Tag: San Diego Padres

Mason Miller struggles in second start back from 60-Day IL, as A’s fall to Padres for third-straight loss

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Sep 16, 2023; Oakland, California, USA; San Diego Padres catcher Brett Sullivan (29) appeals to the third base umpire on a check swing by Oakland Athletics first baseman Ryan Noda (49) during the fifth inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Noda was ruled out on the play. Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

Oakland, California

San Diego Padres 5 (71-78)

Oakland Athletics 2 (46-102)

Win: Matt Waldron (1-3)

Loss: Mason Miller (0-3)

Save: Josh Hader (29)

Time: 3:15

Attendance: 14,376

By Stephen Ruderman

OAKLAND–The San Diego Padres beat the Oakland A’s, 5-2, in the second game of this three-game series on a partly cloudy Saturday afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum to hand the A’s their third-straight loss.

The A’s sent the young right-hander, Mason Miller, to the mound. Miller, who was making his second start since coming off the 60-Day Injured List, struggled with his control.

Miller walked Ha-Seong Kim, following a 1-2 count, to start the game; and then Fernando Tatis Jr. doubled to put runners at second and third with nobody out for Juan Soto, who knocked Kim with a sacrifice fly to right. Xander Bogaerts then hit a donk single off the end of the bat into center for a base-hit to knock in Tatis and make it 2-0 Padres. Miller then issued a pair of two-out walks to load the bases, but he escaped further damage.

“Everytime [I’m] out there is a blessing and an opportunity,” said Miller. “I look to capitalize on things I’m struggling with, [and] make those adjustments week to week, outing to outing.” I don’t want to make any excuses for [my command].”

The knuckleballer, Matt Waldron, got the start for the Padres, and pitched scoreless innings in the bottom of the first and second. The A’s got to Waldron for a run to put the A’s on the board in the bottom of the third, as Nick Allen doubled to left with one out, and scored two batters later on a sacrifice fly to center off the bat of Ryan Noda.

“I think that was my first time getting [a] hit off a knuckleball,” said Allen. “It was nice getting a double, [and] getting in scoring position for the guys.”

Luis Medina succeeded Mason Miller on the mound for the A’s, and threw a 1-2-3 top of the second, as well as a scoreless third. Medina remained in a groove in the top of the fourth, as he struck Trent Grisham out swinging to start the inning, and he got Matthew Batten looking for the second out. However, Medina walked Brett Sullivan, and gave up a single to Kim, which put runners at first and third. Medina walked Tatis to load the bases, and then he walked Soto to give the Padres a run for free.

Waldron pitched a scoreless bottom of the fourth for the Padres, and Medina came back out for the A’s in the top of the fifth. Medina hit Luis Campusano with a pitch to start the inning. He got Ji Man Choi to strike out swinging for the first out; he walked Grisham with one out; and got Batten looking again for the second out.

A’s Manager Mark Kotsay then opted to pull Medina for the lefty, Easton Lucas to face the left-handed-hitting Brett Sullivan. Sullivan hit a chopper to first that was picked up by A’s first-baseman, Ryan Noda, who threw a bouncer that went all the way to the A’s dugout.

Campusano and Grisham both scored to open the Padres’ lead to 5-1. Sullivan was originally awarded second base, but the third base umpire and crew chief, Dan Iassogna, convened the crew, and awarded Sullivan third since he had reached first before Noda got his throw off.

Mark Kotsay wanted an explanation as to why Sullivan was awarded third, and Iassogna checked in with the replay center in New York for a rule’s check, but he was backed up by Approved Ruling of Rule 5.06(b)(4)(G), which states:

“If all runners, including the batter-runner, have advanced at least one base when an infielder makes a wild throw on the first play after the pitch, the award shall be governed by the position of the runners when the wild throw was made.”

Zack Gelof hit a home run to left off Waldron to start the bottom of the sixth to cut the Padres’ lead to 5-2. Seth Brown struck out swinging, but after Aledmys Diaz singled to center, Waldron’s day was done. Padres Manager Bob Melvin brought in Scott Barlow, who gave up an opposite-field single to Lawrence Butler, which brought the tying run to the plate. However, Carlos Perez grounded back to the mound for a 1-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Easton Lucas ended up pitching two innings in total, and with two outs in the top of the seventh, he was replaced by Lucas Erceg, who would’ve ended up pitching a perfect inning and a third had Tatis not reached on an error with two outs in the top of the eighth.

Barlow ended up pitching an inning and a third of scoreless ball for San Diego, as did Robert Surarez. Dany Jimenez pitched a scoreless top of the ninth for the A’s, and the Padres summoned their closer, Josh Hader, for the bottom of the ninth.

Carlos Perez singled to left to start the bottom of the ninth, but Brent Rooker flew out to left; Nick Allen grounded into a fielder’s choice; and Shea Langeliers pinch-hit for Tony Kemp and struck out swinging to end the game.

The A’s will try and salvage a game in this series tomorrow, as they will send the young 6’7” right-hander Joe Boyle to be the opener in his major league debut.

[Joe Boyle] will open tomorrow,” said A’s Manager Mark Kotsay. “We’re looking forward to this day tomorrow to see a young man that [has] earned this opportunity.” said A’s Manager Mark Kotsay.

Stephen Ruderman is a http://www.sportsradioservice.com contributor and podcaster

Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: A’s have won 12 of last 22 games; Oakland has shown improvement despite picking up 100th loss

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Former Atlanta Braves starting pitcher now with the Oakland A’s Sean Newcomb works in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Truist Park in Cobb County GA on Sun Jul 29, 2023. Newcomb had to apologize after the game for sending sexist, racist and homophobic tweets six years ago. On Sat Aug 5, 2023 Newcomb kicked a garbage can into a fire extinguisher sending chemical spray all over the Braves clubhouse after a 10 inning loss. Newcomb had to apologize for both incidents. Newcomb starts tonight for the A’s against the San Diego Padres (AP file photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 The A’s who went 3-3 on the last road trip in Arlington and Houston, lost two out of three in Texas and won two out of three in Houston. The A’s have played improved baseball going 12-10 in their last 22 games.

#2 The A’s were nearly no hit on Wednesday night in Houston by a combination of five Houston Astros pitchers. The A’s avoided getting no hit when Ryan Noda broke up the no hit bid with a single and later scoring in the inning.

#3 The A’s just couldn’t come back and fell to the Astros by four runs. The A’s lost their 100th game of the season with the 6-2 loss on Wednesday. This is the second year in a row they’ve lost 100 games.

#4 A couple of notes on tonight’s A’s starting pitcher Sean Newcomb, he comes over from the Atlanta Braves and nearly threw a no hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Jul 29th. After the game Newcomb also had to apologize during a post game presser with the media not about losing the no hitter but about sexist, racist and homophobic tweets he sent out six or seven years ago. Later Newcomb on Sat Aug 5th kicked a garbage can that hit a fire extinguisher in the Braves clubhouse in frustration that sent chemical dust up in the clubhouse while a large fan was running, the team couldn’t come in the clubhouse to change out of their uniforms this was after a long ten inning game. Newcomb was angry for giving up the game winning hit to the Miami Marlins for the 7-6 loss. Do you think these might have been some of the reasons why Newcomb was dealt to the A’s?

#5 Jeremiah talk about tonight’s match ups to open the series Seth Lugo(6-7, 3.80 ERA) will go for the Padres and will be opposed by the A’s lefty, Sean Newcomb (0-1, 0.75 ERA). First pitch at 6:40pm PT.

Join Jeremiah for the A’s podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s Preview: A’s open 10 game homestand at Coliseum Friday

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Oakland A’s pitcher Sean Newcomb will get the start on Fri Sep 15, 2023 at the Oakland Coliseum against the visiting San Diego Padres (photo by clutchpoints.com)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Oakland A’s (46-100) come to the Oakland Coliseum Friday night to host the San Diego Padres (69-78) for three games. The A’s finished the six-game road trip against the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros with a record of 3-3. The A’s are 12-10 in their last 22 games. The team has done better in all three phases of baseball lately. The pitching has been good, the offense has come to life, and the A’s defense has been solid.

The A’s will welcome their former skipper, Padres manager Bob Melvin, back to the Coliseum for the first time since leaving Oakland after the 2021 season. Melvin managed the A’s starting midway through the 2011 season and was with the club for ten and 1/2 years.

Melvin took the A’s to the playoffs six times in his tenure at the helm. Melvin was named manager of the year in 2012 when the A’s won the AL West division title on the last day of the season, and in 2018 when the team won 97 games.

Unfortunately for Melvin, his 2023 Padres team has been a disappointment. The Padres finished second in the NL West in 2022 with a record of 89-73. The Padres superstar Fernando Tatis, Jr. was suspended for 80 games for using an illegal substance.

The Padres signed free agent Xander Bogaerts to an eleven-year contract in the off-season to bolster the Padres infield. The Padres, in the 27th largest market, have a payroll of $251.1 million, the third highest in baseball. The Mets are number one with $336 Million, and the Yankees are second with a payroll of $268.

All three teams are underachieving this year. The Padres are 69-78 in fourth place in the NL West. Bob Melvin is in the second year of a three-year contract. There have been rumors that Melvin is on the hot seat, and his days as the Padres manager might end at the end of the season.

The Padres, like many other teams in baseball, have had injuries to key players. Two starting pitchers, Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish, are out for the season. Catcher Gary Sanchez will not play again this year due to a wrist injury. First baseman Jake Cronenworth is also out for the year. However, the Padres have several key players that can be productive.

Their key players are third baseman Manny Machado, Shortstop Xander Bogaerts, and outfielders Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis. Soto leads the club with 30 homers and 90 RBIs. Machado is right behind with 28 dingers and 84 runs batted in.

Tatis, who missed the early part of the season due to his suspension, has belted 24 homers and knocked in 74. Bogaerts helped the offense with 18 big flies and 50 ribbies. Other players that can do damage include second baseman Ha-seong Kim, outfielder Trent Grisham, and first baseman Garrett Cooper.

As mentioned above, the injury jinx has hit the Padres pitching staff hard. However, starters Blake Snell and Michael Wacha have performed well for San Diego. Neither pitcher will face the A’s this weekend. The probable pitchers for the series will be Seth Lugo(6-7, 3.80 ERA) will go for the Padres and will be opposed by the A’s lefty, Sean Newcomb (0-1, 0.75 ERA).

On Saturday, The A’s Mason Miller, who pitched two scoreless innings against the Astros last Monday, will be opposed by Matt Waldron. Sunday’s game will feature Lefty Ken Waldichuk against the PAdres’ Pedro Avila. Waldichuk no-hit the Houston Astros for six innings last Monday, and it was Waldichuk’s best outing of the season.

The A’s, as mentioned above, have been playing better lately. Second baseman Zack Gelof has helped the A’s gain respectability with his outstanding play. Other players contributing to the A’s recent success include first baseman Ryan Noda, catcher Shea Langeliers, and outfielders Brent Rooker and Seth Brown.

Neither team has much to play for except bragging rights. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how the teams perform. A’s manager, Mark Kotsay, has his team playing hard until the final out. They may be down, but there is no quit on this young team. The Padres are a mystery. With all their talent, the question is, why are they floundering? On paper, they should easily handle the A’s. Will it happen? That’s why they play the games.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Good pitching beats good hitting; A’s can’t sweep nearly no hit by Houston

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The Oakland A’s Ryan Noda (left) runs past Houston Astros Yanier Diaz (right) for the A’s first run of the game in the bottom of the ninth inning at Minute Maid Field in Houston on Wed Sep 13, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerrry F:

#1 The Oakland A’s were prepared to sweep the Houston Astros on Wednesday night but as the old baseball saying goes good pitching beats good hitting. The Houston Astros used five pitchers who narrowly no hit the A’s. The Astros wound up with a two hit 6-2 win at Minute Maid Field.

#2 The Astros pitching into the ninth inning coughed up two runs but it wasn’t enough for the A’s to come back falling four runs short. Astros pitcher Ryan Pressly gave up the two hits and two runs in the failed no hit attempt.

#3 Jerry, talk about the Astros four run third inning off A’s pitcher Paul Blackburn who exited after the inning. Blackburn’s line three innings, four hits and four earned runs, three walks and two strikeouts.

#4 Jerry talk about Ryan Noda’s single on the bottom of the top of the ninth inning off Pressly to end the Astros no hit bid.

#5 The A’s will open up a ten game homestand against the San Diego Padres on Friday night. Starting pitcher for San Diego Seth Lugo (6-7 ERA 3.80) for Oakland Sean Newcomb (0-1 ERA 0.75) a 6:45pm PT first pitch at the Oakland Coliseum.

Jerry is a A’s reporter and does A’s podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Soto slugs HR for third straight game as Pads shutout Giants at Petco 4-0

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San Diego Padres’ Juan Soto, left, celebrates with teammate Fernando Tatis Jr. after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning at Petco Park in San Diego on Sun Sep 3, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the SF Giants podcast with Michael:

#1 Michael, talk about the San Diego Padres Juan Soto who slugged a home run in three straight games now that was key in the Padres 4-0 win at Petco Park in San Diego.

#2 The Padres Manny Machado who was overshadowed by Soto’s hot streak got a home run in his own right. Machado can do damage at any given time and the Giants had to cautious with him.

#3 Michael, talk about Padres reliever Seth Lugo who improved his record to 6-6 and held the Giants to just three hits in six innings of work stranding a running in scoring position he was key in this win.

#4 Giant starter Alex Cobb who threw a one hitter against the first place Cincinnati last Tuesday couldn’t keep the Padres in check Sunday going just three innings, six hits and four earned runs. The Padres were able to spot his pitches. You talked about having a good outing then the next outing you can bomb and that had happened to Cobb and pitcher Kyle Harrison in their next outings.

#5 The Giants head to the Windy City Monday to take on the Chicago Cubs who are trying to close the gap in the NL Central. The Giants will be going with Logan Webb (9-11 ERA 3.49) and going for the Cubs Justin Steele (15-3 ERA 2.69) first pitch 11:10AM PT.

Michael Duca is filling in for Marko Ukalovic who does the SF Giants podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants get shutout 4-0 and drop three out of four to Padres

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San Diego Padres Juan Soto (left) celebrates his home run with third base coach Matt Williams (right) against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park in San Diego on Sun Sep 3, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The San Francisco Giants (70-67) are really struggling against the San Diego Padres (65-73) having lost games two and four. They couldn’t tie up the series with a win Saturday losing to the Padres 4-0. The Giants offensively and defensively they are not looking good.

Yes, they might get lucky enough to get a wild card but what then? Playing the way they are right now even winning a round in the playoffs is a long shot. They have to turn things around and Sunday would be a good time to do it.

It was not to be for the Giants. They had four hits in this game but they were shut out by the Padres. San Diego played a huge first inning scoring three runs. Juan Soto started the first inning with a two-run home run.

Fernando Tatis Jr. was on base when Soto crushed one to left center for a 2-0 lead. Xander Bogaerts doubled Manny Machado home for another run and San Diego had a great first inning leading 3-0. The Padres would add one more run in the third inning courtesy of Manny Machado extending the San Diego lead to 4-0. That would be the final.

The Padres won the last three games of this series after dropping game one in this four game series. After the third inning neither team would score for the rest of the game. It became a purely defensive game for the remaining six innings.

Soto homered in his third straight game. He has been terrific along with Manny Machado who also homered in this game. San Diego hit eight home runs in their three wins against the Giants.

This series was an important one for the Giants as they fight for a playoff spot. They were tied with the Diamondbacks coming into this game vying for the final spot in the NL. Arizona lost today losing to the Orioles 8-5.

San Francisco pitcher Alex Cobb went three innings and gave up six hits and four runs with three strikeouts. Relief pitcher Keaton Winn went five innings and gave up four hits and no runs. Padres pitcher Seth Lugo got the win going six innings giving up four hits and had four strikeouts.

It is a very nervous time for the Giants. They cannot continue with this lack of offense and defense. It just won’t fly. Even if they somehow get into the post season, they won’t go far unless they completely turn things around.

The Giants have obviously seen these guys play amazing ball. They’ve seen great starts, they’ve seen come from behind wins and the Giants have certainly seen their bats going crazy. Right now the bats are eerily silent. It is far too deep in the season to fall into the current trend we are seeing right now.

Sunday afternoon the Giants will start a three game series in Chicago with the Cubs. Logan Webb will take the mound for the Giants. He has a 3.49 ERA and a 9-11 win/loss record going for the Cubs Justine Steele (15-3 ERA 2.69).

San Francisco will try to right the ship as they head into this series. It will not be an easy series. The Cubbies lost their last series to the Reds but Chicago crushed the Reds Sunday in game three 15-7. First pitch right now is scheduled for 11:20 AM.

Giants avoid shutout with ninth-inning double in 6-1 loss to Padres

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Photo credit: San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Kyle Harrison, right, waits to face the next batter as San Diego Padres’ Xander Bogaerts, left, rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the second inning of a baseball game Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

By: Mary Anne

The San Francisco Giants continued their series against the San Diego Padres on Saturday. The Giants lost to the Padres 6-1 at Petco Park. San Francisco fell to 70-66, while San Diego improved to 64-73.

The Giants’ starting lineup featured Austin Slater, Thairo Estrada, Wilmer Flores, Mitch Haniger, Patrick Bailey, J.D. Davis, Paul DeJong, Casey Schmitt, Wade Meckler, and Kyle Harrison. Harrison (1-1, 4.70 ERA) took the loss after pitching 5 2/3 innings and giving up six hits, six earned runs, two walks, five strikeouts, and four home runs.

The Padres got on the board first. Juan Soto homered on a fly ball to center field for a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.

The Padres tripled their lead in the bottom of the second inning. Xander Bogaerts homered on a fly ball to center field for a 2-0 lead. Gary Sanchez homered on a fly ball to center field for a 3-0 lead.

The Padres doubled their lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. Garrett Cooper homered on a fly ball to left center field. Juan Soto and Xander Bogaerts scored for a commanding 6-0 lead.

The Giants wrapped up the scoring in the top of the ninth inning. Austin Slater doubled on a sharp line drive to Fernando Tatis Jr. Casey Schmitt scored to cut the Padres’ lead to 6-1. Wade Meckler went to third base.

Notes
Wilmer Flores achieved a career-high 20 home runs in the Giants-Padres game Friday.

Up Next
The Giants and Padres will finish their series on Sunday at 1:10 p.m. Pacific. Alex Cobb (7-5, 3.57 ERA) will start for the Giants, while Seth Lugo (5-6, 3.67 ERA) will start for the Padres.

Padres Return Favor Beating Giants 7-3

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San Diego Padres’ Juan Soto, right, celebrates with third base coach Matt Williams after hitting a home run during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park in San Diego on Fri Sep 1, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The San Diego Padres (63-73) turned the tables on the San Francisco Giants (70-65) with a 7-3 win on Friday night at Petco Park in San Diego. The Giants clobbered the Padres on Thursday night 7-2 in game one of the series.

The Giants were the first team up on the scoreboard when Wilmer Flores hit a solo home run in the first inning for a 1-0 lead.

The Padres answered in not only the bottom of the first inning but in the second and third innings. Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a two-run home run followed by a Juan Soto solo home run in the first inning taking a 3-1 lead and San Diego was off and running.

The Padres added another run in the second inning taking a 4-1 lead. Trent Grisham singled Luis Campusano home. San Diego did not take their foot off the pedal scoring a couple more runs in the third inning extending their lead to 6-1.

San Francisco started to make a bit of noise scoring one run in the fourth inning when Brandon Crawford sacrificed and Patrick Bailey scored. The score now stood at 6-2 and the Giants were hoping to get their offense in this game going.

Through six innings they had six hits and they did load the bases in the sixth inning with 2 outs and were looking at a golden opportunity to tighten up this game. The Giants were unable to take advantage and add a few more runs to the score and the 6-2 score remained going into the bottom of the sixth. Leaving these runners stranded in the sixth could possibly have a lot to do with the outcome of this game.

San Diego added another run in the bottom of the sixth when Thairo Estrada had a fielding error and Tatis Jr. scored from third base. The Padres now led 7-2.

San Francisco was struggling on the mound from the start. Tristan Beck went 2.2 innings and gave up nine hits (two of them home runs) and six runs with no strikeouts. Alex Wood would relieve Beck in the third inning allowing 3 hits and no runs. He had at least stopped the bleeding through the next three innings.

This game would go into the eighth inning with San Diego still leading 7-2 and San Francisco was down to two innings left to make a move in this game. They were running out of time.

The Giants got something going in the ninth inning. Estrada singled followed by a Crawford single and San Francisco had two runners on base with no outs. Pinch hitter Blake Sabol was hit by a pitch and once again the Giants had the bases loaded.

The next at bat LaMonte Wade Jr. was also hit and the Padres walked in a run. San Diego was having a heck of a time closing out this game. After the walk-in run, the Padres pulled a double play and finished off this game 7-3

Giants post game notes: Thursday night the Giants decisively beat the Padres by the score of 7-2. San Francisco led 7-0 going into the bottom of the eighth inning. The Giants put out a great offensive effort and couldn’t get anymore of that same run production as they had in Thursday’s game in Friday night’s game two. The Padres on the other hand were looking for some payback and it was looking much like Thursday night’s game, the only caveat was that it was the Padres this time who took the early lead and after three innings had a 6-1 lead.

In Saturday’s game three the Giants will have two left-handers going at each other. Kyle Harrison will take the mound for San Francisco after a solid game in his debut at Oracle last Monday night. He was dominant in that game striking out the first five batters he faced. He’s 1-0 and ERA is 1.86. The Padres are going with Blake Snell with a 11-9 win/loss record and a 2.60 ERA. First pitch is scheduled for 5:40 PM.

Giants Unload On Padres 7-2; SF’s Yastrzemski slugs a HR with two RBIs

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San Francisco Giants’ Mike Yastrzemski, right, celebrates with third base coach Mark Hallberg after hitting a home run during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park in San Diego (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The San Francisco Giants (70-64) took on the San Diego Padres (62-73) Thursday night starting a four game series and having had some successful games they kept it going with a 7-2 win at Petco Park in San Diego.

The Giants have a lot on their plate right now. While they are in second place in the NL West and trail the Los Angels Dodgers by 14 games, the Dodgers are not their problem right now. It’s more like the Phillies, the Cubs, the Reds , the Marlins and the Diamondbacks.

Six contenders all vying for a wild card spot. San Francisco has been struggling for awhile now. It wasn’t really that long ago that the Giants trailed the Dodgers by a single game. So the Giants have some work to do and it needs to happen sooner rather than later with roughly 29 games left in the regular season.

Thursday game recap: San Francisco went into this game with purpose and determination. Neither team scored in the first two innings but the Giants were first up on the board in the third inning scoring not only early but often. When the dust had settled San Francisco had a 6-0 lead. The Giants hit a slew of singles in the inning.

Joc Pederson singled LaMonte Wade Jr. home for the first run of the inning taking a 1-0 lead and the hits just kept on coming. Mike Yastrzemski singled Thairo Estrada home. Joc Pederson scored on a Padre error followed by another single, a bunt single off the bat of Wade Meckler and Yastrzemski scored.

Blake Sabol got another run on the board when he doubled and J.D. Davis scored. They would finish off the inning when Casey Schmitt sacrificed and Meckler scored for an amazing offensive inning leading 6-0. San Francisco would add one more run when Mike Yastrzemski homered in the fifth inning, a solo shot and a 7-0 Giants lead.

Through four innings the Padres were looking for their first hit. Starting pitcher for San Francisco Jakob Junis went four innings not allowing a single hit with three strikeouts. Sean Manea would relieve Junis in the fifth inning.

Through six innings the Padres had only managed two hits. Manea did get into a bit of trouble in the bottom of the sixth loading the bases. Manea made the pitches when he needed to striking out Garrett Cooper for the third out of the inning and it was on to the seventh inning.

The Padres got a couple of base runners in the bottom of the eighth inning threatening to deny the shut out. San Diego did get on the board in the inning, a single run. Garrett Cooper doubled and Juan Soto scored for a 7-1 Giants lead.

Scott Alexander came to the mound to try and close out this game. The Padres were able to score one run but that would be all they got. San Francisco will be back on the field in game two Friday night with first pitch at 6:40 PM.

Starting pitchers for San Francisco TBA and for San Diego Michael Wacha (10-2 ERA 2.84) first pitch 6:40pm PT.

San Francisco Giants Lose 4-1 To Cincinnati Reds Wrap Up Six Game Homestand At Oracle

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Cincinnati Reds’ Christian Encarnacion-Strand, right, hits a two-run home run in front of San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey during the eighth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed Aug 30, 2023 (AP News photo)

Wednesday, August 30th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – In a day game coming off of Alex Cobb’s almost no-hitter, the San Francisco Giants faced the Cincinnati Reds to complete their series and the Giants are wrapping up their six game homestand. Logan Webb takes the mound for San Francisco and Hunter Greene for the Reds. This game for the Giants was to hold a spot for the NL wild card, especially after the D-Backs loss the night before. 

 A pitcher’s duel between Webb and Greene for five innings as we saw a scoreless game with seven hits total, but in the top of the sixth, the drought ended as Spencer Steer and Eddy De La Cruz got on base from singles.

Smart baserunning play got the first run as De La Cruz attempted to steal second and Patrick Bailey tried to throw him out, but was unsuccessful and as the ball left Bailey’s hand, Steer was successfully home, 1-0 Reds.

The very next run came from an RBI single by Christian Encarnacion-Strand which scored De La Cruz, 2-0 Reds with one out. Webb escaped the inning with a beautiful double play where he stopped the ball on a dime, threw to second, and then a play at first, but the damage was done and in the bottom of the sixth for the first time in this game, the Giants played from behind.

They started this at bat with Casey Schmitt hitting a lead-off double and carried on with a Thairo Estrada single. This rally caused Cincinnati to make a pitching change and bring in Ian Gibaut, but the rally continued as a wild pitch, moved the lead-off Schmitt who was on third score at home and Estrada to second, 2-1 Reds. Gibaut was able to get out the inning, but the energy in the park was still high as we entered the seventh. 

The Giants decided to sit Webb down after six innings, seven hits, six strikeouts, and two runs, so they brought Ryan Walker in the seventh and he got back to back strikeouts, but after a single they switched him with Taylor Rogers to provide relief.

After the seventh inning stretch, the Reds brought in Fernando Cruz and he didn’t crack under the pressure, upholding that lead for Cincinnati. The eighth came and the Giants swapped one Rogers brother in for another as Tyler Rogers took the hill.

It looked Tyler Rogers was holding his own, but Encarnacion-Strand got his second RBI of the game with a two run shot to center field that scored De La Cruz making this game 4-1 Reds. 

The ninth inning started off with Luke Jackson shutting down the Reds to hopefully spark some type of comeback for San Francisco. Patrick Bailey was the leadoff guy and was walked, so the hopes for a comeback rally began to fill Oracle Park.

Yastrzemski popped out for the first out, but the energy was still hovering around the park. J.D. Davis grounded into a fielder’s choice for the second out and that’s when fans began to try to beat the traffic. Wade Meckler being the last hope to keep this comeback alive and on a full count he was struck out and that’s the ball game, 4-1 Cincinnati. 

Even though the Giants didn’t sweep the series, they walked away with a series win and their homestand ended here. San Francisco has no time to think about this loss, because they find themselves headed to San Diego the very next day to face the Padres.

The Giants haven’t announced who will start in this four game series at Petco Park in San Diego, but they know they will face Pedro Avila (0-1, 2.63) of the San Diego Padres and hopefully the Giants can go in to the month of September with momentum to secure their spot in the playoffs.

Troy Ewers is a beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com