Giants take game two from Nationals 5-2

San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Camilo Doval, left, is congratulated by catcher Curt Casali after defeating the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in DC on Sat Apr 23, 2022 (AP News photo)

Giants Take Game Two In Nationals Series 5-2

By Barbara Mason

After stomping the Washington Nationals (6-11) yesterday in their series opener to the tune of 7-1 the San Francisco Giants (10-5) took on the Nationals in Game Two Saturday afternoon.

The Giants got on the board in the first inning when Brandon Crawford hit a single that drove in Darin Ruff for the early 1-0 lead.

San Francisco would take that lead into the fifth inning. That’s when the hits just kept on coming for the Giants. Wilmer Flores, Thairo Estrada, Curt Casali and Austin Slater all scored for a 5-0 San Francisco lead.

Tha Nationals would try to make a comeback in the same inning but fell short. Riley Adams and Victor Robles both scored runs making the score 5-2 which would turn out to be the final. Adams would hit a solo homer 385 feet. While the Nationals did make a bit of noise in the fifth inning it was not enough to catch San Francisco.

San Francisco’s starting pitcher Alex Wood pitched five very solid innings and the bullpen would close this game out. Wood allowed two runs and four hits. The lefty struck out five Nationals and walked one. He was relieved by Dominic Leone, John Brebbia, Tyler Rogera with Camilo Duval closing the game for his third save this season.

Sunday the Giants will send Logan Webb (1-1, 2.55 ERA) to the mound. He pitched in San Francisco’s loss to the Mets last Tuesday. He gave up three runs and six hits in the loss.

The Nationals rookie pitcher Joan Adon will get the nod for Washington. He threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings against the Diamondbacks las Tuesday for his first major league win. First pitch is scheduled for 10:35 AM.

Slater’s big game with glove and bat lifts Giants past Nats 7-1

San Francisco Giants’ Austin Slater singles during the third inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington on Fri Apr 22, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Friday, April 22, 2022

Austin Slater had himself a night to remember on Friday in the nation’s capital.

The San Francisco outfielder saved a pair of runs with a sparkling catch in the field, then clubbed his first home run of the season, sparking the Giants to a 7-1 win over the Washington Nationals.

In the bottom of the first inning, Slater, batting .105 and making his third start of the season, made a diving catch on a sinking liner to left field off the bat of that likely prevented two runs from scoring.

Just minutes later, in the top of the second, Slater hit a three-run homer to right-center,
Slater’s blast sparked a seven-run rally that chased Nats starter Patrick Corbin (0-3).

San Francisco batted around in the second, with six hits and two walks, including a three-run double by Brandon Crawford. Mike Yastrzemski’s RBI single to center started the rally.

Crawford finished 3-for-5 with a run and three runs batted in. Slater, Yastrzemski, Darin Ruf and Thairo Estrada each collected two hits.

The Nationals’ lone run came in the bottom of the eighth, when Maikel Franco hit his second home run of the season to left field off Giants reliever Yunior Marte.

Corbin worked 1 2/3 innings and has an ERA of 11.20 through four starts. Washington owes him $70 million on a free agent contract he signed after the 2018 season.

With Alex Wood’s next start pushed back to Saturday, the Giants forged a bullpen game with Sam Long serving as the opening pitcher, throwing two scoreless innings. Jakob Junis (1-0) worked the next five innings, striking out four and giving up three hits and no walks, to get his first win of the season, Jarlin Garcia gave up one walk in s scoreless ninth.

Off the field, the Giants placed outfielder Steven Duggar on the 60-day injured list with a strained left oblique, and pitcher Anthony DeSclafani is on the 10-day IL to address right ankle inflammation.

On Saturday, Wood (1-0, 1.93) will face Washington starter Paolo Espino (0-0, 4.91) in a 10:05 a.m. PDT start.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Daniel Dullum: Mets Carrasco strikes out seven goes seven in 6-2 win

The New York Mets starter Carlos Carrasco pitches to the San Francisco Giants in the first inning on Thu Apr 21, 2022 at Citi Park in New York (AP News photo)

On the SF Giants podcast with Daniel:

#1 The New York Mets (6-8) starter Carlos Carrasco pitched 7.2 innings, four hits, two earned runs, no walks, and seven strike outs in their 6-2 win over the San Francisco Giants (8-5) on Thursday.

#2 The Mets Francisco Lindor had three hits and a homer and teammate Eduardo Escabar also hit a home run to help the Mets in their four run victory on Thursday.

#3 The home run by Escobar was the go ahead run as the Mets took three games from the Giants at Citi Field to conclude the long series for the Giants.

#4 Lindor exclaimed after the game “Were the New York Mets” and “Were a good team” also it was the return of manager Buck Showalter after he was out for a medical procedure on Wednesday and managed Thursday’s win.

#5 The Giants starting pitcher Sam Long (0-0 ERA 0.00) goes in Washington against the Nationals for Friday night at Nationals Park. The Nats will start Patrick Corbin (0-2 ERA 7.50) at 4:05 pm PDT

Join Daniel Dullum for the San Francisco Giants podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Mets get to Giants DeSclafani early; New York gets four run win 6-2

San Francisco Giants starter Anthony DeSclafani pitches against the New York Mets at Citi Field in New York on Thu Apr 21, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

The San Francisco Giants lost a series for the first time this season, falling 6-2 to the New York Mets at Citi Field on Thursday afternoon. Along with getting defeated in the series 3-1, the Giants had their longest streak in the majors without an opposing player hitting a homer, snapped.

It happened in the first inning.

“We weren’t not going to give up a home run all year,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “When you go through a stretch where those things are not happening, you are pleased with the results. But you also always know there are going to be some times that aren’t perfect.”

Giants starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani had a slow start, allowing the Mets to get nine hits and five earned runs in five innings. DeSclafani has allowed 22 hits in his first 13 1/3 innings. Kapler said “he doesn’t have his best stuff right now.”

“I think it’s just one of those things where we have to hang in there with him. We trust Tony, he was a great pitcher for us last year, and he went through some starts last year where he didn’t have his best stuff as well,” Kapler said. “I think they were getting some pretty good swings off but there were some balls that weren’t hit particularly well – that happens, that’s just part of it.”

Too many balls stayed up, DeSclafani said, including the pitches resulting in homers. The second one happened on a changeup to Eduardo Escobar.

“I definitely don’t feel crisp at all,” DeSclafani said. “I feel like I’m kind of coming off the ball early, not staying back, and (pitches) are kind of left up in the zone.”

The Giants had a run in the second inning and one in the eighth, but the Mets also had one in that inning to lead San Francisco 6-2.

Giants center fielder Steven Duggar suffered a left oblique injury as he fouled off a pitch against Mets starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco in the second inning. He will go on the injured list.

The Giants (8-5) continue their East Coast road trip with a three-game series against the Washington Nationals. First pitch for Game 1 is at 4:05 p.m. PT.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Rodon goes five shutout innings; Belt hammers solo shot in second in Giants 5-2 win

The San Francisco Giants pitcher Carlos Rodon throws to the New York Mets in the first inning of action at Citi Field in New York on Wed Apr 20, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael:

#1 One thing that San Francisco Giants (8-4) first baseman Brandon Belt didn’t have to count on on his 34th birthday on Wednesday was former New York Met (9-4) manager Casey Stengel popping out of Belt’s birthday cake after hitting a second inning home run up in the second deck.

#2 Giants starter Carlos Rodon threw for five innings not giving up a run, three hits, two walks and eight strikeouts and kept the Mets line up off balance all night line.

#3 Met’s manager Bucky Showalter was out for an disclosed medical procedure after sweeping the Giants on Tuesday and Showalter how much of a difference did that make for the Mets not having him on the bench on Wednesday night?

#4 For Rodon he’s struck out 29 hitters over a 17 inning period in three starts the most since New York Giant Cliff Melton had 26 strikeouts back in 1937.

#5 The Giants and Mets conclude the four game series at Citi Field this afternoon the Giants will be sending starter right hander Anthony DeSclafani (0-0 ERA 4.32) and starting for the Mets Carlos Carrasco (0-0 ERA 0.84) at Citi Field first pitch 10:10 AM PDT

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

Giants Rodon throws five effective innings; Captain Birthday Boy Belt slugs HR in second inning in SF’s 5-2 win at Citi Field

San Francisco Giant shortstop Brandon Crawford singles in the top of the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field in Flushing on Wed Apr 20, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

NEW YORK — The San Francisco Giants (8-4) bounced back after falling in both games of a doubleheader, with a 5-2 win over the New York Mets (9-4) at Citi Field Wednesday night – on Brandon Belt’s birthday.

The Giants had three runs in the first inning and in the second, Belt hit a homer to put them up 4-0 over the Mets. It was Belt’s team-high fourth home run of the season. Belt, who turned 34 the same day, is tied for fourth in homers in the MLB.

“Better than my first year – I got sent down on my birthday,” said Belt.

Giants starter Carlos Rodón overwhelmed the Mets, striking out eight. Rodón’s slider was not working well, so he threw mostly fastballs: 77 of them, making up 81% of his pitches for the night.

“My breaking stuff wasn’t very good, so we just decided to go with the fastball attack and luckily it worked in my favor,” Rodón said.

Giants manager Gabe Kapler said it was a unique fastball, one the team had not seen many of over the past couple of years.

“The quality of that fastball is exactly what we should be talking about because these are really good hitters who are set up to handle that style of pitching and still are swinging and missing at balls in the zone, sometimes in the middle of the plate,” Kapler said.

New York, without their manager Buck Showalter who was out for a medical procedure, tried to rally in the seventh inning. But Starling Marte ran for second base with Francisco Lindor at the plate and runners on the corners. The Giants’ Joey Bart threw to second base, ending the inning.

In the eighth inning, the Mets hit three straight singles off Giants pitcher Tyler Rogers. However, Wilmer Flores caught Dominic Smith’s two-out liner to third base that would have made it a one-run game.

The Giants (8-4) avoided their first three-game losing streak of this season. Meanwhile, the Mets (9-4) had their three-game winning streak snapped.

First pitch for the finale of the four-game series is at 10:10 a.m. PT.

Giants get swept in double dip at Citi Park by Mets 5-4 (10 innings) and 3-1

New York Mets starter Max Scherzer pitched for seven innings giving up a hit and one run against the San Francisco Giants in the second game of a doubleheader at Citi Field in New York on Tue Apr 19, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

NEW YORK — The San Francisco Giants (7-3) fell to the New York Mets (8-3) in both games of a doubleheader at a frigid (44 degrees) Citi Field on Tuesday.

The Giants lost 5-4 in an extra inning in Game 1, and could not get in a swing and lost 3-1 in Game 2 of the doubleheader owed to Monday’s game postponement due to rain.

San Francisco started Game 1 strong with two runs in the second inning and two runs in the third inning. In the fifth inning, the Mets scored back-to-back doubles to cut the Giants’ lead to 4-3. In the second of those, Giants starting pitcher Alex Cobb injured his right groin. He has been placed on the 10-day injured list, but hopes for a quick return.

“That was a brutal game for us,” Cobb said. “Having two nine-inning doubleheaders and then the starter coming out as early as I did, is putting the team in a bad position, so, you know, whatever they need to do.”

The Mets’ Pete Alonso made a key defensive play in the tenth inning and Francisco Lindor hit a walk-off RBI single to secure a 5-4 victory over the Giants. Initially, it appeared that San Francisco hit a go-ahead run on an error at the top of the tenth inning. After review, however, the close call was overturned and the top half of the inning ended.

New York fans were very vocal in Game 2, cheering on their team as they scored three runs in the third inning, despite cold temperatures in Queens.

Mets starter Max Scherzer nearly finished the night with a no-hitter. He had two outs in the sixth inning and gave up one hit. Scherzer struck out ten in seven innings, leading the Mets to a 3-1 victory over the Giants.

Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb said he did not have a good feel for the ball, with the cold likely playing a role.

“It was cold out there. I was trying to rub up the ball as much as I could,” said Webb, but added he did not want to use it as an excuse.

Webb suffered his first loss since May 5, putting an end to his franchise record of consecutive undefeated outings at 24, including a pair in the postseason.

“I wish I could’ve kept it going. It’s cool, definitely, to be able to say I was able to do that,” Webb said. “I think I’ll be alright. It was just a bad day. Unfortunately I needed to give the guys some innings and I wasn’t able to do that.”

Giants manager Gabe Kapler said the Mets beat one of the best pitchers in the league, and that the loss hardly damages Webb’s impressive record thus far.

“When you reflect back on who this young pitcher has been since May of last year, he’s one of the best pitchers in baseball,” Kapler said. “But now this is not just a run, it’s who he is. And we expect that performance from him going forward.”

The Giants (7-4) lost consecutive games for the first time this season. The Mets (9-3) swept a doubleheader from the Giants for the first time since July 13, 1079 at Shea Stadium.

First pitch for Game 3 of the four-game series is at 4:10 p.m. PT.

Giants-Mets rained out reschedule for doubleheader Tuesday afternoon

File photo of rain out at Citi Park in New York between the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets. The San Francisco Giants and New York Mets were rained out for Mon Apr 16, 2022 (WLUK Fox 11 file photo)

By Jessica Kwong

NEW YORK–The San Francisco Giants-New York Mets series opener has been postponed due to rain, and will be made up in a doubleheader on Tuesday. The Mets announced the changes a few hours before first pitch was scheduled at Citi Field on Monday.

First pitch for the makeup game will be 12:10 p.m. PT on Tuesday, and the second game will begin about 30 to 40 minutes after the first game concludes. The MLB has reverted to its traditional nine-inning format for doubleheaders.

The Mets canceled the game before the rain started. Heavy rainfall was in the forecast for New York City beginning around 6 p.m. ET through 5 a.m. The rest of the week appears to be dry.

San Francisco will start right-handed pitcher Alex Cobb for Game 1 and Logan Webb for Game 2. New York will use their starter planned for Monday, Tylor Megill, for the doubleheader. Megill has yet to allow a run in 10 1/3 innings.

The series will see two of the top teams in the National League facing each other. The Giants (7-2) are a half-game better than the Mets (7-3). The Giants are tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers at the top of the NL West. San Francisco is ranked first in total ERA while the Mets are ranked third.

Fans with tickets to Monday night’s game will not be able to use them to get into Tuesday’s doubleheader. Instead, they will get a digital voucher in their My Mets Tickets account accessible starting Tuesday, that can be exchanged for a ticket of comparable price and location to another Mets 2022 regular season game at Citi Field.

That includes the makeup doubleheader. However, it excludes the July 9 game with former Mets player Keith Hernandez’s number retirement, the July 26 to 27 Subway Series and the August 27 Old Times Day game.

More information can be found at Mets.com/Rain.

Blame The Rain: Hot Giants cooled by Metropolitans’ slightly warmer temps and rain, rescheduled DH for Tuesday

By Morris Phillips

The lockout and the protracted negotiations that delayed the baseball season put the Giants in a worrisome spot: just one day off through April 27, and 19 games in 20 days to start the season.

But in stepped mother nature, and the Giants have a treasured day off today, after their opener at Citi Field in New York against the Mets was canceled due to rain and the timing of the storm.

The team will hole up in a cozy Manhattan hotel and prepare for a rare, doubleheader on Tuesday with a nice caveat: staff ace Logan Webb will pitch Tuesday’s second game. The Mets made the announcement at 4:00pm in New York as the expectation of two inches of rain came into focus. Tuesday’s doubleheader will start at 3:10pm in New York with the second game 30 minutes after the first.

Alex Cobb will face the Mets’ Taylor Megill in the opener. Although the other scheduled starter, Max Scherzer could move up and pitch the opener with no confirmation from the Mets at press time.

The Giants-Mets four-game set looms as one of the early season’s best matchups with the Giants 7-2 and the Mets 7-3.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Giants face evenly matched Mets tonight to open three game series

San Francisco Giants second basemen Thairo Estrada, right, is congratulated by shortstop Brandon Crawford after sweeping the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on Sun Apr 17, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 Morris, the Giants wind up getting a sweep on their first leg of this road trip against the Cleveland Guardians. Giants pitcher Alex Wood threw for over five innings giving up just four hits in the 8-1 win.

#2 Wood gave up just one run and had real good command of his pitches. In the third inning the Guardians had two runners on but Wood would get out of the inning and the Giants continued with the lead.

#3 Thairo Estrada supplied the offense in the second inning with a homer to left and with Wilmer Flores on second after hitting a double it was a 2-0 lead for San Francisco.

#4 Brandon Belt would homer in the seventh inning to extend San Francisco’s lead to 8-0. Belt would bring Austin Slater home from first.

#5 For tonight’s game opening up in New York, the Giants will start Alex Cobb (1-0 ERA 3.60) and for the New York Mets (7-2)Tyler Megill (2-0 ERA 0.00). First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 PM PDT at Citi Park in Flushing.