all three runs for the Giants Thursday.

The Diamondbacks beat the Giants again tonight, 6-4, to take the first two games of this series, as Hayden Birdsong had another outing cut short due to his command, and Zac Gallen threw six no-hit innings to hand the Giants their fourth-straight loss.

Prior to the game, the Giants announced the six-year extension of Matt Chapman through 2030. It is a $151-million deal, in which Chapman will make $25 million a year, as well as a $1-million signing bonus. Chapman sang the praises of the Giants’ organization and the City of San Francisco. He also said that players have called him expressing a desire to come to the Giants.

With Chapman’s extension official, the focus turned to the team on the field. The Giants came into Thursday losers of four-straight games after dropping the first two games of this series. Thursday, they looked to avoid the sweep, and they had the right man on the mound for it in Blake Snell.

However, Snell would have to labor through a long top of the first inning. Geraldo Perdomo lined a base-hit to left field to lead off the game, and Corbin Carroll walked to put runners at first and second with nobody out.

Josh Bell then hit a ground ball to Tyler Fitzgerald, who fielded it while going to his right. Fitzgerald’s momentum was taking him towards third base, where he had a sure out, but he instead threw against his momentum to second. The throw sailed past the second-baseman Brett Wisely, which allowed everyone to move up an extra base, and Perdomo scored.

Snell finally got the first two outs, though he got some help from the boys in the Replay Center in New York on the first one. However, he then walked Eugenio Suarez to load the bases for Jake McCarthy.

Snell fell behind McCarthy 3-0, and then Snell came back to make it 3-2. McCarthy swung and missed at the payoff pitch for strike three, a fastball just off the outside corner, but it was dropped by catcher Patrick Bailey. Bailey couldn’t throw it to first in time; everyone was safe; and the Diamondbacks now led it 2-0.

Merrill Kelly, who had missed four months due to a strained right shoulder, took the ball for Arizona, and he threw a scoreless inning in the bottom of the first.

Bob Melvin decided to lift Snell after just one inning, as the latter had thrown 42 pitches. Landen Roupp was brought in, and he threw a pair of one, two, three innings in the second and third, as well as a scoreless inning in the top of the fourth.

Kelly threw two scoreless innings in the second and third, and then the Giants would mount a rally against him in the bottom of the fourth.

Michael Conforto lined a base-hit to right to start the bottom of the fourth, and Chapman doubled to left to put runners at second at third with no one out. However, LaMonte Wade and Tyler Fitzgerald both struck out swinging, and it looked like the Giants were going to waste another golden opportunity.

Patrick Bailey then came up, and he floated a Texas Leaguer to shallow left to knock in a pair and tie the game.

Arizona then rallied against Roupp in the top of the fifth and put runners at second and third with one out, as they looked to get their lead back. Roupp retired the next two men he faced, and he got out of it without any damage.

Roupp saved the Giants’ bullpen just as Spencer Bivens did last night. Roupp gave up just one hit over four shutout innings. He walked two and struck out five.

Kelly threw a four-pitch one, two, three inning in the bottom of the fifth, and the Giants wasted a leadoff double from Conforto in the top of the sixth. Kelly then threw another one, two, three inning in the bottom of the seventh to cap off a strong start. He gave up six hits, but he didn’t walk anybody, and he struck out eight.

Erik Miller threw a one, two, three inning in the top of the sixth for the Giants, and Tyler Rogers followed that up with a scoreless top of the seventh. Camilo Doval then ran into eighth-inning trouble for the second day in a row.

Christian Walker doubled to right-center to start the inning, as center-fielder Grant McCray was unable to come up with a great catch. Jorge Barrosa bunted Walker over to third, and Doval fell behind Eugenio Suarez 3-1. Doval then came back to strike Suarez out looking, and then Melvin went to his closer, Ryan Walker, who struck out Jake McCarthy to end the inning.

The Giants put runners on first and second with one out against Joe Mantiply in the bottom of the eighth. Heliot Ramos doubled, and then he committed a base-running gaffe, which thanks to a bad throw by Mantiply on a comebacker to the mound, allowed Conforto to reach first. Torey Lovullo brought in Kevin Ginkel, and Ginkel got out of the inning without any damage.

The game was still tied 2-2 going to the ninth. Melvin sent Walker back out for the top of the ninth, and Luis Guillorme drew a leadoff walk, the worst possible thing that could happen for Walker and the Giants. However, Walker then retired the side in order to give the Giants a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth.

Ginkel was back out for Arizona in the bottom of the ninth. Tyler Fizgerald led off the inning with a base-hit to center, and he stole second with Bailey at the plate.

Bailey, who knocked in the first two runs for the Giants with a Texas Leaguer in the bottom of the fourth, came through again, as he hit a ground-rule double to left-center to win it for the Giants. It was the Giants’ league-leading 11th walk-off win of the year.

Ryan Walker was rewarded with the win for his clutch late-inning performance. Kevin Ginkel took the loss for the Diamondbacks.

On Aug. 31, 2018, the Giants shut out the Mets 7-0 to improve to 68-68. The Giants then lost 11-straight games before finally winning their 69th game. It was the beginning of a brutal 5-21 finish to the 2018 Season for the Giants that cost then-General Manager Bobby Evans his job.

Fast forward six years later with Farhan Zaidi facing uncertainty over his future. The Giants beat the Miami Marlins 3-1 on Aug. 30 to improve to 68-68. The Giants then only lost four-straight to get that elusive 69th win.

During Matt Chapman’s press conference, Giants President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi was asked about his future with the team. Zaidi declined to answer the question, and he deferred the topic of conversation back to that of Chapman’s extension.

Despite being signed to a contract extension through 2026, there has been speculation that Zaidi’s job could be in danger. Alex Pavlovic, the Giants Beat Writer for NBC Sports Bay Area, hinted on July 25 that people in the Giants’ front office needed them to make the playoffs this season.

With the fact that this season has not panned out like everyone had hoped, and that the Giants are wrapping up their third-straight season of mediocracy, Zaidi’s fate could come into the spotlight over the final three and a half weeks of the season.

The Giants improve to 69-72, and they will head down the coast to San Diego Friday for a three-game series against another powerful team in the Padres. The pitching matchup has yet to be decided. First pitch will be at 6:40 p.m PT.