San Francisco Giants third coach Matt Williams (9) congratulates Matt Chapman (right) who scored on a sixth inning home run at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Mon Aug 19, 2024 (AP News photo)
Monday, Aug. 19, 2024
Oracle Park
San Francisco, California
Chicago White Sox 3 (30-96)
San Francisco Giants 5 (64-63)
Win: Kyle Harrison (7-5)
Loss: Jonathan Cannon (2-7)
Save: Jordan Hicks (1)
Time: 2:22
Attendance: 29,209
By Stephen Ruderman
The Giants got back over .500 with a 5-3 win that was too close for comfort against a team like the White Sox, but their offense came back to life with runners in scoring positions, as the Giants were saying so we’ll take it!
After the Giants snuck out of Oakland with a 4-2 win thanks to their home run-happy offense Sunday, they returned home across the bay to play the worst team in Baseball, the Chicago White Sox. Every couple of years or so, we get that one really bad team that threatens to overtake the 1962 New York Mets, who went 40-120, for the most losses in a single season.
The White Sox came into tonight’s game 30-95, on pace to go 39-123. Perhaps, the 2024 Chicago White Sox will be that team. With the Giants fighting to stay in contention for the third and final wild card spot in the National League, they were playing a team that they not only had to sweep, but that they had to absolutely pound into the ground.
Left-hander Kyle Harrison made the start for the Giants Monday night, and he got his night started with a pair of one, two, three innings. Though Harrison owes it to center-fielder Grant McCray, who took a hit away from Luis Robert Jr. with a great diving catch with one out in the top of the first inning.
Jonathan Cannon made the start for the South Siders, and he also got his night started with a one, two, three inning in the bottom of the first. Cannon then threw a scoreless bottom of the second.
Harrison ran into trouble in the top of the third, as the White Sox loaded the bases with nobody out. Harrison struck Lenyn Sosa out on three pitches for the first out, and that brought up Robert, who would get robbed by great defense again.
Robert hit a ground ball to the right side, and second-baseman Thairo Estrada, who was activated off the Injured List and in the lineup for the first time since July 25, dove to his left to field it and turn an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.
Cannon threw a one, two, three inning in the bottom of the third, and Harrison escaped another jam in the top of the fourth.
Harrison was in trouble again in the top of the fifth, as the White Sox had Brooks Baldwin at second with two outs. Robert, who was robbed of hits in the first and third, would not be robbed this time, as he lined a base-hit the other way to right field to score Baldwin.
The Giants had wasted an opportunity in the bottom of the fourth, and now they were losing to the worst team in Baseball.
Estrada and McCray singled with one out, and the Giants had themselves another golden opportunity. Curt Casali then came up and shot a base-hit off the end of the bat to right-center that knocked in Estrada to tie it. It was a much-needed RBI hit with a runner in scoring position for the Giants, who were surprisingly not done yet.
Tyler Fitzgeraled lined a double down the left field line to score McCray and give the Giants the lead. LaMonte Wade hit a sharp ground ball to first that shot off the glove of the diving Lenyn Sosa, and Casali scored to make it 3-1.
The Giants were getting big RBI hits with runners in scoring position and keeping the line moving. They have been more than capable of doing that all year, which makes it all the more disappointing that they have struggled doing so throughout the season. If this offense kept doing this after the Giants won 10 of 12 at the end of May, who knows where they would stand right now.
Heliot Ramos was then able to knock in Fitzgerald with a sacrifice fly to center to make it 4-1. The Giants had their first four-run inning since their four-run 10th inning on Aug. 8 when they won that insane game in our nation’s capital in their effort to skip down before Tropical Storm Debby got in.
After three-straight rocky innings, Harrison settled down to end his night on a high note with a one, two, three top of the sixth. Harrison gave up just one run over six innings, but his outing was pretty much half and half, as he had three one, two, three innings, and three shaky innings. Harrison was quite lucky that the offense picked him up in the bottom of the fifth.
Matt Chapman led off the bottom of the sixth with a home run to left off Cannon to make it 5-1. For Chapman, it was his 20th home run of the season. Cannon then retired the side to end his night.
Erik Miller threw a scoreless top of the seventh for the Giants, and the Giants wasted an opportunity to add on against Gus Varland in the bottom of the seventh. It was a wasted opportunity that would make this game a bit scary in the final two innings.
Bob Melvin brought in Spencer Bivens for the top of the eighth, and he ran into trouble when the White Sox put runners at second and third with one out. That would be it for Bivens, as with the Giants trying to stay in contention, Melvin wasted no time going to his eighth inning man, Tyler Rogers.
Miguel Vargas hit a sacrifice fly to left, and Robert scored to make it 5-2. White Sox Manager Grady Sizemore then had Gavin Sheets pinch-hit, and Sheets floated a base-hit to center to knock in Korey Lee and make it 5-3.
Rogers escaped further damage in the top of the eighth, and Chad Kuhl pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth for the White Sox.
Ryan Walker pitched two innings in Oakland yesterday, so he was not available Monday night. Instead, Melvin went with Jordan Hicks, who had 12 saves last season. However, the White Sox made things scary for Hicks and the Giants in the top of the ninth.
Brooks Baldwin singled to lead off the inning, and Robert lined a base-hit to left with one out. It was Robert’s third hit of the game, and if it wasn’t for the defense of Grant McCray and Thairo Estrada, Robert may have very well had himself a five-hit night.
The White Sox had runners at first and second with one out. Andrew Vaughn flew out to left for the second out, but with Korey Lee at the plate, a passed ball by Casali allowed the runners to get to second and third.
The White Sox were quite possibly a base-hit away from tying this thing. Lee worked the count full, but on the eighth pitch of the at-bat, Hicks threw a sinker at the top of the zone that Lee just got a bit too much underneath of, and he flew out to left-center to end it.
Kyle Harrison got the win; Jonathan Cannon got the loss; and Jordan Hicks picked up his first save of the season.
The Giants finally had an inning where they got RBI hits with runners in scoring position, but it was their pitching that let them down Monday night. I get that we should be celebrating after a win, and we should, but against a team like the White Sox, this game was a lot closer and scarier than it should have been. The Giants did win though, so we’ll take it, but just make it cleaner Tuesday!
The Giants are back over .500 at 64-63, and since the Braves were off Monday night, the Giants are three and a half games back of Atlanta for the third wild card.
The Giants and White Sox will be at it again in this 1917 World Series Rematch Tuesday. Robbie Ray (2-2, 6.00 ERA) will make the start for the Giants, and Davis Martin (0-1, 3.00 ERA) will take the ball for Chicago. First pitch will be at 6:45 p.m.
National League Wild Card Standings:
- Padres 71-55 +4.0
- Diamondbacks 70-56 +3.0
- Braves 66-58 —
Mets 65-60 1.5
GIANTS 64-63 3.5
Cardinals 61-63 5.0
*Reds 61-64 5.5
*Cubs 61-64 5.5
*Tiebreaking procedures taken into account.
Giants News and Notes:
With Thairo Estrada being activated off the Injured List prior to the game, Brett Wisely was sent back down to Triple-A Sacramento.
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