Tag: mlb

Cleveland Guardians Bo Naylor watches the flight of his three run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning as San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey looks on at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Sun Jul 7, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The San Francisco Giants were looking for a series win as they took on the Cleveland Guardians (56-32) Sunday afternoon but had to settle for a 5-4 loss only winning game two in the series. The Giants have dropped to 44-47, three games below five hundred. San Francisco rallied in the ninth inning pulling to within one run but fell short in this game.

Game recap: The Giants got a great start in the game taking a 2-0 lead in the second inning. It was a quick strike, a Michael Conforto home run, with Patrick Bailey aboard taking the 2-0 lead into the third inning. San Francisco scored another run in the third inning extending their lead. Heliot Ramos singled and Nick Ahmed scored from third after leading off the inning with a double for a Giants 3-0 lead.

The Guardians began to make some noise scoring 2 runs in the fourth inning. Cleveland pulled to within one run with a couple of Guardian hits that brought two runners home. Bo Naylor hit a single that drove Angel Martinez home for their first run of the game. Daniel Schneeman came to the plate and doubled allowing another Cleveland runner Jose Ramirez to score ending the inning with the Giants still leading 3-2.

It was a quiet fifth inning for both teams. In the sixth inning Cleveland took their first lead of the game scoring three runs. Bo Naylor had his second hit of the game, a home run, driving in two runners, Andres Gimenez who was on second and Tyler Freeman on third for a 5-3 Cleveland lead.

This game went into the ninth inning with the Guardians hanging onto the 5-3 lead. San Francisco had one inning left to try and turn this game around. Patrick Bailey flied out but Matt Chapman doubled to keep this game alive for the Giants. Michael Conforto grounded out bringing Chapman home and San Francisco had pulled too within one run with two outs on the board. Luis Matos who hit for Slater and was called safe on a Cleveland throwing error and the Giants were still alive. It all came to an end when Brett Wisely grounded out and the Guardians had won the game 5-4 as well as the series.

Cleveland had 10 hits in this game and San Francisco finished with 7 hits. Giants starting pitcher Hayden Birdsong went 4.2 innings allowing 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks with 5 strikeouts. The Guardians starter Carlos Cerrasco threw for 5 innings with 6 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk and 4 strikeouts. It all came down to the Bo Naylor 3-run home run in the sixth inning to push Cleveland over the top.

Game notes: Sunday afternoon in Cleveland, the San Francisco Giants (44-47) played the Guardians (56-32) in the rubber match of their three-game series. Cleveland evened up the series in Saturday’s game with a 5-4 win keeping them atop the American League Central. Sunday the Giants sent Hayden Birdsong to the mound. Birdsong pitched for 4.2 innings, allowed five hits and two earned runs.

Carlos Carrasco started for the Guardians went five innings, six hits and three earned runs with four strikeouts. San Francisco wrapped up the series with a win on Friday night but losing two out of three to the Guardians. The Giants are heading home to San Francisco for a series with the Blue Jays which will get underway Tuesday night at 6:45pm PT.

Blake Snell (0-3, ERA 9.51) will take the mound for the Giants in this game returning from IL. This will be his first start since June and his second IL this season. It was not be an easy return for the pitcher in his first return from IL but he was solid on Wednesday in Sacramento looking sharp with five no-hit , shutout innings striking out nine batters. The Blue Jays will start Yusei Kikuchi who come in with a 4-8 win/loss record and a 4.12 ERA.

Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor (left) can’t get the the throw as the San Francisco Giants Matt Chapman (right) slides safely at home in the bottom of the fifth inning at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Sat Jul 6, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

After winning game one in this series 4-2, San Francisco was looking for a second win in their series with the Cleveland Guardians but had to settle for a 5-4 loss to even up this series. Each team came away with six hits in the game.

San Francisco did not score until the fifth inning which got them right back in the game after trailing 4-0. The Giants scored three runs in the fifth inning. Cleveland got an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth and that was it for the Giants who did score one more run in the seventh inning but it was too little too late. San Francisco will be looking to win the rubber match to finish off this series Sunday.

Game recap: It was not the start that the Giants had hoped for; it was a very rough first inning for the team. Bo Naylor grounded out to third allowing Steven Kwan to score for the early 1-0 lead. Cleveland went on to score two more runs in the same inning. Angel Martinez scored when Jhonkensy Noel sacrificed and Jose Ramirez scored off a Tyler Freeman single for a great Cleveland start leading 3-0.

The Guardians took up where they left off in the second inning extending their lead. Steven Kwan had his second hit of the game, a home run to center for a 4-0 Cleveland lead. San Francisco needed to get some offense going. Through two innings, the Giants only had a couple of hits. Jorge Soler doubled in the first inning and Austin Slater had a hit in the second.

The Giants had a couple of runners on base in the third inning and they would go on to load the bases in the top of the fifth inning and with Tyler Fitzgerald at the plate San Francisco had a great opportunity get on the scoreboard.

Fitzgerald singled to center and Heliot Ramos and Jorge Soler both scored and the Cleveland lead had been cut in half. San Francisco scored again in the fifth in thanks to a couple of steals and a Guardian throwing error from second baseman Jose Martinez. Matt Chapman stole home and the Giants trailed by a single run 4-3 and were right back in the game.

The Guardians would hit an insurance run in the sixth inning, a home run off the bat of Jhonkensy Noel, Cleveland’s second long ball of the game taking a 5-3 lead. San Francisco would answer in the seventh inning when Matt Chapman scored off a Michael Conforto double continuing to trail by a run 5-4.

San Francisco went into top of the ninth inning with one last chance to either tie or take the lead in this game. With two gone, Matt Chapman came to the plate, San Francisco’s final chance for a comeback. Chapman walked and Michael Conforto came to the plate and hit a slow roller for the final out and game two went to the Guardians 5-4 to even the series. Each team had six hits in this game.

Game notes: Saturday afternoon the Giants continued their series at Progressive Field with the Guardians after winning game one of the series Friday night 4-2. The Giants Michael Conforto hit a two run double in the first inning of game one getting the Giants on the board early.

San Francisco was looking for another win in game two to get back to the .500 mark. Kyle Harrison took the mound for the Giants and dropped his record to 4-4 and raised his ERA to 4.24. The Guardians starter Logan Allen went 4.1 innings, gave up three hits and two earned runs and is 0-1, ERA 5.46.

The rubber match of this series will be played at 10:40 AM PT Sunday with San Francisco looking to walk away with the series. Starters for the Giants Hayden Birdsong (1-0, 4.66) and for the Guardians Carlos Carrasco (3-6, 5.21) at Progressive Field.

Michael Conforto hits a key double for two RBIs in the top of the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Fri Jul 5, 2024 (AP News photo)

Friday, July 5, 2024

Progressive Field

Cleveland, Ohio

San Francisco Giants 4 (44-45)

Cleveland Guardians 2 (54-32)

Win: Ryan Walker (5-3)

Loss: Tanner Bibee (7-3)

Save: Camilo Doval (17)

Time: 2:57 (:26 rain delay)

Attendance: 36,769

By Stephen Ruderman

The Giants came into Progressive Field, and fought to grind out a big 4-2 win against one of the best teams in Baseball in the Cleveland Guardians on Friday night.

The Giants have gotten hot since they came back to beat the Chicago Cubs last Monday, as they have won seven of their last ten. They’ve also done this against good teams. They took two of three from the Dodgers, and they also took two of three from the Braves.

Now, they were headed to Cleveland to take on a young and powerful Guardians’ team, who came into Friday night with the best record in the American League, and the second-best record in all of Baseball at 54-31. The Giants would be up against Tanner Bibee, who has had a solid season with a 7-2 record and an ERA of 3.47.

A 26-minute rain delay pushed the start of this game back. Once the tarp was cleared, the Giants were ready to go against Bibee in the top of the first inning. Jorge Soler reached on an infield hit to start the game; LaMonte Wade drew a walk; and the red-hot Heliot Ramos lined an opposite-field base-hit to right field to load the bases.

Patrick Bailey put the Giants on the board with a sacrifice fly to center to knock in Soler. Matt Chapman walked to reload the bases, and Michael Conforto shot a hanging curveball from Bibee over the glove of Guardians’ right-fielder Daniel Schneemann out in right-center to knock in a pair and make it 3-0.

Blake Snell, Robbie Ray and Alex Cobb are all expected to return to the Giants’ rotation soon, but until they do, there will be some more bullpen games. Friday night was one of them, and the left-handed flamethrower, Erik Miller, was the opener.

The first batter Miller would face in the bottom of the first was the American League batting average leader, the scrappy young outfielder, Steven Kwan. Kwan came into tonight hitting .367, and he is having the type of season that has not been common in Baseball in the Three True Outcomes Era.

Kwan hit a fly ball down the left field line that hooked foul and was headed out of play, but third-baseman Matt Chapman made a running catch and ended up on the tarp afterwards. It was reminiscent of a catch that Nolan Arenado made against the Giants at then-AT&T Park back in 2015 when tumbled onto the tarp to make a catch.

Anyway, Miller ended up pitching a scoreless inning, and Bibee settled with a 1-2-3 top of the second. Spencer Bivens, who made the start and got the win in a strong five-inning performance against the Dodgers on Sunday, came in for the bottom of the second, and he ran into trouble.

David Fry grounded out to third to start the inning, but Andres Gimenez singled to right, and Schneemann walked. The Guardians had runners at first and second with one out, but Bivens was able to take control. Bivens struck Gabriel Arias swinging, and he got Bo Naylor to ground out to end the inning, as he got out of it unscathed.

Both pitchers pitched 1-2-3 innings in the third, and the Giants would be back in action in the top of the fourth. Conforto led off the inning with his second double of the night, and he got to third when Brett Wisely reached on an error by shortstop Gabriel Arias.

Nick Ahmed then laid down a safety squeeze that was made harder by the fact that he got a curve that was up and in from Bibee, which caused Ahmed to bunt the ball up in the air. The ball landed just fair on the first base line, and Conforto scored to make it 4-0.

Josh Naylor led off the bottom of the fourth with a towering home run to center field to put the Guardians on the board. Fry and Gimenez then both singled to put runners at first and second with nobody out.

Once again, Bivens was able to regain control in a jam. He got Schneemann to fly out to center, and he got Arias to ground into a double play to end the inning.

Bibee and Tim Herrin combined to throw a scoreless top of the fifth, and left-hander Taylor Rogers pitched through a two-out double in a scoreless bottom of the fifth. Herrin struck out the first two men he faced in the top of the sixth. Ahmed walked, and then Guardians Manager and Former Giant Stephen Vogt brought in Cade Smith, who got out of the inning.

Randy Rodriguez came in for the bottom of the sixth, and he was in trouble right away Josh Naylor lined a base-hit to left to start the inning, and Fry doubled to left to put runners at second and third with nobody out. Gimenez got Naylor in with a sacrifice fly to right to make it 4-2, and Schneemann walked.

Bob Melvin then brought in Ryan Walker, who was able to get out of the inning with the Giants’ lead still at 4-2. Smith threw a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the seventh, and Walker worked through a one-out walk to pitch a scoreless bottom of the seventh.

Sam Hentges came in to throw a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the eighth for Cleveland, and submariner Tyler Rogers came in for the Giants in the bottom of the eighth. Fry grounded out to short to start the inning, and then Gimenez reached on a seeing-eye single along the third base line.

Schneemann grounded into a force out that second-baseman Brett Wisely took a gamble on by trying to get the lead runner at second for the second out of the inning. Bryan Rocchio then lined a double down the right field line to put the tying runs on second and third with two outs.

A Giants’ pitcher had to escape yet another jam, and that is precisely what Rogers did. Bo Naylor grounded out to second to end the inning, and the Giants kept their lead going to the ninth.

Nick Sandlin pitched a scoreless top of the ninth for the Guardians, and Melvin brought in Doval to try and convert the save in the bottom of the ninth. However, as Doval has done many times this season, he made things dramatic.

Kwan led off the inning, and he reached on an infield hit, when he hit a ground ball to Wade at first, but Doval was late in breaking for the bag. Angel Martinez walked, and the Guardians had runners at first and second with nobody out.

The Guardians were threatening again. Jose Ramirez struck out swinging for the first out, and up came Josh Naylor, who was up to do one thing and one thing only: hit one out. However, Naylor grounded to double play to end it.

Ryan Walker got the win, and with the Giants’ opener, Erik Miller, going only one inning, the decision on who got the win was at the discretion of the official scorer. Tanner Bibee got the loss, and Camilo Doval picked up his 17th save.

The Giants really had to fight this one out against one of the best teams in Baseball, and they did so beautifully. Plain and simply, it was a big win for the Giants, who have been beating some of the best teams in Baseball, and who have now won eight of their last 11 to improve to 44-45.

The Giants will be right back at it for a late-afternoon game Saturday with the left-hander, Kyle Harrison (4-3, 3.96 ERA), on the mound. Harrison will be opposed by left-hander Logan Allen (8-4, 5.75 ERA). First pitch will be at 4:10 p.m. in Cleveland, 1:10 p.m. back home in San Francisco.