Tag: San Diego Padres

Giants have been shutout now for 27 straight innings; SF gets blanked by San Diego 8-0

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San Francisco Giants Marco Luciano (left) and the San Diego Padres Manny Machado advanced on a two run single in the top of the sixth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sat Sep 14, 2024 (AP News photo)

San Diego (84-65). 100 103 030. 8. 17. 1

San Francisco (72-77). 000 000.000 0. 5. 1

Time: 2:33

Attendance: 31,243

Saturday, September 14, 2024

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–The San Diego Padres cut the Los Angeles Dodgers’ lead for first in the National League’s Western Division to 3-1/2 games by shutting the San Francisco Giants out, 8-0, this chilly Friday evening on the banks of McCovey Cove while Los Angeles was overwhelmed, 10-1, by the Braves in Atlanta. The Giants have now been shutout in three games and for 27 straight innings.

San Diego led their hosts from the start and never looked back, but they didn’t break the game open until they posted a three spot against rookie starter Mason Black in the top of the sixth, when Donovan Solano’s double, followed by singles off the bats of the indomitable Luis Arraiz and right fielder Fernando Tatís, Jr., a walk to the versatile veteran Jurickson Profar, and Jackson Merrill’s two bagger.

That, added to single runs in the first and fourth frames, made it 5-0 in favor of the Padres, who tagged on a trio of tallies in the eighth, getting to Erik Miller on a uncursed leadoff double by Arraez, an RBI single by Tatís, a base on balls to Profar, and a two RBI double by Jackson Merrill. The Pads scored their eight runs on 17 hits off five San Francisco pitchers.

Erik Miller, who faced only two batters in the top of the seventh, was the sole unscored upon San Francisco hurler, unless you include Donovan Walton, an infielder by trade, who gave up two hits but no runs in the ninth.

Black, who fell to 0-4, 6.75 with the loss, lasted only four innings and surrendered two runs, one earned on six hits, one of them a fourth inning solo home run to Xander Bogaerts, and a walk. 55 of his 79 offerings met the criteria to be counted as strikes.

Sean Hjelle pitched two innings and surrendered three runs, all earned, on five hits and two free passes. Jordan Hicks, just back from paternity leave, was touched up for three runs, all of them earned, on four hits and a walk in his inning and a third.

Joe Musgrove earned his sixth win against five losses for his six innings of three hit ball, in which he struck out eight of the 22 Giant batters he faced. Adrián Morejón struck out the side in seventh, and Alek Jabob mopped up with two hits and a K in the final two frames.

Arraez extended his streak of consecutive plate appearances without being struck out from 129 to 135. He also stretched his hitting streak to a dozen games. Only Bobby Witt, Jr., now has more three hit games than Arraez’s 18.. Merrill’s two RBIs raised his total to 85, tops for NL rookies.

The free falling Giants will try to recover Sunday afternoon. The game, scheduled to begin at 1:05pm PT, will follow a celebration of the life of Orlando “Peruchín” Cepeda at 12:30pm. Martín Pérez (4-5, 4.46) will take the mound for the Friars; The Giants Landen Roupp (0-1, 3.44) will throw his curve balls at the Padres.

Work Pitchers, Hit Deep In Counts, Put the Ball In Play: The Padres Make .264 An Impressive Number

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Hitting home runs, running the bases, scorching shots into the gaps for extra-bases, or drawing  walks isn’t quite what the Padres do.

What they do is see pitches, work counts, and rack up base hits. The most hits (1,335 in 148 games), singles (922), and the best team batting average in MLB belong to the Padres in 2024, and it’s a hard-earned distinction for post-season likely San Diego.

“We got some really good approaches,” manager Mike Schildt said. “And guys not only have the bat to ball skills, we have a lot of guys–and Luis (Arraez) leads the charge, but… a lot of our guys put the ball in play. They take really tough at-bats, not afraid to hit with two strikes. But have the approach A) what they’re doing and B) what they’re trying to do with it. They see the field, and they can move the baseball around.”

The .264 team batting average was a modest number. In 1976, Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine hit .280 as a team. In 1986, Cleveland hit .284 as a team and missed the playoffs. In 1997, the Fenway Sox hit. 291, the Coors Field Rockies hit .288, and the Indians won the AL pennant by hitting .286. That’s baseball’s free swinging past.

In 2024, however .264 is robust and the industry standard. As the game has skewed more and more towards power pitching, strikeouts, and modest batting averages, the Padres have responded by dissecting almost every hurler they face. The hits define their success. The team batting average may seem pedestrian, but in fact, it’s exceptional.

“The approaches are dialed in, and guys can leave the ballpark either way,” rookie Brandon Lockridge added. Lockridge made his Major League debut on Friday, but it was his breakout .414 OBP with Yankees Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre that drew GM A.J. Preller’s attention and brought Lockridge to San Diego in a mid-season swap.

San Diego has talented hitters: perennial hitman Manny Machado heads the list. Machado has logged nearly six full seasons in San Diego, and 164 of his 339 career homers have come since his arrival.

Xander Bogaerts, in his first season away from Boston, has set sail with a .309 clip since July 12. He’s also likely to join Machado as an infielder with a ninth, consecutive season with 10 or more home runs. Currently, Bogaerts has nine homers, 99 hits, and 25 walks in 376 plate appearances.

Luis Arraez’ arrival in May by trade with the Marlins has been season-altering. The three-time All-Star with the powerful, compact build has compiled 147 hits while striking out just 15 times. Currently, he’s in a stretch of 129 appearances without a strikeout, and among franchise hitters, only Tony Gwynn (170) has gone longer without being punched. Arraez has the lowest career K rate in baseball (7.0 percent), and he’s made Arraez easier to spell than (Juan) Soto, the similarly talented slugger he essentially replaced at first base.

“Good approach, good swing, elite hitter, and that’s Luis,” manager Mike Shildt said in repeating hitting coach Gene Tenace’s assessment of Arraez.

Rookie Jackson Merrill’s arrival has also been transformational. The ROY candidate has 147 hits in 143 games and enough big moments on SportsCenter to boost the highlight show’s ratings. Merrill projects to finish the regular season with 550 plate appearances, more than 30 walks, and an outside shot at just 100 strikeouts.

Veterans Jake Cronenworth and Jurickson Profar are having big seasons. The 31-year old switch-hitting Profar has 145 hits and a career-best 3.1 WAR. Cronenworth has 131 hits and a team-high 53 walks.

Franchise wonder kid Fernando Tatis Jr. has experienced absences in all five of his big league seasons, missing 293 games due to injury or suspension. But those absences have very little to do with his incredible productivity. This season–in 90 games to date–the 25-year old Tatis has a four-hit game (June 20), and his first career walk-off hit (September 5). But this week alone, and in response to his absence due to a femoral stress reaction, he’s robbed Seattle’s Randy Arozarena with a spectacular reach over the right field wall, and homered in three, consecutive games. In the Padres’ 5-0 shutout of the Giants Friday night, Tatis redirected Logan Webb’s mistake slider 433 feet in the first inning.

“Go and attack,” Tatis said of his home run at-bat. “Webb has been a pitcher that’s been giving us a little trouble to face him. Today, we went in with the mentality that we were the attacker, and we had some good results.

“I want to be that guy, and as soon as I’m on the field, I’m  going to push myself to be that guy, and I take a lot of pride in that,” he added.

The Petco Push, Padre Pride, or even the Friars’ Fresh Approach. You label it, and the NL West-contending Padres embody it.

CEASE AMAZES WITH ACCELERATED PATH TO 1,000 K’s

Dylan Cease was good in Chicago, until everyone around him disappeared. Cease is good in San Diego as well. And Cease has always wielded a nasty strikeout pitch or two, a standard he established in July 2019, when he arrived in the big leagues.

Cease’s first six appearances resulted in four losses for himself and the Sox. But the then 23-year old right-hander pitched deep into all six and racked up a healthy, strikeout total. In the ensuing five years, and below the radar, Cease has established himself as one of the games’ true aces with 56 total wins and his 1,000th strikeout on Friday.

In the third inning, Donovan Walton was caught looking at a fifth, consecutive slider. But Cease shrewdly delivered his only pitch away in the sequence, which likely caught Donovan by surprise.

“Longevity and execution and performance and all that good stuff, but just happy we won,” Cease said. “I feel like I haven’t contributed in like a month.”

“Congratulations to Dylan first of all. One thousand strikeouts in the big leagues is really impressive,” Schildt said. “It’s just two plus-plus pitches that you got to honor. You got to honor the top, with tonight sitting 98–97, 98–you got to honor that. And you got to honor a slider that looks like a strike out of the hand. You got those two plus pitches with that kind of life; it’s a recipe for a lot of strikeouts.”

Cease joined Robbie Ray, Blake Snell, and Yu Darvish to form the quartet that has reached a thousand punch outs the fastest all-time. All four contemporary hurlers, and coincidentally all present and accounted for on Friday at Oracle Park.

“That’s pretty wild,” Cease said. “I have no idea.”

Webb gives up three runs in first, and Cease and Padres blank Giants 5-0

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The San Diego Padres catcher Elias Diaz (right) waits to put the tag on the San Francisco Giants Heliot Ramos (left) in the bottom of the sixth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco Fri Sep 13, 2024 (AP News photo)

Friday, Sept. 13, 2024

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

San Diego Padres 5 (83-65)

San Francisco Giants 0 (72-76)

Win: Dylan Cease (13-11)

Loss: Logan Webb (12-10)

Time: 2:33

Attendance: 39,798

By Stephen Ruderman

The Padres came into Oracle Park Friday night, where they scored three runs off Logan Webb in the top of the first inning, and Dylan Cease blanked the Giants and handed them their second-straight shutout loss, 5-0, to open this three-game series.

The Padres were in town for the first time since the home opener. While the early-season excitement and expectations may have been gone, 39,798 fans still filed into Oracle Park to watch the Giants play spoiler against a Padres’ team in the midst of a four-team fight for the three wild card spots in the National League.

Logan Webb once again looked to be the stopper, and he would go up against Dylan Cease in a rematch from last Saturday, when the Giants beat the Padres 6-3. Despite the fact that the Padres are right in the thick of things and that the Giants are about a week away from being eliminated, the Giants came into tonight’s game 6-4 against the Padres this season.

The top of the first inning would not go well for Webb. Luis Arraez led off and singled to right on the second pitch of the game. Fernando Tatis Jr. then came up and hit a home run to center field to give the Padres an early 2-0 lead just four pitches into the game.

Webb got Jurickson Profar to ground out for the first out of the game, but Manny Machado singled and got to second on a wild pitch. Jake Cronenworth struck out looking for the second out, but Xander Bogaerts doubled to right, and Machado scored to make it 3-0.

The Giants were able to get to Cease last weekend, and it looked like they were going to get to him again in the bottom of the first, as they put runners at first and second with one out. However, Cease got out of it unscathed.

When the Giants got to Cease last Saturday, it was in large part due to the unusual heat at Petco Park. Friday night under the normal cold confines of Oracle Park would be a completely different story. Cease proceeded to retire ten straight, and 14 of the next 16.

Webb survived a leadoff double by Jackson Merrill in the top of the second, and it appeared that he had settled down when he threw a one, two, three inning in the top of the third. However, he ran into trouble again in the top of the fourth.

Merrill hit his second double of the game with one out, and then David Peralta struck out swinging. Webb seemed as if he was going to get out of it, as Machado hit a little nubber off the end of the bat in front of the mound. However, Webb just threw it over the head of LaMonte Wade at first, and Merrill scored to make it 4-0.

That would be it for Webb, who gave up seven hits and three unearned runs over just four innings. It was an usually-short outing for the Giants’ ace.

Tristan Beck came in for the top of the fifth and gave up a leadoff base-hit to Profar. However, Beck retired the side in order immediately afterwards, and he threw a one, two, three inning in the top of the sixth.

It looked like the Giants were finally going to break through against Cease in the bottom of the sixth. Heliot Ramos singled to lead off the inning, and after Cease retired the next two, Patrick Bailey came to the plate.

Bailey lined a double to right, and Giants Third Base Coach Matt Williams waved Ramos in from third. However, Padres’ right-fielder Fernando Tatis threw to second-baseman Jake Cronenworth, who made a perfect relay throw home. Ramos veered to his right to make a head-first slide around catcher Elias Diaz, but he was still tagged out, as he nearly took out Home Plate Umpire Mark Wegner.

It was a rough way to end the inning and waste another opportunity for the Giants, but it was a nice way for Cease to end his outing. Cease gave up just four hits and walked two over six shutout innings. Most importantly, he struck out ten and got his 1,000th-career strikeout when he struck Donovan Walton looking to start the bottom of the third.

Beck ended up going two and two thirds, as he was pulled with runners at first and second for the Padres and two outs in the top of the seventh. Taylor Rogers came in to get out of the inning, and he threw a scoreless top of the eighth.

Tanner Scott threw a one, two three bottom of the seventh for San Diego, and Jason Adam did the same in the bottom of the eighth.

After another rough outing for Camilo Doval last night, in which he threw three wild pitches in the top of the seventh inning, he was back in for the ninth Friday night. Doval retired the first two he faced, but the Padres were not going to do him any favors with two outs.

Profar singled to right, and Brandon Lockridge pinch-ran for Profar and stole second. Machado then doubled the other way to right, and Lockridge came in to make it 5-0.

Jeremiah Estrada came in for the Padres in the bottom of the ninth, and threw a one, two, three inning to end it.

Dylan Cease got the win, and Logan Webb took the loss.

Despite how much the Giants’ offense has struggled this season, this is the first time all year that they have been shutout in back-to-back games. However, Friday night was the 31st game this season in which the Giants have struck out 12 times, as pointed out by Sam Lubman of 95.7 The Game.

As also pointed out by Lubman, in the Giants’ first 60 seasons in San Francisco, they never struck out 12 times in 20 or more games in a single season. This is now the seventh-straight season in which the Giants have had 20 or more such games.

The Giants fall to 72-76, and their tragic number to be eliminated is now six. The Giants were eliminated from the National League West race last night.

As for the Padres, they’re the ones playing meaningful baseball, and they improve to 83-65. The Padres have eclipsed the Diamondbacks for the first wild card spot.

The Giants and Padres will be right back at it Friday night. Mason Black will make the start for the Giants, and he will be opposed by left-hander Joe Musgrove, whom the Giants got to on Sunday. First pitch will be at 6:05 p.m.

National League Wild Card Standings:

  1. Padres 83-65 +1.5
  2. Diamondbacks 82-65 +1.0
  3. Mets 81-66 —

Braves 80-67 1.0

Giants News and Notes:

The Giants called up Donovan Walton prior to the game. Walton started and went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts.

Walton is back in the big leagues for the Giants for the first time since he gave us some excitement in a 24-game stint in 2022.

He only hit .158, but he hit seven doubles in his first 10 games, earning the nickname “Donnie Doubles,” which was based off Donovan Solano’s nickname, “Donnie Barrels.” Solano left the Giants following the 2021 Season. In his 11th game for the Giants on June 5, 2022, Walton hit a grand slam at Marlins Park in Miami.

To make room for Walton, Luis Matos was sent back down to Sacramento.

Farhan Zaidi confirmed that his contract runs through the end of next season with an option for 2026, as does Bob Melvin’s. Even though he is signed through the end of next season, Zaidi’s future with the Giants remains uncertain.

Bryce Eldrige, after just nine games with the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels, has been called up to Triple-A Sacramento, where he will finish his season. Eldridge hit .270 in his nine games with Richmond with one home run, and four RBIs.

Eldridge, who was the Giants’ first-round draft pick last year, is only 19 years old. Getting to Triple-A at that age is quite an accomplishment.

Now, the question is how much of Eldridge we will see with the Giants next season.

Brewers rally late to shutout Giants 3-0; Montas blanks SF for six innings; Chourio goes deep

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Milwaukee Brewers Jackson Chourio belts a two run home run in the top of the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Thu Sep 12, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024

Milwaukee used an unearned run and a late home run to blank San Francisco 3-0 Thursday at Oracle Park in a contest that was scoreless through six innings.

The Brewers (84-62), who lead the NL Central by nine games, broke the scoreless deadlock when Giants reliever Camilo Doval (5-2)walked Willy Adames, who advanced to second, third and home on three wild pitches by Doval.

In the Milwaukee ninth, Spencer Bivens, who replaced Doval, gave up a one-out infield single to Brice Turang, followed by a two-run home run by Jackson Chourio.

The Giants (72-75) threatened in the bottom of the ninth, facing Brewers reliever Devin Williams. After Matt Chapman struck out, Mark Canha singled and advanced to third on a double by Jerar Encarnacion. Williams struck out Grant McCray and pinch-hitter Patrick Bailey grounded out to end the game.

It was Williams’ 11th save of the season, while lowering his earned run average to 1.62. Frankie Montas (7-10) struck out eight, walked two and gave up two hits in six innings to earn the win. Aaron Ashby and Trevor Megan earned holds.

Giants starter Hayden Birdsong gave up two hits, struck out four and walked one in five innings. Eric Miller threw a scoreless inning before Doval surrendered the go-ahead run. Bivens gave up two runs on two hits while getting a strike out and a walk in two innings.

Chourio’s home run was his 20th of the season, giving him 71 RBI. Encarnacion was 2-for-4 as the San Francisco DH, and the Giants had a runner in scoring position six times and came up empty.

The Giants reported that right-hander Robbie Ray is expected to join the club for warmups prior to Friday’s game to evaluate his ongoing left hamstring issues. Also, Tyler Fitzgerald left Thursday’s game with lower back tightness.

The Giants host San Diego for a weekend series that starts Friday. Dylan Chase (12-11, 3.71 ERA) is the Padres’ Friday starter, while the Giants are waiting to name their starter.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Giants open up 3 game set with Brew Crew Tuesday night at Oracle

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San Francisco Giants Curt Casali gets congratulations from teammates in the Giants dugout after hitting a top of the fourth inning home run against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park in San Diego on Sun Sep 8, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the SF Giants podcast with Marko Ukalovic:

#1 Matt Chapman, Jerar Encarnacion and Luis Matos all hit a home run each off of San Diego Padres starter Joe Musgrove on Sunday as the Giants combined for a six run fourth inning and ended up defeating the Padres 7-6 at Petco Park in San Diego.

#2 The win by the Giants wins the series over the Padres two out of three games and ends their short three game road trip in San Diego.

#3 The Giants had leads of 6-0 and 7-1 but the pitching let down and the Padres were able to pull within one run and it was hair raising for manager Bob Melvin who had to go into strategy mode in preventing a loss.

#4 The Padres added three runs in the seventh due to a wild pitch by the Giants Tyler Rogers allowing a run, Tyler Roger’s wild pitch allowed a run, shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald’s miscue dropping the ball at shortstop who ran into second baseman Marco Luciano. Luciano dropped a pop up hit by the Padres Jurickson Profar that allowed the third run.

#5 The Giants open up against the NL Central’s first place Milwaukee Brewers. This Brewers team has given that Championship vibe not since felt since 1982 when the were an American League team and faced off against the St Louis Cardinals. This Brewers team has it all, pitching, hitting, speed, fielding, and a keen sense of avoiding errors. The Brewers come into Oracle with starting pitcher Aaron Civale (5-8, 4.62) the Giants Hayden Birdsong (3-5, 5.19) will be the starter for Tuesday night. First pitch 6:45pm PT.

Marko Ukalovic does the San Francisco Giants podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants hold off Padres in 7-6 slugfest; Four SF homers help in win

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San Francisco Giants Luis Matos thanks the good Lord for connecting for a home run in the top of the fourth inning as San Diego Padres catcher Kyle Higashioka looks on at Petco Park in San Diego on Sun Sep 8, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Sunday, September 8, 2024

Despite a late comeback by San Diego, San Francisco used home run power early and held on for a 7-6 win Sunday at Petco Park.

San Diego (81-64) remains in second place in the NL West, trailing the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers by six games, while the Giants (71-73) remain in fourth place.

The Giants tagged San Diego starter Joe Musgrove (5-5) for three home runs in the top of the fourth inning – a two-run shot by Matt Chapman, a three-run homer by Jerar Encarnacion that was followed by a solo shot by Luis Matos – giving San Francisco a 6-0 lead.

Chapman had two of San Francisco’s seven hits. Luis Arraez led the Padres with three hits.

San Diego got on the board with Jackson Merrill’s leadoff home run in the bottom of the fifth, cutting the Giants lead to 6-1. San Francisco responded with a one-out solo home run by Curt Casall, extending the Giants lead to 7-1.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Padres began their comeback after San Francisco made two pitching changes, the latter from Taylor Rogers to Tyler Rogers. Merrill, who walked off Taylor Rogers, later scored on a wild pitch by Tyler Rogers. Jurickson Profar then reached on Tyler Ferguson’s throwing error, allowing Arraez (who singled) and Donovan Solano (who walked) to score. The Giants lead was cut to 7-4.

Camilo Doval took the mound for San Francisco to start the bottom of the eighth. After Jake Cronenworth singled, Xander Bogaerts drove a two-run home run to left-center, pulling the Padres to within 7-6.

Two batters later, Ryan Walker replaced Doval and diffused the rally, then retired the Padres in order in the ninth to end the game.

Erik Miller (4-5), who replaced starter Spencer Givens, worked 1 2/3 innings to get the win. Doval was credited with his third hold, and Walker threw a scoreless 1 2/3 innings for his seventh save.

Musgrove struck out seven and walked one, but also gave up six earned runs in his 4 1/3 innings.

After taking Monday off, the Giants host Milwaukee on Tuesday at Oracle Park. Aaron Civale (5-8, 4.62) starts for the Brewers, while Hayden Birdsong (3-5, 5.19) is on the mound for the Giants. Game time is 6:45 p.m PT.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Webb has been stand up all season long; Picked up 12th win Saturday

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb seen here pitching at a previous game at Oracle Park held the San Diego Padres to ten hits and three runs in six innings for the win at Petco Park in San Diego on Sat Sep 7, 2024 (AP News photo)

SF Giants podcast with Stephen Ruderman:

San Francisco Giants Grant McCray celebrates his 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)

On the SF Giants podcast with Stephen:

#1 San Francisco Giants rookie Grant McCray hit two homers and had five RBIs in a 6-3 win in San Diego Saturday.

#2 McCray has been a big part of the offense since coming debuting with the Giants August 14.

#3 It was McCray’s rightfield home run that put the Giants ahead in the second inning 3-2 and he proved to be the key player in the line up on Saturday.

#4 Giants starter Logan Webb pitched six innings allowed ten hits, and three runs. Tell us about the kind of job that Webb has done all season as he’s been the key for this rotation.

#5 Spencer Bivens (3-1, 2.86) gets the start for the Giants and for the Padres starter Joe Musgrove (5-4, 4.09) both competitors tell us how you see this match Sunday?

Stephen Ruderman is a podcast contributor and a Giants beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: McCray does it all in Giants 6-3 win Saturday; Giants-Padres wrap up series Sunday at Petco

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San Francisco Giants Grant McCray celebrates his 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)

On the SF Giants podcast with Morris:

#1 San Francisco Giants rookie Grant McCray hit two homers and had five RBIs in a 6-3 win in San Diego Saturday.

#2 McCray has been a big part of the offense since coming debuting with the Giants August 14.

#3 It was McCray’s rightfield home run that put the Giants ahead in the second inning 3-2 and he proved to be the key player in the line up on Saturday.

#4 Giants starter Logan Webb pitched six innings allowed ten hits, and three runs. Tell us about the kind of job that Webb has done all season as he’s been the key for this rotation.

#5 Spencer Bivens (3-1, 2.86) gets the start for the Giants and for the Padres starter Joe Musgrove (5-4, 4.09) both competitors tell us how you see this match Sunday?

Morris Phillips is podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

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.