Tag: Pittsburgh Pirates

Pittsburgh Pirates’ Connor Joe (2) is congratulated by Jack Suwinski (65) after hitting a home run against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Tue May 30, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Tony the Tiger Hayes

SAN FRANCISCO-A day after the Giants scored 14 runs against the Pirates, San Francisco had trouble making solid against Pittsburgh pitching losing 2-1.

The Giants managed to work seven walks off five Pirates pitchers, but just five hits in the loss.

After playing sourly most off May the Pirates hope tonight’s win bodes good fortunes for June.

The Pittsburgh club currently visiting the City by the Bay are a far version of the Pirates that shot out of the gate this season and opened eyes around baseball like a triple shot of espresso from Cafe Trieste.

After beginning the 2023 campaign 20-8, the youthful Pirates had people thinking the long struggling franchise had finally turned the corner.

No, no one was seriously considering the Pirates winning their first World Series title in 44 years this season.

But at least the Bucs – who went 20 straight seasons without a winning record after Barry Bonds left them to join the Giants after the 1992 season – had a vibrancy to them .

However, in recent weeks the Pirates’ ship has begun taking on water, losing 19 of their past 25 games and dropping in the standings as if it were weighed down by fools gold.

The Giants meanwhile have been the opposite version of Pirates. After struggling to string together wins the first month of the season the Giants have surged in May going 17-10 and climbing up the standings in the NL West into third place.

The club produced their most impressive win on Memorial Day, knocking the embarrassed Pirates into McCovey Cove with a dominating 18-hit, 14-4 win.

With the win Sunday, San Francisco moved a season best two games games over .500 (28-26). The battered Bucs (26-27) fell under .500 for the first time since April 2.

Tuesday night at Oracle Park however, the Pirates drew blood first when short-lived former Giant Connor Joe – San Francisco’s opening day left field starter in 2019 – clubbed a soaring solo home run down down the left field line off Giants “opener” John Brebbia to make it 1-0.

But the Giants didn’t waist any time tying the game in the bottom of the first off Pirates starter Johan Oviedo. After the young righty issued back to back walks to Mike Yastrzemski and J.D. Davis, Michael Conforto hammer a run scoring single to left.

The action reached a crescendo in the top of the fifth when Giants rookie catcher Patrick Bailey put on a defensive display that would have made Johnny Bench proud.

After the Pirates took a 2-1 lead on a wild pitch by Giants reliever Sean Manaea, Bailey went to work showing why the used a No.1 pick on the receiver a few years back.

With base runner Jason Delay charging hard from third on a sharp ground ball to Giants first baseman Lamont Wade, Bailey artfully blocked home plate and applied a sweeping tag on Delay for the putout. Pittsburgh challenged the play, but video showed conclusive evidence of the out.

With Andrew McCutchen up next, Palacios strayed too far off first and Bailey threw a dart to first to pickoff the hapless Bucco.

The Milwaukee Brewers William Contreras tries on the cheese hat in exchange for the batting helmet after hitting a home run against the San Francisco Giants at American Family Park in Milwaukee on Sun May 28, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Sunday afternoon the San Francisco Giants (27-25) wrapped up their four game series with the Milwaukee Brewers (27-25) and couldn’t get the sweep after winning the first three games in this stint. The Brewers William Contreras turned it up a notch on San Francisco with a home run and three RBIs for the two run 7-5 final.

As the Giants have seen so often, sweeps are few and far between. It’s just not easy to sweep a team, especially a team that has the strengths that Milwaukee has.

We could see the Brewers resolve from the get- go. They were on a roll from the first inning scoring early and often. Contreras got the Milwaukee party started with a single that drove Christian Yelich home for the 1-0 lead. Brian Anderson doubled Owen Miller and Contreras home now leading 3-0.

Milwaukee had an even more proficient second inning. An Owen Miller single got both Joey Wiemer and Christian Yelich home. A Contreras home run with Miller onboard gave the Brewers a 7-0 lead after only two innings.

San Francisco finally got on the board in the third inning when Mike Yastrzemski hit a solo home run ending any shut-out possibility for pitcher Colin Rea. This was the Giants 73rd home run this season.

It was a very disappointing start for S.F. pitcher Alex Cobb. He was giving up too many two strike hits. So much of his early performance was very uncharacteristic of Cobb. A lot was going wrong for him in the early innings. He only went four innings allowing seven hits and seven runs with five strikeouts.

Tristan Beck would relieve him in the fifth inning. Beck had a great start retiring the first three Brewers he faced. He had had another perfect inning in the sixth. Since entering the game he retired nine in a row through three innings. Ryan Walker would close for San Francisco.

Blake Sabol hit the Giants 74th home run of the season in the seventh inning with two runners onboard to cut the Brewer lead to 7-4. San Francisco was back in this game. Brett Wisely smoked one that was caught up against the wall but it was enough for Brandon Crawford to score and the Giants made this game even closer 7-5.

With two outs in the eighth inning the Brewers brought in closer Devin Williams with an unbelievable .59 ERA.

The Giants had a great late game surge but it was the Brewers first and second innings that decided this game. The Giants had the tying run at the plate in the ninth inning with two outs and Wilmer Flores at bat. He struck out. It was a tough day for San Francisco when little was going right early.

The Giants will hop on a plane and head home for an afternoon game Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three game series before having a day off Thursday. Starters for Pittsburgh Rich Hill (4-4 ERA 4.27) for San Francisco Anthony DeScalfani (3-4 ERA 3.43) first pitch 2:05 pm PT for the holiday special.

San Francisco Giants Thairo Estrada belted a two run home run in the bottom of the ninth to win it celebrates at home plate with his teammates against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sun Aug 14, 2022 (AP News photo)

Pittsburgh (45-70). 7. 11. 0

San Francisco (57-57). 8. 13. 1

Sunday, August 14, 2022

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–The Giants came to work this afternoon having won five of the last seven games. Unfortunately, they also had won five of their last 11 and still were a game under .500 and 6-1/2 out in the race for the last wild card spot.

Alex Wood, their starting pitcher for today’s contest, pitched a fine game in his last outing, against the current occupants of that coveted fourth wild card place, the San Diego Padres. The 31 year old southpaw went 6-1/3 frames in a 1-0 win in which allowed three hits and struck out five opponents, throwing 89 pitches.

He wasn’t that impressive in his only appearance against Pittsburgh this year, allowing four earned runs on six hits in a 7-5 Giants win. His season record when he threw the his first offering, at 1:07 this warm, sunny afternoon was 8-9,4, 4.17)

The Pirates sent 28 year old righty Zach Thompson and his 3-9, 5.08 record against the possibly resurgent home team. He has been used as both a starter and reliever in his season and a half in the show this year, all but one of his 20 previous appearances were starts, while last season he started only 14 of the 26 games in which he was on the mound.

The game ended in a 8-7 walkoff win for the Giants. Wood threw 101 pitches, 64 for strikes, over six innings before leaving with a 5-3 lead.The three runs he allowed were earned and came on five hits, a walk, and two hit batters. All he got was a no decision that left him at 8-9, 4.18.

Thompson lasted only four innings, having thrown 90 pitches, 38 of them balls, and surrendering five runs, all earned, on seven hits, one of them yard, two walks, and a hit batsman. He escaped with a no decision and wound up with a record of 3-9, 5.34.

Brandon Belt was back in the San Francisco lineup, playing first and batting cleanup. It was his 1,394 game played as a Giant, tying Robbie Thompson for seventh place in that category since the team moved to San Francisco in 1958.

Kevin Newman wasted no time in attacking Wood and his defense. He lashed a leg double to right on the first pitch of the game. Although Wood put Bryce Reynolds on base by plunking him two pitches later, neither runner advanced.

It was a case of The Curse of the Leadoff Double in spades. Not only did the Pirates fail to score in the first, but Wood struck out four straight Buccos after he hit Reynolds with an 83 mph slider.

That strikeout streak ended when Greg Allen grounded into the second out of the second frame and Wood’s luck turned against him. Tucupita Marcano hit a dinky ground ball to second and got. an infield hit out of it.

Jason Delay was in no hurry and went to a full count before depositing a single to left that put runners on first and second, setting the stage for Newman to load the bases by being hit by another of Wood’s sliders. Reynolds flew out to deep right center, which preserved the scoreless tie.

That situation didn’t survive the Giants’ second inning onslaught. After Thairo Estrada took a called third strike, Brandon Crawford walked and scored on Tommy LaStella’s double to right. Joey Bart dropped a Texas League single that would have been called an error if MLB rules accepted the concept of team errors.

LaStella moved up to third. Both runners trotted home after LaMonte Wade, Jr. whalloped his seventh home run of the year, a. 406 foot no doubter to center that came off an 86 mph change of pace. The home team now had an early 4-0 lead to protect.

They didn’t merely protect it; they stretched it. Joc Pederson got hit by a Thompson fastball with two down in the home fourth and motored all the way home on Flores’s down the line double to left. Pederson left the game a couple of innings later with a contusion on his right hand.Rodolfo Castro’s relay throw to the plate might have nailed him if the Bucs’ third sacker had released the ball a mige quicker.

The Giants’ seemingly comfortable five run margin quickly shrunk to three in the fifth on Delay’s leadoff single to left center, followed by a full count walk to Newman, and a Bryan Reynolds double to left. Reynolds advanced to third on Chavis’s fly out to right and scoreddon Ben Gamel’s ground out to second. The Giants’ advantage now was down to two, 5-3.

The orange and black also had a new pitcher to face when they came to bat in their half of the fifth, the left handed Manny Bañuelos, who held them to Crawford’s single in his inning of work and was replaced in the sixth by Colin Holderman.

Kevin Newman beat out a hit to third, and Reynolds went way deep to center field, 442 feet, to be exact, for his 17th home run and 36th, 37th, and 38th RBI of the season, putting Pittsburgh up 6-5.

A single to center by Chavis sent Brebbia to the showers and Jarlín García to the mound. He fanned Gamel and Cruz, with Castro banging out a single to left sandwiched between them. Then he caught Allen looking at a changeup for an inning ending called third strike.

But it was a whole new ball game when Flores came to bat to face Holderman in the home seventh, who led off with a base knock to right that ended Holderman’s mound tenure. Southpaw Eric Strong came on to pitch a move countered by Evan Longoria pinch hitting for Belt.

He flew out to left but Yaz drew a four pitch walk that put Flores in scoring position. Estrad grounded into a short to second force out and just barely beat the relay to first, putting runners on first and third. Crawford then lifted a pop fly to shallow center field.

Allen and Newman collided, and the ball dropped off of the latter’s glove for what originally was scored as a two base error as Flores crossed the plate with the leading run. Upon review, the scorer reversed his decision and Crawford was credited with a double and an RBI, and Stout was charged with an earned run.

Stout didn’t come out for the San Francisco eighth. Wil Crowe relieved him and kept the Giants off the board with the help of a diving grab of Wade’s hard ground behind first for the second out.

Camilo Doval, who had earned his 17th save last night and his 16th the night before, came out of the bullpen, hoping to hold the Giants’ deficit at a single run. Reynolds led off with a clean single to right and took second on Chavis’s productive ground  out to short. Gamel then walked to put the potential leading run on base but also setting up a double play. Castro hit a weak grounder to third. Longoria made a barehanded pick up and threw wildly and late to first. Reynolds reached third on what was ruled Castro’s hit and scored on Longoria’s throwing error.

Gamel also tried to score, but Flores’s throw from first nipped him at home. The Pirates challenged the call, claiming that Bart had illegally blocked the plate. Sam Holberg and Greg Gibson in New York thought otherwise, and the scoreboard had the Buccos ahead 7-6 after Doval fanned Cruz to end the threat.

Longoria made amends for his error by leading off the bottom of the ninth with a single to left. JD Davis came in to run for him and was forced at second by Yastrzemski’s grounder to Newman. It might have been a double play if the Bucs’ second baseman had made a decent throw to the bag. The next pitch was to Estrada. It began as a 95 mph sinker. It ended as a game winning home run, 395 feet deep in center field.

What a game!

Doval didn’t get his save. Instead he got his fourth win against five losses. His ERA dropped to 2.76.

The loss went to Crowe, who now is 4-7. 3,34,

Arizona comes to town tomorrow for a 6:45 game. Alex Cobb (3-6,4.15) will start for the Giants. The Diamondbacks haven’t announced who will pitch for them.

San Francisco Giants starter Logan Webb pitches in the top of the first inning against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sat Aug 13, 2022 (AP News photo)

Pittsburgh (45-69). 0. 5. 1

San Francisco (56-57). 2. 4. 0

Saturday, August 13, 2022

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–Before tonight’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Giants held a reunion and celebration of the team that won the 2012 World Series. The game itself featured another sort of reunion.

The Pirates’ starting pitcher, Tyler Beede, who toiled for the Giants from 2018 through early May of this year, with the exception of 2020, the COVID-shortened season, which he spent recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Beede went 0-0, 4.66 for the Giants this year and was 1-1, 3.28 for the Pirates, and 1-1, 3.57 overall when he first toed the rubber this evening. While playing college ball for Vanderbilt in 2012, his roommate was Mike Yasetrzemski.

Following that, during his tenure with San Francisco, the Bucco’s righty was good friends-indeed, he still is-with the Giants’ starter, Logan Webb, who came to do battle with his friend, bringing a record of 10-5, 3.17 in his duffel bag.

When the dust had settled, Webb had pitched a beautiful game, earning the win in a 2-0 Giants’ victory, in which the loser outhit the winners 5-4.

Beede lasted a scant three innings, during which he yielded a pair of runs, both earned, on three hits, one of them a home run, and three walks. He threw 74 pitches, 39 of which resulted in contact or were strikes. He was charged with the loss, which made his overall record 1-2, 3.72.

Webb, on the other hand didn’t throw his 74th pitch until, nursing a 2-0 lead, he faced his second batter of the seventh inning. He held on through the eighth and improved his record to 11-5, 3.00, allowing only four hits and two walks. Both runs scored against him were earned, and he struck out nine Bucs. The threw a total of 99 pitches, 34 of which were balls.

Tommy LaStella started at first base for San Francisco, replacing Brandon Belt, who was nursing a sore thumb.

The Giants overcame the dreaded Curse of the Leadoff Double, getting back to back two baggers from MonteWade, Jr., and Joc Pederson to start their half of the first inning. They did, however, fall victim to a mutated strain of the Curse; Pederson died on third.

The Pirates fell victim to the scourge in the top of the third when Rodolfo Castro’s leadoff shot went right through LaStella into left field for a generously scored two base hit. The frame ended with Castro on third when Webb made an exciting dive for the bag after fielding Newman’s weak grounder between the mound and first, getting the out by an eyelash.

Wade followed that exploit by opening the bottom of the third with a 410 foot blast into McCoy Cove, stretching the Giants’ lead to 2-0. The pitch was a sinker, but. I couldn’t see whether the splash hit floated or sank.

Eric Stout relieved Beede at the start of the Giants fourth. Wilmer Flores pinch hit for La Stella, who was due up first and tempted fate with a … you guessed it … leadoff double. Fate won, and San Francisco didn’t score in the fourth.

Stout walked JD Davis on a full count to open the fifth and then retired Mike Yastrzemski and Crawford before leaving the game in favor of Duane Underwood, Jr. He plunked Estrada, his first batter, with a change of pace before getting Flores out on a sinking liner to right, on which Greg Allen made a lovely diving catch.

Stout pitched a scoreless sixth and was succeeded in the seventh by Chase DeJong, who set the Giants down to conga beat, striking out Davis and Crawford in the process.

Pittsburgh threatened in the top of the eighth, loading the bases with two down. This was the first inning in which that had more than one runner on base. Webb rose to the occasion, striking out DH BenGamel on his 99th pitch of the game.

Camilo Doval, who earned his 16th save last night, fanned Oneil Cruz to open the top of the ninth. He walked Greg Allen, who proceeded to steal second and then advance to third on Bligh Madris’s ground out to second.

Allen’s potential run meant nothing but Rodolfo Castro, who was two for three on the evening, represented the possible tying run. He lined out to left to end a nerve wracking inning and a heartening Giants win.

The series ends tomorrow with a 1:05 contest in which Pittsburgh’s Zach Thompson (3.09, 5.08) will face San Francisco’s Alex Wood (8-9, 4.17).

San Francisco Giants third baseman Wilmer Flores (41) makes the catch for a force out on the Pittsburgh Pirates Josh Van Meter (26) in the top of the sixth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Fri Aug 12, 2022 (AP News photo)

Pittsburgh (45-68).     3. 10.  0

San Francisco (55-57) 5.   7.  0

Friday, August 12, 2022

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–If you glanced at the MLB standings and probable pitchers for tonight’s first game of the weekend series between the Giants and the visiting Pirates, you’d think that a San Francisco win was in the bag. The Giants got help from starter Carlos Rodon holding the Pirates to three runs in a 5-3 win.

After all, the Buccos came to town at 45-67, 14 games behind in the race for the National League’s last wild card spot while Kapler’s Crew, at  54-57, was only (only!) 7-1/2 short of a playoff shot. Pittsburgh sent Bryce Wilson, a 24 year old right hander who has bounced back and forth between the Pirates and their triple A affiliate, the Indianapolis Indians, all season, and all he had to show for it was a 2-6, 5.86 big league mark. It should be said in his favor, however, that between July 1 and today, he had gone 2-2, 3.34. 

The Giants, on the other hand, entrusted their fortune to one of  the two aces on their staff, the left handed veteran Rodón, who, at 10-6, 2.55, had been credited with  18.51% of the team’s victories. If he had been the winning pitcher in that percentage of the 107 games San Francisco won last year, Julio Urías would have been the only major league pitcher to have won more games, and that only by a fraction of a game. 

Your sanguine assumption would have been reasonable, but you would have been wrong. The Giants won, all right, but it was a gut wrenching victory that wasn’t decided until the last pitch. The Giants 5-3 win was no walk in the park.

Both teams announced roster changes earlier today. The Pirates promoted Austin Price, a right handed pitcher, to replace Yerry de los Santos, ditto, who went on the 60 day IL. San Francisco optioned Yunior Marte to Sacramento and recalled southpaw hurler Thomas Szapucki from the River Cats.

Wilson lasted 5-1/3 innings and surrendered four runs, all earned, on six hits and two walks. He fanned one Giant and allowed one home run. Of his 85 pitches, 34 were balls. He took the loss, bringing his record to 2-7, 5.93.

Rodón, who, in spite of having thrown a complete game in June, had averaged a little less than six innings per start this season, lasted exactly six tonight. He gave up two runs, both earned, on six hits, both of which went yard,, and didn’t walk a man. He threw 110 pitches, 72 going for strikes. He improved his won-lost  record to 10-6, although his ERA rose to 2.95.

Mike Yastrzemski, batting cleanup, put the orange and black on the board with a leadoff home run in the second, a 384 foot blast that sailed over the National Car Rental sign in left center. It came off an 89 mph sinker and gave Mike Yastrzemski an even dozen round trippers for the season. The Giants continued attacking after Yastrzemski crossed the plate.

Brandon Crawford singled to left and moved up a notch when Thairo Estrada followed suit. Both advanced on beautiful sacrifice bunt by LaMonte Wade, Jr. Crawford scored on Luis González’ sacrifice fly to left, but Estrada rounded third too widely and got put out in a rundown, Tucupidta Marcano to ONeil Cruz to Kevin Newman to Cruz, left field to short to second to short, to end the frame with San Francisco up 2-0.

The Giants loaded the bases quickly in their half of the third. Ausin Wynns singled to left, and  Wilson hit Joc Pederson with a pitch. After Brandon Belt fouled out to third, Wilmer Flores clogged the basepaths with a sharp single to center. Yaz grounded to second, and it looked like Newman’s throw home might force Wynn out at home. But the ball bounced off the mitt of Pittsburgh catcher Jason Delay, allowing Wynns to score. The play was ruled a fielder’s choice, giving Yastrzemski his second RBl of the evening and 43rd of the season. The Giants now led 3-0.

The team from Steel City got one run back in the top of the fourth, thanks to a full count, two out dinger by third baseman Rodolfo Castro, who parked a 96 mph four seamer 409 feet into the left field bleachers for his second home run of 2022, of which this was his 25th game.

Yastrzemski made it 4-1 in the home half of the fifth. With two down and Belt, who had walked, on first, the Giants’ center fielder sent a towering fly to the warning track in front of the 391 foot sign in dead center.

Bryan Reynolds let the ball fall for an RBI double that gave Yaz three RBIs for three ABs. Crawford then was granted an intentional walk but got picked off at first by Delay, who promptly fired a strike to first sacker Michael Chavis after Estrada had swung at and missed Wilson’s first delivery.

The three run margin didn’t last long. Rodón struck out his first two batters in the Pirates´ sixth, but Ben Gamel sent a 98 mph four seamer over the fence in left center, between the National Car Rental and Bank of America advertisements. The ball traveled 397 feet. Castro, up next for Pittsburgh, also traveled,  270 feet from home to third, on a triple to the left field corner.  Rodón recovered to strike out Cruz, his third K of the inning and seventh of the game.

After Estrada led off for the Giants in the sixth by flying out to left, the Pirates sent Manny Bañuelos to relieve Wilson, a move San Francisco countered by sending Evan Longoria to the plate to hit for the DH Estrada. He went down swinging.

.Newcomer Thomas Szapucki made his Giants debut to start the top of the seventh. (He previously had made one appearance for the Mets). He pitched an ugly third of any inning, allowing a leadoff homer to Allen that made it a 4-3 ball game and a single to Marcano before unleashing a wild pitch on his way to striking out Delay.

John Brebbia replaced the unfortunate Szapucki after he’d faced the reglementary three hitters. He got the Giants out of the inning without any further damage, although he needed a favorable ruling from Sam Holbrook and Greg Gibson in New York on a challenge to the second out, a close play at first on Newman’s grounder to short.

When Austin Slater was announced as pinch hitting for Pederson with one out in the home seventh, the Bucs responded by bringing in the right handed Colin Holderman to replace his left handed predecessor. 

Holderman held the Giants at bay even though he walked Slater and Flores and required a fine catch of Yastrzemski’s hard, falling liner to right to end the frame.

Josh Van Meter hit for Chavis to lead off the Bucco’s half of the eighth. He and Gamel hit singles to right. Castro tried to bunt them along, but his attempted sacrifice was foiled by Brebbia’s throw to third. It was a close play, but Pittsburgh couldn’t contest it because they lost their challenge in the seventh. That was it for Brebbia, though.

Alex Young entered the game and walked Cruz to load the bases. He fanned Allen but still had to deal with Marcano, whom he retired on a grounder to second. The Giants still clung their 4-3 lead.

Austin Brice set down Crawford and Estrada in the bottom of the eighth but granted a base on balls to Longoria. Then González looped a fly that landed between the two fielders in left center to send Longoria home with San Francisco’ s fifth tally, a much needed insurance run.

Camilo Doval had to hold on to the 5-3 lead the Giants now enjoyed if he were going to gain 16th save in 18 opportunities. Bligh Madris, hitting for Delay, grounded out to second. Newman hit a grounder to third; Flores made a nifty play on it,  and there were two outs.  Doval struck him out, and that was it, a hard fought win for the beleaguered San Francisco Giants.

Tomorrow at 6:05, Pittsburgh will send Tyler Beede (1-1, 3.57) against the Giants’ other ace, Logan Webb (10-5, 3.17).