San Francisco Giant Wilmer Flores hits a two run double in the bottom of the seventh to give the Giants the lead over the Cleveland Guardians at Oracle Park on Thu Jun 19, 2025 (AP News photo)
Thursday, June 19, 2025
Oracle Park
San Francisco, California
Cleveland Guardians 1 (37-36)
San Francisco Giants 2 (42-33)
Win: Logan Webb (7-5)
Loss: Matt Festa (1-1)
Save: Camilo Doval (11)
Time: 2:22
Attendance: 40,093
By Stephen Ruderman
SAN FRANCISCO–Logan Webb was rewarded for an incredible seven-inning, nine-strikeout performance by a two-run double by Wilmer Flores with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, and the Giants avoided the sweep with a 2-1 win over the Guardians to snap their four-game losing streak.
Usually, weekday getaway games at Oracle Park start at 12:45, but that was not the case today. Thursday was Juneteenth, which became a federal holiday in 2021. “Lift Every Voice,” the black national anthem, was played prior to the start of the game, followed by the Star Spangled Banner.
The Giants sent their ace and stopper, Logan Webb, to the mound, as they looked to snap their four-game snide and avoid the sweep on a hazy afternoon at Oracle Park. The Giants were held to just two runs in both of the first two games of this series, and with the offenses’ inability to give Webb run support, Thursday looked to be a good old-fashioned pitcher’s duel at the ballpark.
Webb ran into trouble right away in the top of the first inning, as the Guardians placed runners at first and second with one out in the top of the first inning. Webb struck Carlos Santana out swinging for the second out. Heliot Ramos then took an RBI base-hit away from Lane Thomas with a great diving catch out in left field to end the inning.
Gavin Williams took the ball for Cleveland, and the Giants went down scoreless in each of the first two innings. Webb settled down with a one, two, three top of the second, but he got into trouble again in the top of the third.
Angel Martinez led off the top of the third with a double down the right field line, and then Steven Kwan lined a base-hit up the middle that almost took off Webb’s head. The Guardians had runners at the corners with nobody out.
Daniel Schneemann, who hit the big home run last night, struck out swinging for the first out. Kwan then stole second, but Martinez was cut down at the plate by first-baseman Dominic Smith.
Webb had a chance to get out of the inning unscathed, but Santana had other plans. Webb threw a sinker just off the outside corner at the knees, and Santana dunked it out to shallow left-center to put the Guards on the board.
The Guardians got to Webb in the top of the third, but he settled down the rest of the way. In fact, Webb was dominant the rest of the way, and he set down 12 of the final 14 men he faced to finish off an incredible outing. While Webb gave up seven hits, he gave up just one run, and he struck out nine over seven innings. On top of that, he did not give up any runs.
Webb did his job. The only question was whether the Giants’ offense would do theirs. The Giants wasted major opportunities in three-straight innings from the third through the fifth, and they were unable to do anything after Heliot Ramos was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the sixth.
Williams was done after giving up just two hits over six shutout innings. Perhaps, the Giants would have better luck against Matt Festa in the bottom of the seventh.
Casey Schmitt started things off by fisting a broken bat single up the middle to center. Jung Hoo Lee then drew a walk, and the Giants had runners at first and second with nobody out. Up came Patrick Bailey, and he did exactly what he was supposed to do: bunt the runners over to second and third. It was with a torpedo bat, a fad that is thankfully going away, but he still got the job done.
Guardians Manager Stephen Vogt then brought in Nic Enright to face Wilmer Flores, who was pinch-hitting for Christian Koss. Wilmer worked the count to 2-2, and then he grounded a double down the left field line to give the Giants their first lead of the day.
The Giants have been pressing as of late and trying too hard to hit home runs. The bottom of the seventh inning Thursday was how the Giants are meant to win games, and exactly how they won during their torrid 24-14 start. It was a base-hit; a walk; a sacrifice bunt; and then a double down the line. Beautifully done.
Bob Melvin entrusted Randy Rodriguez with the top of the eighth Thursday, and Rodriguez rewarded his skipper with a one, two, three shutdown inning. Camilo Doval then came in for the ninth, and he threw a 1-2-3 inning to notch down his 11th save.
The Giants beat the Guardians 2-1, and this sold-out crowd of 40,093 could all go home happy. Well, at least all of the ones who were Giants’ fans.
Logan Webb was rewarded for his great start with the win; Matt Festa took the loss; and Camilo Doval got the save.
The Giants improve to 42-33, and they will face Rafael Devers’ old team, the Boston Red Sox, over the weekend for three starting Friday night. It should be interesting and full of emotions to say the least.
Hayden Birdsong (3-1, 2.79 ERA) will take the ball for the Giants in the series opener Friday night. Hunter Dobbins (4-1, 3.74), a young pitcher who has excited fans in Boston, will make the start for the Red Sox.
First pitch will be at 7:15 p.m.
Giants News and Notes:
Thursday was Duane Kuiper’s 75th birthday. It was fitting that his milestone birthday came on a day that the two teams he played for faced off.
Duane’s son, Cole, brought a birthday cake into the broadcast booth, and he was joined by Jon Miller and Dave Fleming, who came over from the radio booth. Buster Posey also came into the booth for the cherry on the top, as Thursday’s sold-out crowd sang “Happy Birthday.”
Here’s to many more years of great memories with the great Duane Kuiper, truly one of the greatest baseball announcers of all-time, behind the mic!
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