Tag: San Francisco Giants

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Giants Meet the Mets tonight to open 4 game series

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San Francisco Giants right fielder Michael Conforto, right, follows through on a two-run home run as Miami Marlins catcher Nick Fortes, left, looks on during the eleventh inning at LoanDepot Park in Miami on Wed Apr 19, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca:

#1 The San Francisco Giants who avoided getting swept on their latest road trip at LoanDepot Park in Miami on Wednesday afternoon getting home run help from Mike Yastrzemski and Michael Conforto to help defeating the Miami Marlins 5-2.

#2 Miguel after the Giants had a five game losing streak going how important is it that they snapped this skid coming into tonight’s game against the New York Mets at Oracle Park?

#3 Things really got concerning for Giants manager Gabe Kapler as the Giants didn’t even have a hit until the fourth inning and they later got a pinch hit that tied the ball game by Conforto a rope over the rightfield wall against Miami starter Devon Smeltzer.

#4 If you had to point to one area that was the cause for the losing of five road games in a row on this trip. Was it the lack of outfield help or the Giants catching situation is has been in flux.

#5 Giants host the Mets on Thursday night at 6:45 pm Giants will go with the Mets Koda Senga (2-0 ERA 3.38) for the Giants Sean Manaea (0-0 ERA 4.76) to open a four game series at Oracle.

Follow all the Giants podcasts Thursdays with Michael Duca at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants Avoid Sweep Beating Marlins In 11 Innings 5-2

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San Francisco Giants’ Michael Conforto is congratulated in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run against the Miami Marlins during the 11th inning at LoanDepot Park in Miami on Wed Apr 19, 2023 (AP News photo)

Giants Avoid Sweep Beating Marlins In 11 Innings 5-2

By Barbara Mason

It’s no secret that the San Francisco Giants (6-11) have been struggling for awhile now. Wednesday afternoon they took on the Miami Marlins (10-9) hoping to avoid a sweep. The losses by one run, the extra inning losses are starting to mount and are becoming a far too familiar scenario. While the Giants are not getting blown out in any of these losses they are not getting many positive results with poor offense. Hot starts with cold finishes has been the order of this road trip. The Giants got that turned around in game three of this series with a 5-2 win avoiding getting swept by the Marlins at LoanDepot Park in Miami.

There was not much going on for either team in the first three innings of this game. Darin Ruf got the Giants up on the board in the fourth inning with a one-run double. Wilmer Flores scored and the Giants had a 1-0 lead. The Giants would not have another hit for the remainder of the game.

The Marlins would tie up the game in the fifth inning 1-1. A one-run single from Garrett Cooper drove Garrett Hampson home and this game was even.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Marlins had runners on first and second with two outs and the Giants had some work to do trying to get to a tenth inning and prevent the walk-off. Miami was unable to close out the game and we had extra innings coming up.

The Giants had runner Joey Bart on third base in the tenth inning, couldn’t bring him home and the Marlins had another walk-off chance. Miami had a double steal in the tenth and had the bases loaded with one out. The Giants had two huge strike outs to end the inning and relief pitcher Camilo Doval got San Francisco out of a very sticky situation, getting this game into an 11th inning.

The hit that the Giants had been waiting for all game came off the bat of Michael Conforto hitting a two run homer and San Francisco led 3-1. The Giants had finally gotten the hits they needed to close out a game. San Francisco was not done yet. Mike Yastrzemski took advantage of a hanging breaking ball hitting his second home run of the series, a two-run homer, and the Giants had a 5-1 lead.

Despite the lead this win did not come easy for the Giants. The Marlins loaded the bases with two outs trailing 5-2 in the bottom of the eleventh. San Francisco got out of it with some great pitching and finally won a game.

The Giants had avoided the sweep as they finish up this road trip and head home for a four game series with the New York Mets which starts up Thursday night. Sean Manea (0-0 ERA 4.76) will take the mound for the Giants and Kodai Senga (2-0 ERA 3.38) will start for the Mets. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 PM.

Giants Lose Fifth in a Row to Miami 4-2

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Jakob Junis, left, talks with San Francisco Giants catcher Blake Sabol during the bottom of the fourth inning at Loan DepotPark in Miami on Tue Apr 18, 2023 (AP News photo)

Giants Lose Fifth in a Row to Miami 4-2

By Barbara Mason

Tuesday evening the San Francisco Giants (5-11) continued their series with the Miami Marlins (10-8) and dropped their fifth in a row 4-2 at LoanDepot Park in Miami. The Giants the night before on Monday lost 4-3 to the Marlins after taking an early lead in that game leading 3-0 but failed to score for the rest of the game. The Giants couldn’t get any offense going against the Marlins on Tuesday night. The Giants have not won a single game on this current road trip. They continue to score early but cannot hold the lead.

As the Giants have seen lately the Giants took an early lead in this game. Mike Yastrzemski hit a two-run home run for the early 2-0 lead.

The Marlins would cut the Giants lead in half in the third inning. Jon Berti hit a sacrifice fly and Jacob Stallings scored. The Giants would now try to not only protect their lead but add to that lead.

Miami broke the game open in the fourth inning. Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a go-ahead three-run homer taking a 4-2 lead. The Giants had again given up the lead and failed to score for the rest of the game. The final was 4-2. This loss would hand the Giants a fifth in a row.

San Francisco is in a bad way right now. Not much went right in this game. The Giants starting pitcher Alex Wood was forced to leave the game with a left hamstring strain after only 2 2/3 innings. This was a real blow especially since Wood was having a good start giving up only one hit, one run and striking out three.

Consistency has been an issue and leaving runners stranded is another problem. San Francisco has also been struggling with strikeouts. Ten times this season the Giants have struck out ten or more times. Injuries have also hit the Giants. Mitch Haniger has an oblique issue, Joc Pederson with a wrist injury, Austin Slater a hamstring and Luis Gonzalez with back issues.

While these injuries do not excuse what is happening on the field, a healthy squad is certainly what every team would like to see.

The Giants J.D. Davis had 3 hits and Wilmer Flores had two in this game. The Giants had seven total hits but San Francisco left six runners stranded in this game. The losses are mounting and it is so frustrating for the team. It is early in the season but they are certainly setting a concerning precedent.

Tuesday the Giants will try to avoid the sweep in game three. Alex Cobb (0-1 ERA 3.14) will be on the mound for San Francisco while Trevor Rogers (1-2 ERA 4.20) will get the nod for Miami. First pitch is scheduled for 10:10 AM.

Giants start Miami series on losing note 4-3; Soler gets 7th inning gamer to launch Fish

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Miami Marlins’ Jorge Soler followed through on a two-run home run during the seventh inning against the San Francisco Giants at Loan Depot Park in Miami on Mon Apr 17, 2023 (AP News photo)

Giants Start Miami Series on a Losing Note 4-3

By Barbara Mason

The San Francisco Giants (5-10) traveled to Miami to take on the Marlins (9-8) Monday night. The Giants have had a bit of a disappointing start to their current road trip. They dropped two games to the Tigers and the third game of that series was postponed due to weather.

The decision to call it quits in that game took five hours. The game will be rescheduled and played in late July. It was a long stretch for players and fans waiting for this game to possibly be played on Sunday but despite no rain for a good three hours it was postponed.

It was off to Miami for the Giants hoping to get back on the winning track because it has been spotty the past few series.

As we have seen lately the Giants got off to a good start scoring first and leading after five innings 3-1. Heliot Ramos doubled and Joey Bart scored for the first run of the game leading 1-0. In the third inning David Villar doubled with two runners on base. Darin Ruf and Wilmer Flores both scored extending their lead to 3-0.

The Marlins would get on the board in the third inning. Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled driving in Jesus Sanchez. The score was 3-1 going into the fourth inning.

The Giants would go quiet not scoring again in this game. They did have the 3-1 lead but in the sixth inning that all changed when Luis Arraez singled and Chisholm Jr. scored. The Marlins still trailed 3-2 going into the seventh inning. The Giants watched their lead evaporate when Jorge Soler hit a pinch-hit two-run home run rallying to beat the Giants 4-3.

Giants pitcher Logan Webb pitched his first game since signing a five-year $90 million dollar contract on Friday. It was not the start Webb had hoped for giving up four runs, eight hits and striking out six. He also hit a batter.

The Marlins had nine hits in this game to the Giants seven. San Francisco continues to struggle giving up leads.

The Giants will try to even this series Tuesday in game two. First pitch is scheduled for 3:40 PM. Alex Wood (0-0 ERA 1.17) will take the mound for the Giants and for the Marlins Edward Cabrera (0-1 ERA 4.63) will get the nod.

Giants-Tigers postponed from 5 hr rain delay; Giants Look Ahead to Series with Marlins Monday

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Detroit Tigers fans called it an evening after waiting in the pouring rain for five hours at Comerica Park in Detroit Sun Apr 16, 2023. The visiting San Francisco Giants packed up their equipment and headed to Miami for a series with the Marlins starting Mon Apr 17, 2023 (AP News photo)

Giants Look Ahead to Series with Marlins

By Barbara Mason

Many fans remained in the stands today hoping to see their Detroit Tigers (5-9) take on San Francisco (5-9) but as time wore on it became obvious that there would be no baseball today. The game was postponed and will be made up on July 24th.

The postponement came after five hours of waiting due to weather. It was a bit of a crazy system with some rain that brought out the tarp but subsided quickly. It was dry for three hours but the tarp remained and fans finally left the stadium scratching their heads. It was curious indeed because of the light rain today and the lengthy period of dry weather that followed the brief rainfall.

At any rate, the Giants now look ahead to their next series, a three game series, against the Miami Marlins (8-8) tomorrow with first pitch at 3:40 PM.

Logan Webb is listed as probable although it has also been indicated that Alex Wood may take the mound for the Giants in the opener. Webb is yet to win his first start with a 4.76 ERA and Wood has had an up and down start. The Marlins will send Jesus Luzardo who has yet to lose a game this season with a 1.93 ERA.

The Giants are looking for some better defense because San Francisco has been producing offense even in their losses. They are averaging 4.93 runs per game which ranks them at 13th. It has undoubtedly been a discouraging first three weeks of this season for the Giants. They have only won two series all season and pitching has struggled. The bullpen is a huge issue ranking 28th.

Michael Conforto, the Giants outfielder, has been producing with 3 homers and 6 RBI’s and San Francisco will be counting on him all season.

The Giants will be facing an unbeaten Jesus Luzardo making his fourth start of the season. He shut out the Mets in his season debut and and he limited Minnesota to a single run in his next outing accounting for his 1.93 ERA.

The Giants have not looked very good in this young season while the Marlins have won four of their last five games; they are playing very well right now. San Francisco will be looking to get on the winning track in this upcoming series.

Giants drop another game in 11th to Tigers 7-6 at Comerica

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San Francisco Giants second baseman Thairo Estrada throws to first but is unable to get the out on Detroit Tigers’ Riley Greene during the fourth inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Sat Apr 15, 2023 (AP News photo)

Giants Drop Yet Another Game in the 11th Inning to Tigers 7-6

By Barbara Mason

Saturday afternoon the San Francisco Giants (5-9) played game two in their series with the Detroit Tigers (5-9) and dropped their second straight 11th inning game in a row to Detroit 7-6 at Comerica Park in Detroit. Friday night the Giants went 11 innings only to lose 7-5.

The Giants tied the game in the top of the 11th inning leading for the first time in the game but allowed a Tiger home run with two runners on base and that was the ball game. San Francisco did have opportunities in the game but did not cash in. Saturday was a fresh start for the Giants who wanted to even this series in the quick turn-around but once again lost in a game of inches.

Game recap: The Giants had a great start scoring two runs in each of the first three innings. Blake Sabol hit a home run in the second with a runner on base and J.D. Davis homered in the third with Mike Yastrzemski on base and the Giants had a 6-1 lead through three innings

The Tigers did get up on the board in the second inning when Kerry Carpenter hit a solo home run for the 6-1 tally.

The game turned in Detroit’s favor in the fourth inning when the Giants defense came apart. After a great start on the mound by Anthony DeSclafani, the Giants bullpen just couldn’t produce defensively so big problems as the Giants let Detroit back into this game. What is concerning is that San Francisco is fourth in the list of the worst ERA’s in the league with 6.02.

Detroit would add more runs in the fifth inning. Zach McKinstry doubled bringing one run home and Matt Vierling grounded into a fielder’s choice. McKinstry scored and the Tigers trailed 6-3.

Detroit would tie up this game in the eighth inning. Javier Baez doubled and Spencer Torkelson singled bringing three runs home and this game was knotted at six. It was deja vu for San Francisco. Last night the game went into extra innings in a losing effort.

This game came to an end on a horrible note, albeit a familiar one. It was another 11th inning win for the Tigers. Miguel Cabrera singled and Spencer Torkelson scored and that was the walk off win for Detroit after trailing by five runs.

Desclafani had a good start going 6.2 innings. He allowed six hits and three runs but it was the bullpen that continues to struggle. Another sore spots in this game were the uncharacteristic back to back errors we saw from Brandon Crawford in the fifth inning.

The bottom line was the horrible defense we saw in this game. It is still very early in the season but it was a real gut punch for San Francisco to lose in the 11th inning of not one but two games in this series.

Sunday the Giants will start Logan Webb (0-3 ERA 4.76) and will try to avoid being swept by the Tigers whose opposing with Matthew Boyd (0-1 ERA 4.00) in game three. First pitch at Comerica is scheduled for 10:10 AM.

11th Inning Detroit Home Run Beats San Francisco 7-5

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The Detroit Tigers Nick Maton jumps on home plate for the Tigers seventh run of the game after blasting a three run home run in the bottom of the 11th inning for a Tigers two run win at Comerica Park in Detroit on Fri Apr 14, 2023 (@tigers photo)

 11th Inning Detroit Home Run Beats San Francisco 7-5

By Barbara Mason

After a day off Thursday, the San Francisco Giants (5-8) traveled to Detroit for a three game series with the Tigers (4-9). The Giants are coming off a disappointing series with the Los Angeles Dodgers. They lost that series 1-2, having bullpen struggles and leaving far too many runners on base.

In Friday’s game San Francisco starter Sean Manaea took the mound and pitching 3.1 innings giving up four hits and two runs. The Giants didn’t get the innings that they would hope from Manaea. The Giants stranding runners has also been a problem. The Tigers scored three runs in the bottom of the 11th to seal the deal with a 7-5 win at Comerica Park in Detroit.

Game wrap: The Tigers have had a rough start this season, but did have a couple of wins against the Houston Astros and a win over Toronto. This team does have the fire power to beat San Francisco.

The Giants had the first run of the game. Thairo Estrada hit a solo home run to center field in the first inning and the Giants had a promising start to this game.

The Tigers would answer back in the second inning. Spencer Torkelson sacrificed left and Javier Baez scored tying this game 1-1.

The Giants bats would go cold through the seventh inning. Detroit would break the tie in the third inning. Riley Greene tripled driving Matt Vierling home taking a 2-1 lead. In the fifth inning the Tigers scored a couple of runs to take a 4-1 lead. Javier Baez doubled and runners Greene and Vierling both scored. Vierling and Greene were making an impact in this game with two innings left in the game.

The Giants got some offense going in the eighth inning. With one out San Francisco had Estrada on third base and Mike Yastrzemski on first. J.D. Davis would come to the plate and homer to right to tie up this game 4-4. It was a new ball game.

This game would go into the ninth inning still tied 4-4. With two outs, Michael Conforto walked (Blake Sabol would run for Conforto) and Estrada came to the plate reaching second base on an error and San Francisco had two runners on base with Wilmer Flores at the plate. Flores would fly out and San Francisco had squandered a golden opportunity.

The game would go into extra innings. Neither team was able to score in the tenth inning. Detroit had a runner on third base but came up empty. It was on to the 11th inning. With runners at first and third LaMonte Wade Jr. singled, David Villar scored and the Giants led 5-4 for the first time in the game.

Detroit had their golden opportunity in the 11th inning. With two runners on base, Nick Maton unleashed a bullet to right center and the Tigers had their fourth win of the year 7-5. The Giants had lost another disappointing game. When push came to shove it was the Tigers that cashed in.

Sean Manaea was only able to go 3.1 innings and the Giants sent six pitchers to the mound in this game. Camilo Doval pitched the 11th inning allowing the Maton home run. The Giants had 11 hits but it was not enough to get past Detroit. San Francisco had a ninth inning opportunity but couldn’t get the job done.

The Giants will try to even this series Saturday starting for the Giants Anthony DeSclafani (0-1, ERA 0.73) the Tigers have not announced a starter at press time. First pitch is scheduled for 10:10 AM.

Giants Look Ahead to Three-Game Series With Struggling Tigers

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San Francisco Giants shortstop Thairo Estrada, right, throws to first after forcing out Los Angeles Dodgers’ Will Smith at second during the first inning  at Oracle Park in San Francisco Wed Apr 12, 2023 (AP News photo)

Giants Look Ahead to Three-Game Series With Struggling Tigers

By Barbara Mason

The San Francisco Giants (6-7) had a day off Thursday after dropping a series to the rival Los Angeles Dodgers last night at Oracle. San Francisco had a three nothing lead going into the fourth inning in last nights game but the Dodgers Max Muncy hit a couple of home runs along with another long ball off the bat of Trayce Thompson to give the Dodgers a 10-3 lead in the top of the seventh inning.

The Dodgers went on to extend that lead winning the game 10-5. The biggest culprit in last nights loss was the Giants bullpen which did the team no favors. Too many walks and loading the bases with Dodger runners was their downfall in this game.

After the day off today, the Giants will be off to Detroit to take on the Tigers in a three game series at Comerica Park. The Giants will be looking to get their bullpen back on track sending Sean Manaea to the mound. The Giants offense will be facing Tiger pitcher Joey Wentz who will start for Detroit.

Wentz has not won a game this season and Manaea has not pitched a regular season game yet. His pre-season stats come in with one win and one loss. The Giants went through five pitchers in the loss last night and hope to right the ship in that respect.

They will need to get more innings from their starting pitcher Manaea on Friday night. The Tigers have been struggling this season with a record of 2-9 and the Giants are just below .500 with a 5-7 record coming into this game.

The Giants offense will lean heavily on Michael Conforto, should he be able to play, who has a batting average of .225 but is the home run leader on the team so far this season with three homers and six RBI’s. Thairo Estrada is the heavy hitter for the team with a .341 batting average which comes in at 23rd in the league.

The Giants will be without CF Bryce Johson who is out with a concussion after making a spectacular catch, saving multiple runs last night , but also crashing into the wall. He did remain on the ground for several minutes after the collision. He may hit the IL for the Giants but they await confirmation from the medical staff. Michael Conforto is also Day-To-Day. First pitch Friday night is scheduled for 3:40 PM.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Giants open three game series in Detroit on Friday

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San Francisco Giants’ Darin Ruf hits an RBI double against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed Apr 12, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Giants podcast with Michael:

#1 Los Angeles Dodgers took two out of three from the San Francisco Giants winning Monday 9-1, losing 5-0 on Tuesday, and taking the rubber game 10-5 won Wednesday night. Your evaluation of the Giants in this series is there anything that Gabe Kapler should be concerned about.

#2 The Giants faced Dodger ace pitcher Clayton Kershaw who pitched six innings giving up five hits and improved his record to 2-1.

#3 San Francisco sent Alex Cobb to the mound who lasted 3.2 innings and gave up eight hits and two runs but was not the pitcher of record in Wednesday’s loss. Lots of hits from what you could observe how much did he struggle in this one?

#4 On Monday Giants starter Logan Webb had a tough time pitching to the Max Muncy a grand slam and home run and seven RBIs, was 0-1 on Tuesday, but came back on Wednesday and hit two home runs off Giant pitching. If you can keep him off the bases all he needs is one swing of the bat to touch them all.

#5 The Giants are headed for Detroit with Thursday off, the Giants will start Sean Manaea (0-0 ERA 4.50) and the Tigers have not announced a starter for Friday yet. Do you see the Giants gaining some ground in the Detroit series.

Join Michael Duca for the Giants podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants Drop Series to Rival Dodgers 10-5; LA’s Muncy takes SF deep twice

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Los Angeles Dodgers’ Max Muncy hits a three-run home run against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning  at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed Apr 12, 2023 (AP News photo)

Giants Drop Series to Rival Dodgers 10-5

By Barbara Mason

Wednesday evening the San Francisco Giants (5-7) played the rival Los Angeles Dodgers (7-6) in the rubber game of their three game series. The Dodgers won the first game of this series by a landslide 9-1 on Monday but the Giants came roaring back in game two winning a 5-0 shut out on Tuesday. Wednesday night San Francisco couldn’t get to .500 in this series losing to Los Angeles 10-5.

The Giants faced Dodger ace pitcher Clayton Kershaw who pitched six innings giving up five hits and improved his record to 2-1. San Francisco sent Alex Cobb to the mound who lasted 3.2 innings and gave up eight hits and two runs but was not the pitcher of record in Wednesday’s loss.

Game recap: The Giants got on the scoreboard early 2-0. J.D. Davis hit a sacrifice fly driving Thairo Estrada home for the first run of the game. The Giants would score a second run in the first inning when Darin Ruf doubled and Michael Conforto scored for the 2-0 lead.

Wilmer Flores singled in the second inning extending the Giants lead 3-0 when Joey Bart scored from third base. Alex Cobb had three good innings but ran into some trouble in the fourth inning.

The Dodgers had a couple of hits that got them up on the scoreboard. James Outman singled driving in J.D. Martinez for their first run.

Their second run came when Mookie Betts doubled and David Peralta scored. The Dodgers had snuck right back into this game trailing by a single run 3-2. At this point Cobb was pulled after allowing eight hits and two runs. Scott Alexander took over on the mound relieving Cobb.

In the fifth inning the Giants lead evaporated when slugger Max Muncy homered to center field and this game was tied 3-3. Scott Alexander was relieved by Taylor Rogers.

After walking two runners in the sixth inning Rogers had loaded the bases with no outs. He then faced Freddie Freeman in a pitching battle that ended with a walk after 15 pitches. Trayce Thompson scored and Los Angels had taken the lead 4-3.

It was back to the bullpen and Rogers was out; John Brebbia was in. It was a tough inning for the relief pitcher. Will Smith sacrificed, Chris Taylor scored and this game had turned around 5-3.

San Francisco was struggling to get out of the sixth inning but Dodger Max Muncy had other plans hitting his second home run of the game with two runners on base. Los Angeles had an 8-3 lead after six innings.

Relief pitcher Ross Stripling would take the mound in the seventh inning. More struggles for the Giant’s pitchers as Stripling walked the first at bat and gave up another Dodger home run. The Trayce Thompson homer gave the Dodgers a 10-3 lead.

The Giants got a rally going in the bottom of the seventh. Wilmer Flores singled in a run with a lot of work still for San Francisco. The Giants had two runners on base and two outs but left those runners stranded going into the eighth inning.

The Giants Thairo Estrada knocked one out of the park in the ninth inning. It was just too little too late as San Francisco lost this game and the series.

Stripling closed out this game. The Giants bullpen struggled mightily in this loss. The Giants had ten hits to the Dodgers 13 but they left runners on base and the pitching did the team no favors tonight. The home runs from Los Angles really hurt especially the second Muncy bullet with two runners on base.

This will be the last time these two teams will meet in San Francisco until the final three games of the 2023 season.

Thursday the Giants will have a day off before heading to Detroit for a three game series with the Tigers on Friday starting for San Francisco Sean Manaea (0-0, 4.50) and Detroit no starter has been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 3:40 PM at Comerica Park in Detroit.