Tag: New York Mets

The San Francisco Giants Luis Matos makes the catch against the centerfield padding in the bottom of the second inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field in New York on Sat Jul 1, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

NEW YORK. — San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani was retired after throwing a season-low three innings and allowing the New York Mets to score three homers in an inning, and the visiting team lost 4-1 at Citi Field on Saturday afternoon.

Good things came in threes for the Mets in the third.

Francisco Alvarez hit a home run to center field to put the Mets up 1-0. Immediately after, Brandon Nimmo homered to right field to boost New York up 2-0. Then Francisco Lindor hit a homer to center field to expand the lead to 3-0.

“I made mistakes and I just couldn’t put them away. Got the two strikes with them and yeah just couldn’t put them away, unfortunately,” said DeSclafani of the three-homer inning. “I made bad pitches and they torched them.”

Giants manager Gabe Kapler said that DeSclafani “wasn’t effective” on Saturday.

“We would’ve liked him to have seen him get through five innings for us and (Sean) Manea was prepared to give up some length and the lineup was set up for him to give us that length.”

In the fourth inning, Tommy Pham hit a ground ball to left field and Pete Alonso scored, putting the Mets up 4-0.

It took the Giants until the seventh inning to score a run. Thairo Estrada grounded into a double play and J.D. Davis scored, making it 4-1 Mets.

Kapler said that Mets starting pitcher Justin Verlander “pitched a phenomenal game” giving up five hits, striking out six and not allowing an earned run in seven innings.

“We weren’t able to score runs early on and one thing that I’m noticing is we’re putting together pretty good at-bats later in the game. Historically we do a really nice job in the first couple of innings in the game and right now we’re just a little short in that regard,” Kapler said. “The early parts of games are seemingly not as competitive as they can be and need to be for us to be a great team.”

The series is tied at 1-1 and first pitch for the third and final game is 4:10 p.m. PT.

The San Francisco Giants Patrick Bailey connects for an eighth inning home run to take the lead over the New York Mets at Citi Park in New York on Fri Jun 30, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

NEW YORK. — In his first game in the Big Apple, Patrick Bailey hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning to boost the San Francisco Giants to a 5-4 victory over the New York Mets at Citi Field on Friday night.

“Today was flat-out excellent,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said of the first in the three-game series. “So definitely fair to get excited about tonight.”

In the first inning, Jeff McNeil doubled on a line drive to left fielder Blake Sabol and Francisco Lindor scored, putting the Mets up 1-0.

Brandon Crawford singled on a line drive to center field and Sabol scored, tying the game at 1-1 in the second. In the bottom of the inning, Omar Narvaez hit a sacrifice fly to center field and Tommy Pham scored, allowing the Mets to regain a 2-1 lead.

But the Giants tied it again in the fifth inning when Wilmer Flores hit a home run to center field. San Francisco challenged a stadium boundary call but the call on the field was upheld. McNeil doubled to left field on fan interference and Brandon Nimmo scored, putting the Mets up 3-2.

It was a Giants fan responsible for the interference, and Blake Sabol went over to console him and gave him a fist pump.

“I felt bad for the kid there you know, he had a whole stadium booing him,” said Sabol. “I think he was just a kid excited at a baseball game.”

Giants starting pitcher Alex Cobb said Sabol is “a puppy, he’s got a big heart”.

In the sixth inning, Pham hit a homer to left field and expanded the Mets’ lead to 4-2.

Then Bailey hit his big homer to give San Francisco the lead. That wasn’t all he contributed, though. In the ninth in the catcher position, Bailey threw to shortstop Casey Schmitt as Starling Marte was caught stealing.

“Probably one of his quicker moves and fortunate the fast ball off, I was able to get a good throw,” Bailey said of the play.

The Giants (46-36) got their eighth win of the season when trailing at the end of the seventh inning. Meanwhile, the Mets (36-46) suffered their 13th blown lead loss this month which is the most in the majors in June.

Game two takes place on Saturday with first pitch at 1:10 p.m. PT. Giants right-handed pitcher Anthony DeSclafani (4-7, 4.28 ERA) is set to face right-handed pitcher Justin Verlander (2-4, 4.11 ERA).

Toronto Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt was dealing agianst the San Francisco Giants. Bassitt went six innings, three hits and 12 strikeouts at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Thu Jun 29, 2023 (@ESPNStatsInfo photo)

Giants Ninth Inning Rally Falls Short Against Toronto Losing 2-1

By Barbara Mason

Thursday evening the San Francisco Giants (45-36) finished off their three game series against the Toronto Blue Jays (45-37) and were defeated by the Blue Jays 2-1.

The winner the Blue Jays came out on top in this three game series winning it two games to one.

Going into the sixth inning neither team was able to put up much offense. In the bottom of the inning everything would change for the Blue Jays. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would knock a Keaton Winn pitch out of the yard with Brandon Belt on base and Toronto took a 2-0 lead.

This game would go into the ninth inning with San Francisco’s last chance to rally. Patrick Bailey doubled and Blake Sabol singled him home, the score now 2-1. With two outs the Giants were down to their final strike with Brandon Crawford at the plate. The Giants rally in the ninth inning came up one run short.

San Francisco had five hits in this game but it was the Guerrero two run home run that made the difference in this game. This was a bit of a pitching duel between Keaton Winn and Chris Bassitt. Bassitt had been struggling but he came to play in this game giving up only three hits with 12 punch outs in an outstanding start through six innings. Winn allowed three hits giving up two runs and only three strikeouts. This was his first start.

Post game notes: The Giants took game one 3-0 and Toronto was the victor in game two with a 6-1 win to tie up the series. Thairo Estrada was a huge factor for the Giants in the game one win with two RBI’s handing San Francisco their 13th win in their last 15 games.

In Game Two the Blue Jays George Springer set the tone with the first of four Toronto doubles putting the stops on the Giants ten game road winning streak. Springer’s double came in the first inning and going into the second inning the Blue Jays had a 5-0 lead. The Jays came away a 6-1 winner on Wednesday night.

The Giants now travel to New York to take on the Mets who are having terrible struggles. They have only won three of their last 12 games and have fallen into fourth place in the NL East with a record of 36-44. They are 17 games out of first place. Alex Cobb will take the mound for San Francisco. He has a 5-2 win/ loss record and a 3.09 ERA. Carlos Carrasco will get the nod for the Mets with a 2/3 win/loss record and a 6.19 ERA. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 PM.

San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb throws during the first inning against the New York Mets at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sat Apr 22, 2023 (AP News photo)

New York. 011 000 011 – 4 10 1

San Francisco 420 010 000 – 7. 7. 0

Time: 2:35

Attendance: 29,912

Saturday, April 22, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–A warm, clear day with light breezes; that’s good news for San Francisco, even more so if it’s a Saturday afternoon, and you’re in Oracle Park.

The action on the field also was good news for Giants fans.

Logan Webb, carrying the burden of an 0-4,4.94 record to start the season, set the visitors down in order to get things going. Then, the Giants jumped all over New York’s starter, David Peterson,–who came to town with a mark of 1-2– early and oftenm.

Thairo Estrada led off with an infield single and, after Darin Ruf went down swinging, advanced to third on Michael Conforto’s single to center. A walk to Wilmer Flores made the bases FOG (Full of Giants) on this sunny day. David Villar drove in the hosts’ first tally with a sacrifice fly to center, and the slumping Brandon Crawford accounted for the next three by launching a splash hit homer into McCovey Cove (forgive the redundancy).

A two out walk to Mark Canha and a double by David Vogelbach that landed at the crease where the bleachers meet the brick wall in right center, got back one of the four runs the Giants had racked up in the first.

Undetered, Héliot Ramos led off the home second with with a double to right. Estrada followed with a single to center and then stole second. Rob Drake called him out, but the Giants disputed the call, and the review crew in New York agreeed with them.

Ruff then singled both runners home and took second on the throw that failed to nab Estrada at the plate. The Queenslanders disputed the call, but the review crew back east upheld it The worm had turned, and San Francisco was up, 6-1 .

Wilmer Flores’s 401 foot shot left leading off the fifth upped that lead to 7-1. That was the last inning for Peterson, who had allowed his seven runs, all earned, on seven hits, two for the distance, and a walk. He struck out eight. 64 of his 98 offerings counted as strikes. Edwin Uceta replaced him to pitch the bottom of the sixth and stayed on through the Giants’ last out.

At 97 pitches (63 strikes), Webb had finished his day’s work of seven excellent innings, over the course ofo which he allowed two runs, both earned, on five hits including a home run, and a walk. He had eight Ks to his credit. Brett Baty greeted Scott Alexander, Webb’s replacement, rudely with a single to right. He eventually scored the Mets’ third tally on a single to left by Marte.

After that, Camilo Doval came in to try to preserve the win. With one down, a runner on first, and full count on Vogelbach, home plate Umpire Chad Whitson called a pitch clock violation on Doval. Vogelbach strolled to first, and Canha, the runner of first, trotted to second.

And then the call was reversed, Doval faced Vogelbach again and fanned him. Brett Baty singled Canha home to make it 7-4. Pinch hitter Luis Guillorme grounded out to second, and the Giants had, at long last, something to smile about.

Peterson (1-3, 7.36) was tagged with the loss. Webb got his first win of 2023, against 4 defeats. His ERA now is 4.40. There was no save.

The series concludes tomorrow, Sunday, at 1:00. Righties Tylor Megil (3-1,3.00) and Ross Stripling (0-1, 7.30) will be pitching for the Mets and Giants, respectively.

New York Mets pitcher Joey Lucchesi works against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Fri Apr 21, 2023 (AP News photo)

New York. 010 030 003. – 7. 13. 0

San Francisco. 000 000 000 – 0. 5. 1

Time: 2:15

Attendance: 27,557

Friday, April 21, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–In spite of the stark contrast between the visiting New York Mets’ game time won-lost record of 13-7 and your San Francisco Giants’ mark of 6-12, Mets outcome of the encounter was not a foregone conclusion. The home team entrusted mound duties to the pitcher who has been, in the three weeks that have constituted this season, the ace of its rotation, Anthony DeSclafani, 01-1.42 in his three starts.

The Metropolitans gave the ball to southpaw sinker hurler Joey Lucchesi, the holder of a 19-24, 4.24 mark over a three year span with the Padres and Mets. In 2021, he was sidelined in order to undergo Tommy John surgery and spent last season rehabbing in the minors. Tonight marked his return to the show.

Forgone or not, the outcome of the game was a blow out in favor of the visitors from Queens, a resounding 7-0 defeat for the hoe tea.

Lucchesi, a bay area product from Newark, throws the sinker about 60% of the time, He was good. at it tonight. The Giants hit into three double play during the lefty’s seven inninbgs on the mound , and he’d allowed only men to reach base, four on hits and two on walks. He threw 97 pitches 65 for strikes and was unscored upon.Brooks Raley, like Lucchesi a southpaw, replaced him for the bottom of the eighth, retiring San Francisco in order.

A pitcher’s best friend got DeScalfani out of trouble in the first, but hard hit balls – one of which, number nine batter Luis Guillorme’s two out single with two men on base – had seeing eyes, left him behind, 1-0, when the inning was over.

A combination of factorss cost him and the Giants three more runs in the top of the fifth. Guillorlme led off with a single to center, Brandon Nemmo, who began the day hitting .368, sacrificed him to second. DeSclafani struck Lindor out looking. Jeff McNeil hit a swinging bunt in front of the mound. Joey Bart pounced on it and threw a strike to first. The ball hit McNeil, allowing him to reach first safely and Guillorme to score.

The rule book says thwart when a batter or run reaches base on a throw that hits him, it should be charged as an error to him., so the scorer’s decision to charge Bart with an error was correct albeit unjust. The play itself set up Pete Alonso’s 10th home run of the season, a 415 foot wallop to center that gave him 21 runs batted in and the Metros a 4-0 cushion,

DeScalfani didn’t come out to pitch the sixth. In his five innings on the hill, the righty yielded four runs, all earned but at least three of them undeserved, on seven hits and two walks. He struck out five Metropolitans and threw 80 pitches, 27 of which were balls. His ERA rose to 2.63. Taylor Rogers, who’s bee having trouble getting outs this year, set the New Yorkers down in order in the sixth. Go, as they say in Gottham, figure.

Sean Hjelle replaced Rogers for seventh. He faced the top of the order and yielded only a single to McNeil. He struck oout Nemmo, Lindor, and Alonso. (Don’t let Lindor’s .233l batting average fool you. He started the day batting .290 from the left side, and Hjelle is a righty).

He returned to the hill for the eighth and set the side down in order. He gave up a two out single in the ninth when Estrada broke towards his left and Nemmo poked the ball to the shortstop’s right and into center field. Lindor followed with a clean single to left.

Then Hjelledd hit McNeil with a pitch to load the base for Alonso. He singled. As did Vogelbach. Mark Canha added his safety to mix. At long last, Brett Baty popped out to second, ending the nightmare.

Tommy Hunter completed the shut out, allowing a single to Darin Ruf,, but nothing more.

The win, of course, went to Lucchesi. DeSclafani took the loss.

At 1:05 tomorrow, Saturday, afternoon, the Giants will try to bring their record, which now stands at 6-13, a step closer to .500. They’ll send Logan Webb (0-4, 4.94) to the mound to oppose the Mets’ David Peterson (1-2, 6.10).