Tag: mlb

Photo credit: @SnakeNewss

By: Daniel Dullum

PHOENIX, Ariz. – In the midst of a career year, Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed went yard twice versus the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, sparking the D-backs to a 9-3 win over the Giants at Chase Field.

“I don’t know the percentages, but I think a team is more likely to win when it scores first,” Ahmed said. “We just try to jump out, attack early, and we’ve done a good job of that lately.”

Ahmed was 3-for-3 with a walk, three runs scored, and four runs batted in. Steven Souza added a double, triple and three RBIs, and Ketel Marte hit his 10th home run of the season as part of Arizona’s 12-hit attack.

On his newfound power stroke, Ahmed said, “I always knew I had it in there. It’s just taken a little bit longer than some other guys to pull it out. It’s a matter of putting myself in a good position to see the ball really well and use my athleticism to attack the pitches I want to swing at.”

The D-backs’ second straight win over the Giants moved kept them in first place in the National League West race, ½ game ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Fourth-place San Francisco fell to .500 and trail Arizona by six games.

Clay Buchholz (5-1) struck out eight and walked two while giving up two earned runs on seven hits over six innings.

“After the first inning, I felt really good with the mix,” Buchholz said. “I ran into a long inning in the second and gave up the solo homers, but I was able to keep them off the bases after that.”

The D-backs jumped on Giants’ starter Andrew Suarez (4-7) early and often, sending eight hitters to the plate while building a 5-0 first-inning lead. The big hit came with two outs when Souza tripled down the right-field line, driving in David Peralta (who singled) and Paul Goldschmidt (who walked).

Ahmed followed with a single to drive in Souza, and Marte completed the damage with a two-run home run to left-center.

“(Suarez’s) stuff is really good. I think it’s his command more than anything,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “He was a little off, and you look at his ball-strike ratio early, he just wasn’t sharp.

“We gave up a lot of runs with two outs and it became an uphill climb for the guys,” Bochy continued. “We just needed that one hit to keep it moving. We had a lot of good at-bats with deep counts, but we just can’t get that one more hit to keep it going.”

The Giants used the long ball to cut into the D-backs’ lead. Andrew McCutchen homered to left to lead off the third, and Steven Duggar’s first career home run pulled San Francisco to within 5-2 with one out in the fourth.

The Giants’ fourth-inning threat continued with two out when McCutchen singled and went to third on Hernandez’s double. But Evan Longoria struck out.

The D-backs added three more runs in the fifth inning on an RBI double by Souza and Ahmed’s 15th home run of the season, a two-run shot that extended Arizona’s lead to 8-2. Ahmed closed out Arizona’s scoring with a solo homer off Giants reliever Derek Law – his 16th – to lead off the eighth.

McCutchen, 5-for-5 with a double and home run, tacked on the Giants’ final run with an RBI single in the ninth.

The Giants did get some good news regarding Buster Posey. The veteran catcher took Saturday off and, according to Bochy, would play Sunday at first base. Posey left Friday’s game in the third inning after experiencing concussion symptoms.

“Buster is fine,” Bochy said. “He’s penciled in for first base on Sunday.”

Probable pitchers for the series finale on Sunday involve a pair of lefthanders – Derek Holland (5-8, 3.90) for San Francisco and Robbie Ray (3-2, 5.05) for the Diamondbacks.

GIANTS JOTTINGS: Prior to Saturday’s game, the Giants called up RHP Pierce Johnson and RHP Derek Law from Triple-A Sacramento while optioning INF Kelby Tomlinson and RHP Chris Stratton (Friday night’s starter) to the River Cats. … Arizona won a video replay challenge in the third inning when San Francisco’s Gorkys Hernandez was initially ruled safe on a wide throw from 3B Ketel Marte. The call was overturned and ruled that 1B Paul Goldschmidt applied a sweep tag before Hernandez reached the bag. Time of the review was 52 seconds. … Prior to the game, the Diamondbacks announced their 20th anniversary team: Manager – Bob Brenley, 1B – Paul Goldschmidt, 2B – Jay Bell, SS – Tony Womack, 3B – Matt Williams, OF – Luis Gonzalez, Steve Finley and A.J. Pollock, C – Miguel Montero, SP – Randy Johnson, Brandon Webb, Curt Schilling, Patrick Corbin and Zack Grienke, RP – Jose Valverde and Brad Ziegler. … Attendance was 38,033.

UP NEXT: The Giants and D-backs will conclude their series Sunday afternoon at 1:10 pm PDT.

Photo credit: @SFGiants

By: Daniel Dullum

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Friday night, it was Arizona’s turn to forge a long, productive inning – highlighted by a milestone home run by Paul Goldschmidt–as the Diamondbacks evened their weekend series with San Francisco by downing the Giants 6-3 at Chase Field.

Of a bigger concern to the Giants, though, is the condition of catcher Buster Posey, who left the game in the third inning following a base hit for what the team called “concussion conditions.”

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said, “Buster got a little lightheaded when he got to first base. …It was a foul tip in the first inning when Goldschmidt was up. He just felt it and that’s why he came out.”

“He’s showing better and we’ll monitor Buster overnight, tomorrow. He’ll be off (Saturday) and if all goes well, he could be back in there Sunday. Right now, it’s just important that we keep an eye on him.”

Bochy said he didn’t think the Giants would call up another catcher. “We’re going to err on the side of caution with Buster. We’re not taking any risks.”

With the victory, the D-Backs pulled back into a tie with the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the NL West, two games ahead of Colorado and five in front of San Francisco.

D-Backs starter Patrick Corbin (8-4) struck out eight without a walk in six innings while giving up three runs on seven hits.

“To be able to get through six, I’m happy with that,” Corbin said. “I felt good. The pitch count got a little high early, but the offense did a great job putting up some runs.”

The D-Backs roughed up Giants starter Chris Stratton (8-7) by sending 11 hitters to the plate in the first inning. Stratton lasted until the fourth, when Arizona loaded the bases with no one out.

Stratton gave up six earned runs in three-plus innings on 10 hits. He struck out four and walked four.

“(Stratton) was just off with his fastball command,” Bochy said. “His stuff is fine. What he needs is some confidence and you don’t quite see that with him right now.”

San Francisco manufactured a run to take an early 1-0 lead. Back-to-back one-out singles by Posey and Evan Longoria set up Austin Slater’s RBI single to center that brought Posey in from second.

With one out in the bottom of the first, Goldschmidt belted career home run No. 200, tying the game at 1-1. Goldschmidt sent a towering opposite-field drive toward the right-field foul line.

Goldschmidt said home run No. 200 “meant no more than No. 199.”

“I could care less,” Goldschmidt said. “I just go up there and try to help us win. I’ll care more about the number when my career is over.”

From there, the D-Backs batted around, scoring five runs while sending 11 hitters to the plate. Eduardo Escobar’s base hit drove in David Peralta, who followed Goldschmidt’s homer with a single. An RBI walk issued to Alex Avila (batting .171) and Corbin’s two-RBI single completed the rally.

“It’s a really good thing if you get to hit in the first inning,” Corbin said. “I was behind 0-2 and I was just trying to put the bat on the ball and hope for a good thing to happen.”

In the third inning, the Giants cut the D-Backs’ lead to 6-3. Brandon Crawford’s groundout scored Nick Hundley from second, and Slater’s RBI single to center scored Longoria, who singled. Hundley was pinch-running for Posey.

Stratton was chased after the Diamondbacks loaded the bases to start the bottom of the fourth. But reliever Ty Blach retired Escobar on a pop foul and Daniel Descalso grounded into a double play.

After Corbin departed, Yoshihisa Hirano, Archie Bradley and Brad Boxberger shut down the San Francisco offense, retiring eight of 11 hitters.

Boxberger gave up two-out singles to Hunter Pence and Steven Duggar in the ninth, but retired pinch-hitter Gorkys Hernandez on ground out to earn his 26th save.

“We came out of it all right,” Bochy said. “Our bullpen guys did a decent job of keeping us in the game. We had the tying run at the plate in the ninth.”

Peralta was 3-for-4, and A.J. Pollock and Jon Jay both collected two of Arizona’s 12 hits. Posey, Slater and Evan Longoria each had a pair of hits for the Giants.

“It was a good win,” Goldschmidt said. “We were able to get that lead, hold on, and we’ll try to go out there and do it again tomorrow.”

GIANTS JOTTINGS: The Diamondbacks are hosting an alumni game to celebrate the team’s 20th anniversary on Saturday prior to the regular game, which starts at 5:10 p.m. PDT … Probables for Saturday are LHP Andrew Suárez (4-6, 4.11 ERA) for San Francisco and RHP Clay Buchholz (4-1, 2.65 ERA) for the D-Backs. … Attendance on Friday was 27,581.

UP NEXT: The Giants and D-Backs face each other again Saturday at 5:10 pm PDT.

Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Daniel Dullum

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Starting pitchers Madison Bumgarner of the San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks’ Zach Grienke each threw well enough to win in a much-anticipated Thursday night pitching duel at Chase Field.

As he’s done in the past, it was Bumgarner’s bat that helped himself, and the Giants to an 8-1 win – sparked by a five-run eighth inning rally – that keeps San Francisco’s dim National League playoff hopes alive.

Bumgarner (4-4) also worked out of bases-loaded jams in the first two innings. He gave up one earned run on seven hits, struck out five, and walked three over his five innings.

“This was one of those games where it felt like we had our backs against the wall the whole time I was out there,” Bumgarner said. “Obviously, that’s not the way I wanted to draw it up and wound up working twice as hard in five innings.

“But those types of games are gratifying to keep your team in it. It seemed like (Arizona) had guys in scoring position every inning I was out there,” he added. “I just had to grind it out, make pitches and don’t give in.”

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said, “What a great job (Bumgarner) did. He did a great job of keeping them at bay in a one-run game. They had guys on base every inning and he found a way to work out of it. He didn’t give in.”

“That’s a hard night’s work – over 100 pitches in five innings. And it was hot out there (83 degrees inside), even though we were indoors.”

The Giants’ bullpen – Mark Melancon, Ray Black and Ty Blach retired 12 of the last 15 Arizona hitters over the last four innings.

“I like Ray Black’s poise out there,” Bochy said. “Here’s a young kid that gets called up and has a rough outing his first game, but he bounced back and he’s been solid. He’s pitching with a lot of confidence.”

The Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers entered Thursday’s play tied for first in the NL West, one game ahead of third-place Colorado and five ahead of the fourth-place Giants.

The Dodgers thumped Milwaukee 21-5, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Colorado Rockies 6-3, moving Los Angeles into first place, one game ahead of Arizona and five games ahead of the Giants.

Buster Posey, Gorkys Hernandez and Austin Slater each collected two hits in the Giants’ 11-hit attack.

San Francisco surged ahead to stay at 2-1 in the top of the fourth when Austin Slater doubled and scored on Bumgarner’s single to left.

“I just didn’t want to strike out,” Bumgarner said.

Hunter Pence’s pinch-hit sacrifice fly to center in the sixth drove in Slater, extending the Giants’ lead to 3-1. Slater walked, went to second on a wild pickoff throw by Diamondbacks reliever Jake Diekman and to third on a wild pitch on a walk to Steven Duggar.

San Francisco broke the game open with a five-run rally, batting around in the eighth. Posey led off with a double, followed by a one-out intentional walk to Brandon Crawford and back-to-back singles by Hernandez and Alen Hanson, chasing Arizona’s newly re-acquired reliever Brad Ziegler.

Slater added a two-RBI single that also allowed Hanson to score on an error. Duggar followed with a run-scoring single, as San Francisco sent 10 batters to the plate, finishing the inning with an 8-1 lead.

“It was good to get that big inning,” Bochy said. “We got some big hits from guys as we want to use them.”

Evan Longoria’s two-out solo home run down the left-field line – just inside the foul pole – put the Giants up 1-0 in the top of the first inning. It was Longoria’s first home run since hitting two on May 29 at Colorado.

Arizona loaded the bases against Bumgarner in the bottom of the first with a leadoff double by David Peralta, followed by walks to Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollock. But Steven Souza lined out to Longoria at third for the second out and Nick Ahmed grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the threat.

“(Longoria) really saved us with that play he made,” Bochy said. “That stops a rally, and if that ball gets through, they get momentum going. And with that home run, it was good to get on the board early facing the Pitcher of the Month. Grienke’s been throwing the ball so well, and we found a way to scratch and claw to get a couple of runs.”

Bumgarner also struggled in the second inning. After Ketel Marte walked, he advanced to second when Bumgarner balked on a pickoff throw. One out later, Grienke’s line drive eluded Longoria, allowing the D-Back pitcher to reach on a single, followed by a base hit by Peralta to load the bases.

Eduardo Escobar, acquired from Minnesota before the non-waiver trade deadline, delivered a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Marte to tie the game at 1-1.

“Obviously, I don’t want them to load the bases ever, especially the first two innings of a game,” Bumgarner said. “To get out of that and keep it close there, we never lost the lead, so that was good.”

Greinke (12-6) surrendered two earned runs on four hits over six innings, with five strikeouts and one walk. David Peralta was 4-for-5 with a double for Arizona.

GIANTS JOTTINGS: LHP Madison Bumgarner celebrated his 29th birthday on Aug. 1. … Attendance at Chase Field was 22,980 for the opening game of the four-game series. … Friday’s starters are RHP Chris Stratton (8-6, 5.14) for San Francisco against LHP Patrick Corbin (7-4, 3.26).

UP NEXT: The Giants and Diamondbacks continue their series Friday night at 6:40 pm PDT.