Tag: San Diego Padres

Grant McCray hits two home runs and knocks in five, and Webb braves through six innings in 6-3 win for Giants at Petco

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San Francisco Giants Grant McCray (right) is congratulated by third base coach Matt Williams (left)after hitting a three run home run in the top of the second inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park in San Diego on Sat Sep 7, 2024 (AP News photo)

Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024

Petco Park 

San Diego, California

San Francisco Giants 6 (70-73)

San Diego Padres 3 (81-63)

Win: Logan Webb (12-9)

Loss: Dylan Cease (12-11)

Save: Ryan Walker (6)

Time: 2:25

Attendance: 43,318

By Stephen Ruderman

Grant McCray knocked in five runs with a pair of home runs to help pick Logan Webb up after an up-and-down start, and the Giants beat the Padres in San Diego 6-3 for their 70th win of the year.

Mason Black impressed in what was an up-and-down start Friday night, but a pair of bombs by Manny Machado helped lead the Padres to a 5-1 win in the series opener Friday night. The Giants were looking to even the series and get their 70th win Saturday night on a rare hot and humid evening in San Diego. 

The Giants went down scoreless against Padres’ starter Dylan Cease in the top of the first inning, though Heliot Ramos fought through a ten pitch at-bat to line a base-hit to left field. He really is a solid major league hitter.

Logan Webb once again took the ball after a Giants’ loss, and just like Black Friday night, he had a rough go of things in the bottom of the first. The scrappy Luis Arraez led off the bottom of the first with a base-hit to left, and Jurickson Profar singled the other way to right to put runners at the corners with nobody out. Bob Melvin challenged, but the call was upheld, and the Giants lost their challenge.

Webb walked Jake Cronenworth to load the bases with nobody out for Machado. Machado lined a base-hit off the end of the bat up the middle and into right-center for a base-hit, and Arraez scored to give the Padres a 1-0 lead. Xander Bogaers then grounded to short for a 6-4-3 double play, and even Profar came in to score, that really helped Webb limit the damage to two runs.

You could say the double play gave the Giants a little bit of momentum going to the top of the second, because they certainly seemed to seize on it. Patrick Bailey and Brett Wisely each singled to put runners at first and second with two outs for Grant McCray, who has been impressive with both the bat and the glove in his three and a half weeks in the big leagues.

McCray took a hanging slider and hit a bomb into the back of the first deck out in right, and the Giants took a 3-2 lead. It was the fourth home run for McCray.

Webb settled down with a one, two, three inning in the bottom of the second, and he pitched a scoreless inning in the bottom of the third. 

The Giants manufactured a run in the top of the fourth when McCray grounded into a double play with the bases loaded, and that made it 4-2. 

Webb pitched another scoreless inning in the bottom of the fourth, but after Cease threw a one, two, three top of the fifth, Webb would run into trouble in the bottom of the fifth. Tyler Wade led off the inning with a ground-rule double to right-center, and then he scored two batters later when Arraez lined a base-hit to right-center.

It was now 4-3, but the Padres would load the bases with two outs. Webb got Bogaerts to ground to third to end the inning, and the Giants kept their lead going to the sixth.

Cease finished his night with a one, two, three top of the sixth, and Webb found himself in more trouble in the bottom of the sixth. The Padres put runners at first and second with one out, but Webb got Mason McCoy to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Webb only had one one, two, three inning and gave up three runs and ten hits on what was an overall up-and-down night. Webb indicated that he was caught a bit off guard by the unusual humidity in San Diego, but he didn’t make any excuses, fought his way through every pitch, just as he always has. Plus, three runs over six innings is still a quality outing.

Wandy Peralta and Bryan Hoeing combined for a scoreless top of the seventh, and submariner Rogers threw a one, two, three inning in the bottom of the seventh. Boeing stayed out to throw a one, two, three inning in the top of the eighth, and Camilo Doval came in to do the same for the Giants in the bottom of the eighth.

The Giants kept their 4-3 lead going to the ninth, but as they tried to get a win against a powerful Padres’ team, they knew they needed to add on. Padres Manager Mike Shildt brought in left-hander Yuki Matsui, and Patrick Bailey walked to lead off the top of the ninth. 

Tyler Fitzgerand and Brett Wisely both struck out swinging, but Grant McCray had a chance to come through with two outs, and indeed he would. First, Bailey moved up to second on a wild pitch, but after that, McCray hit his second home run of the night to right-center, and the Giants expanded their lead to 6-3.

Grant McCray had five RBIs, and he technically knocked in every single one of the Giants’ six runs Saturday night. Remember, a run scored when he grounded into a double play in the top of the fourth. If only they would get rid of the dumb rule that you can’t get an RBI on a double play ball, McCray would’ve had six of them Saturday night.

Fernando Tatis Jr. led off the bottom of the ninth with a double to right off Ryan Walker, but Walker retired the side in order immediately afterwards. The Giants held on to win 6-3.

Logan Webb was rewarded for his valiant quality outing with the win; Dylan Cease took the loss; and Ryan Walker picked up his sixth save.

With Rogers—formerly the eighth inning guy—pitching the seventh, and Doval—formerly the closer—pitching the eighth, I can’t help but wonder if Melvin is experimenting with a seventh-eighth-ninth inning trip of Rogers, Doval and Walker. That could be a very lethal back end of the bullpen.

Speaking of experiments and what could be lethal going forward, McCray definitely believes he and a healthy Jung-hoo Lee can be a dangerous combo in the Giants’ outfield. The one positive about the Giants playing for next year is that we are getting a good look at the kids, and they have a golden opportunity to prove themselves and perhaps set themselves up to be part of the Giants’ next winning core. Heliot Ramos has certainly proven himself; now we’ll see if McCray to prove himself too. 

The Giants can win this series Sunday, and Spencer Bivens (3-1, 2.86 ERA) will take the ball in what will most likely be a bullpen game for San Francisco Sunday. The veteran, Joe Musgrove (5-4, 4.09 ERA) will make the start for San Diego. First pitch will be at 1:10 p.m.

Giants News and Notes:

  • Speaking of the future, Bryce Eldridge, the Giants’ first-round draft pick last year, was called up to the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels. 

Eldridge is hitting .300 with a home run in his first five games in Richmond. Eldridge, who is only 19 years old, was originally not expected to make it up to the major leagues until 2026. However, there is now speculation that he could find his way up to the Giants at some point next season.

Mason Black has up-and-down outing as Giants drop series opener to Padres in San Diego 5-1

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San Francisco Giants starter Mason Black delivers against the San Diego Padres in the bottom of the first inning at Petco Park in San Diego on Fri Sep 6, 2024 (AP News photo)

Friday, Sept. 6, 2024

Petco Park

San Diego, California

San Francisco Giants 1 (69-73)

San Diego Padres 5 (81-62)

Win: Michael King (12-8)

Loss: Mason Black (0-3)

Time: 2:33

Attendance: 42,595

By Stephen Ruderman

The Padres scored three runs off Mason Black in the bottom of the first inning and beat the Giants 5-1 in the opener of this three-game series at Petco Park on Friday night.

The last time the Giants were in San Diego, they opened the season with a lot of excitement and high expectations. Now, they are in San Diego as they wrap up their third-straight mediocre season, and as the focus turns to next season.

They were also in San Diego as Southern California got clobbered with a heatwave. Thankfully, San Diego is close to the ocean, and this was a night game, so the temperature was a mostly-cool 79 degrees at game time.

As the Giants look toward the future, they turned to Mason Black to make his fifth start of the season. Black was called back up last Saturday and made a solid start against the Marlins, as he gave up two runs over five innings against the Marlins.

Black would face a test against a powerful San Diego Padres’ offense. The Padres came into Friday night’s game in possession of the first wild card spot in the National League, and barring an historic collapse, they are destined for their third trip to the playoffs over the last five years.

The Padres would strike against Black in the bottom of the first inning. Luis Arraez and Fernando Tatis Jr. singled to start the inning, and the Padres had runners at first and second with nobody out.

Jurickson Profar flew out to right-center field for the first out. Arraez, who was at second, tagged and went to third, and when right-fielder Mike Yastrzemski threw to third, Tatis took off for second. Shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald cut off the throw, but when he tried to nap Tatis at second, his throw sailed into right field, and both runners scored to give the Padres a 2-0 lead.

It was a rough start for Black, but then he had to face the always-dangerous Manny Machado. Machado would only add insult to injury, and hit a home run to left-center to make it 3-0. Things appeared to be getting even worse for Black after he walked Jake Cronenworth, but he got the next two guys he faced to fly out.

On the offensive side, the Giants were unable to do much against Padres’ starter Michael King, who retired the first eight men he faced Friday night. The Giants had the bases loaded with two outs against King in the top of the fourth, but they were unable to come through.

Meanwhile, Black settled down to retire nine-straight after walking Cronenworth. Black pitched around a one-out double by Xander Bogaerts in the bottom of the fourth, and he retired the first two men he faced in the bottom of the fifth. He ended up retiring 13 out of 14 after the walk to Cronenworth.

However, the Padres made some two-out noise to end Black’s night. Tatis and Profar singled to put runners at the corners, and Bob Melvin brought in Sean Hjelle. Machado then singled the other way to right to knock in Machado, and it was now 4-0 San Diego.

Black gave up four runs and six hits. He also walked just one and struck out six. It obviously wasn’t the greatest outing, but he did impress with his stretch in which he retired 13 out of 14 Padres’ hitters.

Michael Conforto finally got the Giants on the board when he led off the top of the sixth with a home run to right-center. Matt Chapman singled the other way to right, but King then retired the side in order. That would do it for King, who gave up just one run; walked just one; and struck out eight over six innings.

Hjelle came back out to pitch a scoreless bottom of the sixth, and Bryan Hoeing threw a one, two, three top of the seventh for San Diego. Austin Warren, who the Giants called back up prior the game, was brought in for the bottom of the seventh, and he threw a one, two, three inning. Hoeing and Adrian Morejon then combined to throw a one, two, three inning in the top of the eighth.

When Warren came back out for the bottom of the eighth, Machado led off the inning with his second home run of the night, an absolute bomb to the second deck in left to make it 5-1. Warren retired the side and retired five of the six men he faced Friday night. Jeremiah Estrada was then brought in for the top of the ninth, and he threw a one, two, three inning to end it.

Michael King got the win, and Mason Black took the loss. The Giants fall to 69-73.

Logan Webb (11-9. 3.43 ERA) for San Francisco will once again have to be the stopper, as he will make the start in the second game of this series Saturday evening. Right-hander Dylan Cease (12-10, 3.62 ERA) will take the ball for San Diego. First pitch will be at 5:40 p.m PT.

Giants News and Notes:

Kyle Harrison was placed on the 15-Day Injured List due to left shoulder inflammation. While there is no timetable for his return, it does appear that Harrison is done for the year.

Harrison, who had gone 7-7 with a 4.56 ERA in a rocky first full season in the big leagues, had been dealing with the shoulder for a while and pitching through it. However, with the Giants now out of contention, they appear content with most likely shutting him down for the season.

A’s Fall In Yet Another Padre Walk Off 5-4

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Oakland A’s starter Hogan Harris pitches to the San Diego Padres line up in the top of the first inning at Petco Park in San Diego on Wed Jun 12, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

This game was a re-play of Tueday’s game ending in major disappointment for Oakland (26-44). The Padres (37-35) celebrated their second walk off in a row winning this game 5-4. Jackson Merrill hit a home run off a Mason Miller slider to finish off the A’s. The A’s are struggling with getting the ball in play. This has plagued them all season as they missed cashing in on a bases loaded with one out sixth inning.

Game recap: Through four innings the only offense was a home run off the bat of the Padres’ Donovan Solano. Neither team were generating a whole lot of offense with two hits apiece for the two teams. Just a testament of the great job both Hogan Harris and Michael King were showcasing. King was having an especially outstanding game with 12 punch outs through five innings.

The Padres would extend their lead in the fifth inning with another home run; this time off the bat of Jackson Merrill. Oakland still had not hit a long ball in the game with four innings remaining.

The sixth inning was productive for the A’s scoring three runs and taking a 3-2 lead. Tyler Soderstrom and Shea Langeliers both hit singles driving runners home to tie up the game. Seth Brown reached first base with a bunt single and Soderstrom scored to give the A’s the lead. With only one out Oakland had the bases loaded but were unable to extend their lead. The A’s now had eight hits to their credit.

Oakland struck again in the eighth inning scoring that all-important insurance run. Zach Gelof doubled and Seth Brown beat the throw home to score for a 4-2 Oakland lead.

Just when it was looking so very good for Oakland disaster struck in the bottom of the eighth inning. Donovan Solano connected with a fast ball knocking it out of the park, a two-run homer to tie up the game 4-4. This was his second home run of the game, the first one coming in the first inning and it was back to square one for the A’s going into the ninth inning.

Oakland had worked so hard to take the lead only to watch it dissolve in the eighth inning. The A’s skipper was ejected in the beginning of the ninth inning, the A’s were unable to take back the lead and Oakland now needed to keep the tie intact to avoid yet another San Diego walk off. Mason Miller took the mound in the bottom of the ninth looking to keep this game tied.

In a repeat of Tueday’s game, the Padres Jackson Merrill took advantage of a Mason Miller slider sending the ball out of the yard winning their second walk off in a row 5-4. This was Merrills second home run of the game. San Diego hit four home runs in this game. This was a major disappointment for Oakland after having rallied to take the lead only to watch the Padres celebrate their first sweep of the season. Oakland had ten hits in this game but it was San Diego with 6 hits that won this game with that all-important sixth hit.

The sixth inning came back to bite Oakland after they had tied up the game. They had the bases loaded with only one out and failed to score a single run, an opportunity that you cannot squander. This offense needs to be able to put the ball in play. Their defense is solid. They lead the league with 689 strikeouts. They just have to be able to put the ball in play which is falling short right now.

Game notes: Wednesday afternoon the A’s finished up their series with the Padres before heading to Minnesota for a date with the Twins. Oakland made a nice comeback in game two of this series on Wednesday. They tied up this game in the eighth after trailing 3-1. The offense that they needed in the ninth inning never came to be and the A’s lost a heartbreaker in the bottom of the ninth inning when Kyle Higashioka hit the ball out of the park off the first pitch he faced for the walk-off 4-3. Oakland couldn’t salvage the series with at least one win losing to the Padres on Wednesday 5-4. They also got close Wednesday but just fell short.

Oakland will now head to Minnesota taking on Carlos Correa and the Twins in a four-game series that gets underway on Thursday. Luis Medina will take the mound for the A’s with a 5.23 ERA. The twins will assign Joe Ryan who comes in with a 4-5 win/loss record and a 3.30 ERA. First pitch for this game is scheduled for 4:40 PM.

Machado hip flexor- aggrevated late yesterday but onboard today

Oakland A’s podcast with Stephen Ruderman: A’s-Padres conclude series today at Petco Park

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Oakland A’s starter JP Sears fires off a pitch to the San Diego Padre line up in the bottom of the first inning at Petco Park in San Diego on Tue Jun 10, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Stephen Ruderman:

#1 The San Diego Padres Kyle Higashioka belted a walk off home run as the lead off hitter in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Oakland A’s at Petco Park on Tuesday night 4-3.

#2 The Padres Fernando Tatis kept his hitting streak alive at 17. But the Padres Jurickson Profar took a swing at a pitch so hard that he hurt himself landing on the ground in the bottom of the eighth inning and was replaced by David Peralta who flew out to center.

#3 With the loss on Tuesday the A’s have now lost 10 of their last 13 games and have really hit the skids they are now 17 games below .500.

#4 The A’s Tyler Soderstrom tied up the ball game at 3-3 in the top of the eighth inning with one out. Soderstrom hit a two run homer scoring Miguel Andujar ahead of him. For Soderstrom it was his third home run of the season.

#5 The A’s are back to the drawing board again and will start RHP Hogan Harris (0-0, ERA 2.21) and for the Padres RHP Michael King (5-4, ERA 3.58) first pitch at Petco 1:10pm PT. This will conclude the three game series between the two teams.

Stephen Ruderman is a MLB podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s Tie Up Game In the Eighth Only to Lose to Padres in a Walkoff 4-3

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San Diego Padres Fernando Tatis celebrates scoring on Jurickson Profar’s base hit against the Oakland A’s in the bottom of the fifth inning at Petco Park in San Diego on Tue Jun 11, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

After tying up this game in the eighth inning 3-3 off a 2-run homer from Tyler Soderstrom, the Oakland A’s (26-43) were gunning to take the lead in the top of the ninth inning. The team worked hard to tie up the game only to lose it in the bottom of the ninth when the San Diego Padres (36-35) walked it off; the final score 4-3. This was a very competitive game for Oakland that ended on a very sour note. The A’s Scott Alexander gave up the home run to Kyle Higashioka for the San Diego win.

Game recap: As in Monday nights game, the A’s took the early lead, a 1-0 score going into the bottom of the fifth inning. The A’s continue hitting home runs, the first one in this game off the bat of Abraham Toro on the first pitch of the game.

There was not a lot of offense through the next three innings. for either team. The Padres had a productive fifth inning scoring three runs and taking a 3-1 lead into the sixth inning. Luis Arraez hit an infield single and Ha-Seong Kim scored to tie up the game 1-1. The Padres followed that up with a Jurickson Profar single bringing two runners home, Luis Arraez and Fernando Tatis Jr taking a 3-1 lead.

In the eighth inning the A’s fought back tying up this game with yet another Oakland home run. Tyler Soderstom hit a two-run homer with Miguel Andujar on base to tie up this game 3-3. Oakland kept the Padres off the scoreboard in the bottom of the eighth and they would need some offense in the ninth inning.

They didn’t get the offense they so desperately needed. Abraham Toro lined out, Shea Langeliers flied out and Max Schuemann fouled out and that was the top of the ninth. They had to keep this game going and that meant keeping the Padres off the scoreboard in the bottom of the ninth, preventing the walk-off.

It all went so horribly wrong when Scott Alexander’s first pitch in the bottom of the ninth, a changeup, sailed out of the ball park off the bat of Kyle Higashioka. This was his first walk-off home run. The Padres had pulled off the walk-off winning the game 4-3.

The A’s were within striking distance in the later innings only to watch the long ball that would end any hope for a win for Oakland. This was one crazy game where the first pitch of the game and the last pitch of the game resulted in balls leaving the yard.

Game notes: After losing the first game of their series with the Padres , the A’s lost another one to the Padres at Petco Park. JP Sears who started for Oakland pitched five innings and gave up seven hits and three runs and yet it wasn’t enough for the A’s to get in the win column on Tuesday night. Oakland hung in Monday’s game taking an early lead in the second inning but fell apart for the rest of the game getting crushed 6-1.

The third game of the series is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon at 1:10 PM as the A’s try to salvage this series with at least one win. Probable pitchers for this game will be Hogan Harris for Oakland with a 0-0, 2.21 ERA. The Padres will probably assign Michael King with a 5-4 win/loss record and a 3.58 ERA.

A’s Drop First Game of Padre Series 6-1

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Oakland A’s starter Joey Estes delivers against the San Diego Padres line up in the bottom of the first inning at Petco Park in San Diego on Mon Jun 10, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Oakland A’s (26-42) scored the first run of this game to take an early 1-0 lead. This is when the San Diego Padres (35-35) took over the game. They scored single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings for a 3-1 lead. San Diego had a productive seventh inning scoring three runs.

Michael Otanez made his major league debut in the seventh facing a difficult situation (the bases were loaded) and it was welcome to the MLB for Otanez. He did allow one hit in the 6-1 loss.

Game recap: The A’s got on the scoreboard first in the second inning when Tyler Soderstrom hit a solo home run for the early 1-0 lead. Oakland threatened to extend their lead. Both Shea Langeliers and Max Schuemann singled and with runners on second and third the A’s had a great opportunity to get some insurance runs.

Abraham Toro came to the plate with two outs but he was unable to bring runners home.

San Diego erased the Oakland lead scoring runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings. Cronenwoth homered in the third inning. Ha-Seong Kim singled Jackson Merrill home for their second run in the fourth inning. The Padres had their third run in the fifth inning, a homer off the bat of Fernando Tatis Jr. leading 3-1.

Through seven innings both teams had eight hits apiece. The A’s were hitting Monday night but missing some key opportunities. The Padres Dylan Cease went six innings allowing eight hits, one earned run and eight strikeouts. The A’s Joey Estes threw for five innings also allowing eight hits, three runs. two walks with three strikeouts. Sean Newcomb relieved Estes in the sixth inning.

The Padres loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh inning with one out threatening to extend their lead. Michael Otanez made his major league debut relieving Newcomb. It was then that the lights went out completely in right field and this was not at all what Otanez envisioned his MLB debut to look like.

It looked like the stadium was getting ready for a concert as Otanez paced the mound. It was not long before the lights came back on in Petco Park and play commenced. He walked the Padres fourth run of the evening home for a 4-1 score.

Otanez had come in facing a really tough situation looking for his first out. Merrill singled Cronenworth home and the Padres had gone ahead 5-1 with the bases still loaded. Another run came in for San Diego when Kim sacrificed Tyler Wade home and it was a 6-1 ball game. It had been a most productive seventh inning for the Padres.

The Padres Robert Suarez closed out this game for the 6-1 San Diego win. He clocked three strikeouts to finish off Oakland.

Game notes: Monday evening the A’s were in San Diego and opened a three game series with the Padres only to lose in a five run contest. The A’s just completed a disappointing series with the Blue Jays losing the third game of the series in extra innings on Sunday afternoon 6-4.

A’s starter Joey Estes took the mound for Oakland and gave up eight hits on three earned runs including a home run by the Padres Fernando Tatis who extended his hit streak to 16 games.. Manny Machado was back in the line up at designated hitter for the Padres Monday night and is healthy again. It was a terrific Monday night crowd with 38,000 plus coming out for the NorCal vs SoCal matchup.

Game two of this three game series will start Tuesday night with first pitch at 6:40 PM. JP Sears will take the mound for Oakland with a 4-5 win/loss record and a 3.93 ERA. Randy Vasquez will start for the Padres with 1-3 win/loss record and a 5.40 ERA.

Giants score two after massive break in eighth to win series over Padres 3-2

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San Francisco Giants Matt Chapman swings for an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning at Oracle Park against the San Diego Padres on Sun Apr 7, 2024 (AP News photo)

Sunday, April 7, 2024

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

San Diego Padres 2 (5-7)

San Francisco Giants 3 (4-6)

Win: Ryan Walker (1-0)

Loss: Jhony Brito (0-2)

Save: Camilo Doval (1)

Time: 2:16

Attendance: 40,149

By Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–The Giants capitalized on a botched double play, and scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to come back and beat the Padres 3-2 and win the series.

After the Giants’ dramatic walk-off win in the Home Opener on Friday, the Padres beat the Giants on a first inning grand slam by Jurickson Profar. Logan Webb took the mound to make his third start of the season for the rubber match, as the Giants looked to take the series.

Webb got off to a tough start in the top of the first. He got Xander Bogaerts to fly out to right to open the game, but Fernando Tatis Jr. lined a single to left, and then Jake Cronenworth knocked in Tatis with a double to right.

The knuckle-baller Matt Waldron made the start for San Diego, and the Giants threatened in the bottom of the first. Jung-hoo Lee singled on a ground ball up the middle to start the inning, and then got to third on a one-out double by Jorge Soler. However, Michael Conforto popped out to third, and Matt Chapman flew out to right.

Webb ran into trouble again in the top of the second when the Padres put runners on the corner with one out, but he got out of it when Kyle Higashioka hit a ground ball to third for a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.

From there, both pitchers settled down. Waldron retired 14 of the 15 men he faced from Conforto’s popup through the bottom of the fifth inning. As for Webb, the inning-inning double play in the top of the second started a stretch where he set down nine-straight guys.

The Padres had Webb back on the ropes in the sixth, as three-straight singles by Cronenworth, Manny Machado and Ha-seong Kim plated a run to make it 2-0. 

The Giants caught a break when Lee reached on an errant throw by Kim to start the bottom of the sixth. LaMonte Wade Jr. then singled to right, and the Giants would be in business. Soler lined out sharply to center, and Padres Manager Mike Shildt came out to the mound to pull Waldron for Steve Koek, who walked Conforto to load the bases. 

Matt Chapman came up and hit a chopper to short that the shortstop Kim fielded and flipped to second to get Conforto for the force. Lee scored on the play to put the Giants on the board, but that would be the only run the Giants would get in the sixth, as Thairo Estrada swung out swinging on a ball in the dirt to end the inning.

With the Giants on the board, the Padres looked to respond in the seventh. Tyler Wade and Jackson Merrill singled to start the inning, and Webb would be in trouble again. Higashioka tried to sacrifice the runners over to second and third, but he struck out on a foul bunt. Bogaerts then reached on a fielder’s choice, which put runners on the corners with two outs, and Tatis grounded out to third, as Webb got out of it unscathed.

Webb had an up-and-down outing today, as he gave up 10 hits, but he was able to work his way out of trouble, and managed to allow just two runs over seven innings.

“Webby’s up against it not getting support,” said Manager Bob Melvin.

“[I’m] still not where I really want to be,” said Webb. “The first inning, my changeup was god awful. Then I started throwing more, and started to figure it out a little better. Still some things I gotta clean up, but as long as the team wins, I’m all good.”

Yuki Matsui pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh for the Padres, and Melvin brought in Ryan Walker, who pitched a 1-2-3 top of the eighth for the Giants.

Lee popped out to the catcher to start the bottom of the eighth, and then Shildt pulled Matsui for the righty Jhony Brito in response to Wilmer Flores pinch-hitting for Wade. Flores lined a base-hit to left, and Soler singled to right-center to move Tyler Fitzgerald, who pinch-ran for Flores, to third. 

Conforto hit a chopper to first, which Cronenworth fielded and stepped on the bag at first for the second out, but when he threw to second to try and nab Soler for the double play, the shortstop, Kim, dropped the ball, and it got away, which allowed Soler to get to third and Fitzgerald to score the tying run. Matt Chapman then came up and hit a ground ball the opposite way to right for a base-hit to score Soler and give the Giants the lead.

“[Chapman]’s really not hitting his stride yet, but he’s finding a way to make contact with guys on third and less than two out, and he’s finding a way to get a big hit,” said Melvin.

Camilo Doval came in for the ninth to try and notch his first save of the season, and he retired the first two men he faced. However, Doval, who has been off to another rocky start his season, wouldn’t get through the ninth so easily. Jackson Merrill singled to right and stole second to put the tying run in scoring position, but Doval struck out Luis Campusano to end the game, and the Giants won it 3-2.

“Our offensive is gonna come around,” said Melvin. “If we can do the little things right, create this kind of identity and win these kind[s] of games, I think we’ll be tougher for it.”

Ryan Walker, who pitched the eighth got the win; Jhony Brito got the loss; and of course, Camilo Doval got his first save of the year.

The Giants improve to 4-6, and they will welcome the Washington Nationals to Oracle Park for a three-game series starting tomorrow night. Tomorrow night will also be big, as Blake Snell will make his Giants debut. First pitch will be at 6:45 p.m.

News and Notes:

  • With today’s attendance of 40,149, the Giants have sold out their first three games at Oracle Park, matching their amount of sellouts from all of last season. 

Not only that, but this is the first time that the Giants have sold out three straight games since they sold out four-straight at the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019. They sold out their final three home games of the 2018 Season against the Dodgers (Sept. 28-30), as well as the Home Opener in 2019 against the Tampa Bay Rays (April 5.)

There was also much more energy and enthusiasm at Oracle Park this weekend than there had been for a better part of the last five years. It is no surprise that since the Giants were willing to spend money to build a better team over the off-season, there is a lot of hype around the Giants this season, and fans are showing up. As they say, “Build it, and they will come.”

  • Wilmer Flores has seen a decrease in playing time early this season, but Bob Melvin has made it quite clear that Flores is a big part of this team.

“It’s really hard not to have [Flores] in the game,” said Melvin. “The one thing you do know is that you’re going to have a spot in the game where he can come up and [have an] impact, and left, right, it doesn’t matter to him, so when they make the move, it doesn’t matter. It’s Wilmer Flores.”

  • There have been a lot of new faces in Mike Murphy’s Clubhouse this season in terms of both players and catchers. 10 games in, the personalities are starting to mesh.

“I think it’s been great,” said Melvin. “[We have] a new coaching staff to an extent, and there were a lot of new players [who come] in during [Spring Training], so there’s a lot [we] have to sort through. I think as far as how these guys get along in the clubhouse, [with] the leadership from previous teams, [and the] leadership from now with some of the players we’ve brought too, I think it’s happened really well. Obviously, our results have not been great yet, and they will, but we [are] still kinda learning each other, I think more so on the field than in the clubhouse.”

Matt Chapman has been heralded as one of the new leaders in the clubhouse.

“Matt Chapman’s always been a leader, so that’s never going to change, and that’s one of the reasons we brought him in here.”

“Honestly, I think the most underrated part of Chappy is his leadership and what he brings inside the clubhouse, inside the dugout [and] the energy he brings every single day,” said Webb. “[At] times when we might get down early, and he’s coming in the dugout [and] saying, ‘Let’s go guys!’ kinda firing the guys up. I think that’s something we might have lacked the last couple of years, and he brings that, so you feel that as a teammate.”

“I’m just trying to show up every day and play to win,” said Chapman. “[I] just do whatever I can to help the team. [I’m] just trying to keep the positive vibes up around this place and do my job.”

Profar’s grand slam paces Padres in 4-0 win over Giants at Oracle

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San Diego Padres Jurickson Profar connects for a grand slam home run in the top of the first inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco to help defeat the San Francisco Giants 4-0 on Sat Apr 6, 2024 (AP News photo)

San Diego (5-6). 400 000 000 4 5 0

San Francisco (3-6). 000 000 000. 0 4 0

Time: 2:10

Attendance: 40,114

Saturday, April 6 San Francisco

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–Fresh from yesterday’s exhilarating home opener triumph over San Diego, the Giants had hopes of clinching their first series win of 2024 and bringing them to within a game of 500 in front of another sellout crowd, this time one of 40,114.

Keaton Winn, a 26 year old righter in the process of converting from the bullpen to the rotation and possessor of a four pitch repertory, that includes a fastball rated by MLB’s Baseball Savant as in the 80th percentile, was SF’s starting pitcher, in his one previous appearance this season, he lost to the Dodgers on April Fools’ Day, having given up three runs, all earned, on four hits in a was as the losing pitcher in an 8-3 game. His names conjure up two of the greatest stars of America’s golden age of comedy, but the rookie, although he pitched well, was in serious trouble from almost the outset of what turned out to be a 4-0 loss.

The Padres opted for another righty who has oscillated between the roles of starter and reliever, sending 28 year old Michael King and his career MLB record of 14-17, 3.46 and WHIP of 1.22 to the mound.

Any residual giddiness the Giants may have carried over from yesterday dissipated in the 55º light of the top of the first inning. Xander Bogaerts led off with a pop fly that fell to the grass just in front of center fieder Jung-Hoo Lee, who seemed to be having trouble with the sun or wind or both.

It looked as though Winn would get out of the inning unscathed after he disposed of Fernando Tatís, Jr. and Jake Croenworth on a fly to center and a strikeout. But the Friars filled the bases with Manny Machado’s single to left and a full count walk to Ha-Seong Kim. The veteran Jurickson Profar promptly seized the opportunity to send Winn’s first offering over the right field wall, landing 347′ from the plate, the third grand slam of Profar’s 10 year career.

Winn got tagged with the loss even though he didn’t allow a hit or a run, just two walks, for the rest of his tenure, which came to a total of six innings. He was helped by a grand leaping catch that Lee made at the center field fence off Jackson Merrill’s drive in the top of the fifth.

The youngster’s ERA rose to a deceptively high 5.73. His pitch count reached 80, 55 for strikes. Laden Loup, another right handed rookie, replaced him to open the top of the seventh.

Loup kept the Pads off the board, yielding only a single to Luis Campusano, and gave way to yet another rookie righty, Nick Avila, for the eighth and ninth. In the eighth, he reprised Loup’s seventh; the only Padre who reached base safely was Fernando Tatís, who singled to right. He retired the side in order in the ninth. King was majestic in his seven innings of work.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa: Sharks have lost 11 of last 12; Host St Louis today at SAP Center

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Los Angeles Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov (84) tries and takes a shot up close on the San Jose Sharks goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood (29) in the first period at SAP Center in San Jose on Thu Apr 4, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The San Jose Sharks were hit with another tough loss in their last game to the Los Angeles Kings 3-2. The Kings Akil Thomas scored his first NHL goal and said “it felt amazing.”

#2 The Kings goaltender David Rittch stopped 15 shots in the close one goal win for the Kings. While Rittch gave up two goals his goaltending kept the Sharks from finding the back end of the net.

#3 The Sharks who have lost 11 of their last 12 games. The Sharks have lost their last two games one to the Kings last Thursday and Tuesday to the Dallas Stars.

#4 Sharks head coach David Quinn said he didn’t love the Sharks third period but said the Sharks played better hockey in the first and second periods.

#5 The Sharks have an afternoon game at 3:00pm PDT against the St Louis Blues at SAP Center in San Jose . The Sharks defeated the Blues in their last meeting 4-0 in St Louis to snap a nine game losing streak.

Join Mary Lisa for the Sharks podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants edge Padres 3-2 in home opener at Oracle Park on Friday

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San Francisco Giants LeMonte Wade Jr (left) scores behind San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano (right) in the bottom of the sixth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Fri Apr 5, 2024 (AP News photo)

Friday, April 5 San Francisco

San Diego (5-5) 101 000 000. 2. 6. 0

San Francisco (3-5 ) 100 001 001 3. 5. 1

Time:2:25

Attendance: 40,645

By Lewis Rubman and Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–The San Francisco Giants opened the 2024 season by splitting a four game series with the Padres in San Diego before being swept by the Dodgers in a three game set at Chavez Ravine. The Pads returned the Giant’s visit by traveling to Oracle Park for San Francisco’s home opener this afternoon in the first of a three game series.

Bob Melvin and his pitching coach, Bryan Price, went with right hander Jordan Hicks, who had the win over the Friars by pitching five scoreless frames against them on March 30 to face them again this sunny but chilly and windy afternoon.

Hicks counterpart for San Diego was Dylan Cease, the losing pitcher in that contest, in which he lasers only 4-2/3 innings, but threw 85 pitches and surrendered three runs, two of which were earned. His WHIP was a respectable 0.86. So it looked like an interesting match up. It was. The Giants halted, or at least paused their downward spiral in an exciting and exceedingly strange game, pulling out a 3-2 win in front of a sell out crowd of 40,645.

The Pads, undeterred by The Curse of the Lead Off Double, drew first blood with Xander Bogaerts’ two bagger in the opening frame, followed by a productive ground out to second by Fernando Tatis, Jr. and Jake Cronerworth’s RBI single to left. Hicks escaped further damage by inducing and completing a nifty 3-6-1 twin killing off the bat of Manny Machado. The Giants knotted the score in their half of the first. Jung-Hoo Lee began things by drawing a walk and coming home on Michael Conforto’s two out double to right.

Hicks literally threw that tie away in the top of the third. With one down and Jackson Merrill on first, Bogaerts hit a sharp grounder to the mound. Hicks paused for a moment, double clutched when Nick Ahmed seemed too far from second to receive his throw, and then hurled the ball into center field, turning what would have been an inning ending double play into a runners on the corners threat.

Melvin talked about Hicks start which he was glad he won, “That was huge. I knew we had an off-day yesterday, but our bullpen’s been beat up a little bit…..[Starting] is really what he wanted to do….And the way he went about it, [he] was honest with me. In his first start that he got a little bit tired, and we took him out. Even when he came “off the field” after the sixth, he said ‘I feel great.’…..I had just felt like he still had a lot left…..It looked like he was throwing harder later on in the game.” said Melvin.

Tatís made good on that threat with a tie-breaking single to left. A pitcher’s best friend kept things from getting worse. Cronerworth hit into it and was out at first even though he beat Ahmed’s throw. The reason: Bogaerts had committed runner’s interference. It was that sort of. game, and the Padres were leading it, 2-1.

The weirdness continued in the Giants’ half of the fourth. Conforto led off with a two bagger to right center. He broke for third on Matt Chapman’s bounding ball to short and had to reverse course and dive back to the bag to avoided being put out. Chapman, meanwhile, reached first on the fielder’s choice. Both runners moved up a base on Cease’s wild pitch to Estrada, but Conforto was thrown out at home trying to score on the play. Mike Yastrzemski fanned, and Giants still trailed, 2-1. “[Conforto was] just trying to do a little too much there. It’s Opening Day…..I think [he] just [had] some exuberance on Opening Day, and [was] just trying to do a little too much.” said Melvin

The Giants pulled even in the sixth. Wade walked to start the inning and went to third on Conforto’s one out single (you read that right, single) off the top of the Levi’s Landing brick wall. He scored on Chapman’s ground out to short.

Cease ceased pitching after that inning. He left with a no decision but reduced his ERA to 3.38, having yielded two runs, both earned, on four hits, two walks, and a wild pitch. 64 of his 102 offerings were counted as strikes. His replacement was Yuki Matsui, who set the Giants down in order on three grounders to short in the seventh, his one inning on the mound.

Once Matsui had accomplished that, Tyler, the right handed submariner, Rogers relieved Hicks, who, like Cease. had to be satisfied with a no decision that improved his ERA. His went down tor a miniscule 0.77. The Giants’ starter had thrown 91 pitches, 61 for strikes, over his seven innings of labor, in which he allowed two runs, only one of which was earned, on six hits and no walks.

Wandy Peralta came in to pitch a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth for the Friars, and SF’s closer, Camilo Doval, was called on to preserve the tie in the top of the ninth. He did, although not before allowing a safety to Cronerworrh and walk The Manny You Love to Hate.

Peralta returned for the bottom of the ninth to face Conforto, who popped out second. Enyel de los Santos then assumed mound duties for the Padres. His fourth pitch plunked Chapman. Estrada’s liner off de los Santos’s second offering split the the outfielders between left and center, and Chapman raced home with the walk-off run that won the game for San Francisco, “Thank god we won, because we did a couple [of] things early in the game that swung the game to their side.” said Melvin.

The series will be resumed Saturday evening at 6:05 with Keaton Winn (0-1, 5.40) going for San Francisco and Michael King (1-0, 6.14) for the Padres.