Tag: San Francisco Giants

Giants ride breaks and fundamentals to 9-5 win and series win over Red Sox

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Sunday, June 22, 2025

Oracle Park

Boston Red Sox 5 (40-39)

San Francisco Giants 9 (44-34)

Win: Erik Miller (4-0)

Loss: Greg Weissert (2-2)

Time: 2:43

Attendance: 40,350

San Francisco Giants Casey Schmitt rounds the bases after hitting a home run off Boston Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito in the bottom of the fifth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sun Jun 22, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–The Giants rode some breaks and some good fundamental baseball to a wild 9-5 seesaw win to take this series over the Red Sox at Oracle Park Sunday.

After the Red Sox came back to win the series opener on Friday, the Giants held on for a 3-2 win Sunday to even the series. Sunday, the Giants would look to take the series with Robbie Ray on the mound.

It was another clear day for baseball at Oracle Park, but the top of the first inning would be a bit rough for Ray and the Giants. The Red Sox had runners at first and second with two outs when Patrick Bailey, on just a routine throw back to Ray, threw the ball away Rube Baker style, and Roman Anthony, the lead runner, went over to third.

Jarren Duran then hit a liner out to left-center field, which looked to be routine as left-fielder Heliot Ramos came to his left, but Ramos dropped the ball. Anthony came in to score, and the Red Sox struck first.

The Giants’ offensive doldrums continued against Red Sox’ starter Lucas Giolito, as he set down the first six men he faced. Meanwhile, Ray pitched a scoreless top of the second, and a one two three top of the third.

The Giants would have their first rally against Giolito in the bottom of the third. Casey Schmitt led off the inning with a single to left. Patrick Bailey hit a blooper to shallow left that Red Sox’ third-baseman Nate Eaton camped under, but left-fielder Jarren Duran came in, collided with Eaton and caused the ball to fall. Eaton was originally charged with the air, but it was eventually changed to an error on Duran.

The Giants had runners at first and second with nobody out, and here is where the good fundamental baseball came in. Tyler Fitzgerald laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over to second and third.

The Red Sox had their infield play in, which was surprising for a 1-0 game in the third inning. However, it paid off, Yaz hit a one-hop bullet to first for the second out, and neither runner was able to advance.

Giolito then got ahead of Devers 0-2, but Devers worked the count full to 3-2, and then walked on a pitch clock violation on Giolito. Up came Heliot Ramos, who flipped a base-hit to left, which knocked in a pair to give the Giants the lead.

Ray survived a two-out rally in the top of the fourth thanks to an incredible play by Mike Yastrzemski out in right on a double by Ceddanne Rafaela. Rafaela doubled down the right field line, and Yastrzemski fielded the ball perfectly and got it back into the infield. Second-baseman Tyler Fitzgerald then made a perfect relay to Bailey to cut Abraham Toro down at the plate.

Toro avoided the tag, but since he went more than three feet out of his established base path to avoid the tag from Bailey, Toro was called out by Home Plate Umpire Mike Muchlinski. Red Sox Manager Alex Cora went out to discuss the call with Muchlinski, but Muchlinski nailed it.

After the Giants went down scoreless in the bottom of the fourth, the Red Sox struck with a pair of home runs in the top of the fifth. First, it was Rob Refsnyder, who hit a two-run home run to center, to put the Red Sox back ahead. Then two batters with one out, Romy Gonzalez hit one of his own to left-center to make it 4-2.

The Giants would strike right back in the bottom of the fifth. Casey Schmitt led off the inning with a home run to left to make it 4-3. Then with two outs, Yaz shot one out to right for his first home run since April 22, and just like that, the game was tied.

The wind was whipping in all sorts of directions at Oracle Park. However, one thing was certain: the ball was carrying today. Major League Baseball may have told Andrew McCutchen that the baseballs were heavier this season, but you already can’t believe a word that comes from the Commissioner’s Office, and the balls were certainly flying like Rob Manfred’s patented juiced balls today.

Ray was done after five. He walked one, and struck out seven, but he was tagged for eight hits and four runs, three of them earned.

Spencer Bivens came in for the sixth. Bivens retired the first man he faced, but with one out, Rafaela put the Red Sox back ahead with a home run to left.

Giolito ended his day with a one two three inning in the bottom of the sixth. He gave up four runs and four hits. He walked two, and struck out five.

Erik Miller threw a scoreless top of the seventh for the Giants, and Cora brought in Greg Weissert for the bottom of the seventh. Willy Adames led off the inning with a base-hit to left, and then Schmitt doubled to right to put runners at second and third with nobody out.

The Giants had been able to come through on Ramos’ base-hit in the bottom of the third. The question was whether they could come through again in the bottom of the seventh.

Patrick Bailey grounded out back to Weissert, and that raised some doubts. However, Bob Melvin put on the safety squeeze with Tyler Fitzgerald at the plate, and Fitzgerald laid down the perfect sacrifice bunt to tie it.

Cora lifted Weissert for Justin Wilson, as the Red Sox looked to limit the damage to just a run and keep the game tied. Yaztrezemski was at the plate, and he hit a liner right to second-baseman Romy Gonzalez, but the ball went off Gonzalez’s glove and into right field. Schmitt scored, and the Giants retook the lead.

That would open the floodgates for the Giants’ offense. Rafael Devers continued the rally with a base-hit to right, which moved Yastrzemski over to second. Heliot Ramos then shot a double down the line in right to knock both runners in, and the Giants now led it 8-5. For Ramos, it was his third and fourth RBIs of the game.

Tyler Rogers came in for the eighth, and he appeared headed for some drama when Duran lined a base-hit down the right field line. Yastrzemski made a perfect throw to second, and while Duran originally got in ahead of the tag, he was called out when he overslid the bag.

Replays indicated that Duran’s fingers may have been on the bag when the tag was applied. However, it was not clear and convincing evidence, and the call stood.

Duran made his displeasure known to Second Base Umpire and Crew Chief Doug Eddings, who promptly threw him out of the game. Cora came out, and he too was ejected.

Rogers got through the remainder of the inning, and Adames hit a solo home run off Zack Kelly with one out in the bottom of the eighth to make it 9-5. The Red Sox made some noise in the top of the ninth against Randy Rodriguez, but Rodriguez ended up throwing a scoreless innings, and the Giants won it 9-5.

Alright, so who got the decisions in this mess? Erik Miller was the Giants’ pitcher in the top of the seventh, so he got the win. Greg Weissert gave up the go-ahead run in the bottom of the seventh, so he took the loss.

The Giants are back to 10 games over .500 at 44-34, and they remain in second place and three and a half games back of the Dodgers in the National League West.

The Giants will get a bit of a treat here in the last week of June in that they’re going to get to face the Marlins and the White Sox. The Giants will have a day off Monday, and then the Marlins will come into San Francisco for three games starting on Tuesday night.

Justin Verlander (0-4, 4.45 ERA) will look for his first win in what will be his 12th start of the season. The right-hander, Cal Quantrill (3-7 ERA 5.68), the son of former reliever Paul Quantrill, will take the ball for Miami.

First pitch will be at 6:45 p.m.

San Francisco Giants podcast Stephen Ruderman: Giants 4 run seventh powers past Red Sox 9-5

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Boston Red Sox Abraham Toro (left) is called out at home plate after being tagged out by San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey (right) in the top of the fourth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on

San Francisco Giants podcast Stephen Ruderman:

#1 In spite of the early outfield error, how significant was Heliot Ramos’ comeback effort today? With four RBIs, how would you rank his overall impact?
#2 What can we tell about Casey Schmitt’s growth at the plate from his 4-for-4 performance, and will he be able to maintain this level of performance in the lineup going forward?

#3 Stephen, what caught your attention the most about the Giants’ explosive seventh inning, and how did Boston’s defensive errors change the course of the game?

#4 How important is Mike Yastrzemski’s experienced leadership at the moment, with a younger lineup surrounding him, given his homer and sac fly?
#5 Is there anyone who deserves the most credit for closing the door, and how confident are you in this bullpen going forward, given that the Giants bullpen kept things steady in the latter innings?

#6 The Giants begin their next series against the Marlins Tuesday night at Oracle Park, how may that depth in the bullpen be useful? At 6:45 p.m., San Francisco’s RHP Justin Verlander (0-4 ERA 4.45) will take the mound against Miami’s RHP Cal Quantrill (3-7 ERA 5.68).

Stephen Ruderman is a San Francisco Giants beat reporter for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Ramos, Devers Go Deep as Giants Hold Off Red Sox 3-2

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Rafael Devers (right) congratulated by Matt Williams (9) rounding third base after his first SF Giants home run on Saturday afternoon. (Photo: Jay Choi from SF Bay News Lab on Instagram)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SAN FRANCISCO — After an uncharacteristic showing from the Giants’ pitching on Friday—particularly the rough start Hayden Birdsong turned in—the Giants were back to their pitching ways on Saturday. That is, until late. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. The Giants defeated the Red Sox on Saturday, 3-2, behind a gem from Landen Roupp.

Roupp led the Giants to victory, tossing six innings of shutout baseball. He allowed only three hits and kept the Red Sox off the bases for the most part. His only real blemish was the three walks he issued. Speaking to reporters after the game, Roupp elaborated, saying, “I felt like I had pretty decent command today. Obviously, the three walks don’t look pretty, but other than that I was in the zone. Curveball was good and changeup was doing its thing.”

Roupp’s outing was just what the doctor ordered for the Giants.

Randy Rodriguez pitched a scoreless seventh, Tyler Rogers followed with a scoreless eighth, and Bob Melvin turned the game over to his closer, Camilo Doval, for the ninth. Camilo struggled—but not in his traditional sense. He gave up three hits and two runs, but didn’t walk anyone—something that usually accompanies his rough outings. Bob Melvin noted that to me following the game, saying, “He got some hard contact on pitches he normally might get some swing and miss… but he didn’t walk anyone.” In the end, Doval still recorded the save as the Giants downed the Red Sox 3-2.

On the offensive end, all the Giants’ runs came courtesy of the long ball. Heliot Ramos homered in the first inning to give the Giants a 1-0 lead, followed by Rafael Devers’ first home run with the Giants. Devers’ shot—a two-run blast to left field—sent a packed Oracle Park crowd into a frenzy. Some might have said Devers was pressing a bit early on with the Giants, but not according to Bob Melvin. Bob said he has “remained the same guy his whole time here so far,” and that nothing appears to bother the slugger.

With the win, the Giants improved to 43-34 on the year and are currently four games back in the N.L. West, trailing the Dodgers. The Giants will send Robbie Ray (8-2, 2.68 ERA) to the mound, countered by Lucas Giolito (3-1, 4.73 ERA) for the Red Sox at 1:05 PM PST at Oracle Park.

Note of the day: Following a video posted on social media by his wife accusing the Giants right-hander of abuse (exact details of the allegations remain unclear), Sean Hjelle spoke to me and others after the game. He was brief but did confirm that he and his wife are in official divorce proceedings and that they have been “delayed” for unknown reasons. Hjelle said, “I have no official comment at this time, but there will be a time that I do.” It sounds as if he plans to speak on the matter more in the future when all legal matters have been resolved.

San Francisco Giants podcast Augie Mesenburg: Giants get some key home runs to edge Red Sox at Oracle on Saturday; Hjelle the subject of spousal abuse accusations

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Sean Hjelle of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Sun Jun 15, 2025 (AP News photo)

San Francisco Giants podcast Augie Mesenburg:

#1 Augie, on Friday Rafael Devers went 0-5 and today got his first home run as a San Francisco Giant.

#2 Heliot Ramos got a hold of one for his 13th home run of the season. Ramos has been very reliable in the lead off role and has been on a tear.

#3 The Giants got some pitching holding off the Boston Red Sox on Saturday with starter Landen Roupp pitching six innings and allowing three hits with seven strikeouts.

#4 Sean Hjelle made some headlines that he didn’t need. Hjlle’s wife Caroline posted on Tiktok Friday afternoon that Hjelle was an abusive husband, that he abandoned his wife and two sons on Mothers Day, and he was cheating on her. Hjelle was asked about the Tiktok posts before Saturday’s game and said he didn’t want to talk about it.

#5 It was Camilo Doval in relief who got into a ninth inning jam allowing two runs that allowed the Sox to close it within one run but the Giants held onto win it 3-2.

Augie Mesenburg is a MLB podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com and is a sports reporter for 1080 KWAI Honolulu

Giants Fall to Red Sox 7-5 as Pitching Falters, Bases-Loaded Opportunities Slip Away

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Ryan Walker during the Giants vs Red Sox game on Friday night at Oracle Park. (Photo: SF Bay News Lab on Instagram)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SAN FRANCISCO–Struggling recently, the San Francisco Giants looked to turn the page on two losing series over the past week. On Friday, the Giants welcomed the Boston Red Sox to town for a three-game set. Rafael Devers faced his former team for the first time since being traded from Boston to San Francisco just five days ago. The Giants had their chances but ultimately fell to the Red Sox, 7-5, on Friday night.

The problem for the Giants was their pitching—a rarity this season. Along with the uncharacteristically poor performance on the mound, the Giants also failed to come through with timely hits when it mattered most.

In the second inning, the Giants loaded the bases with no outs for Christian Koss, who hit into a double play. In the fourth inning, they loaded the bases again with no outs for Koss. Once again, he grounded into a double play.

Granted, each double play brought in a run, but it let the air out of an otherwise dialed-in offense early. The Giants loaded the bases one more time in the eighth inning with two outs before Mike Yastrzemski struck out swinging. Those moments were big missed opportunities—but they weren’t the sole reason for the loss. They played a part, but the pitching never found a groove.

Starter Hayden Birdsong had an uncharacteristically rough outing, going only four and a third innings while allowing seven hits and five runs. After the game, Birdsong cited control issues as the reason for his struggles. “I know I got behind. Whenever I gave up hits, it’s because I got behind. When I’m ahead, it’s a lot better. I feel a lot better and a lot more comfortable… something I gotta work on.”

Sean Hjelle relieved Birdsong and gave up one run in an inning of work. Erik Miller threw two-thirds of an inning, followed by Joey Lucchesi, who was only able to record one out and gave up a run. The Giants capped off the night with Ryan Walker and Spencer Bivens combining for two and two-thirds innings of no-hit baseball. It was one of Walker’s best outings in a while, and the Giants hope it will boost his confidence moving forward.

On the offensive side, the Giants’ only run that scored without also recording an out came on a Mike Yastrzemski RBI single in the second inning. Every other Giants run came on a play where they also made an out—not ideal for a team struggling to score runs and badly in need of timely hitting.

Wilmer Flores and Aroldis Chapman exchanged words following the final out of the game in what appeared to be a misunderstanding. It remains unclear what was said to Wilmer, but it seemed to be in an angry tone—something he took exception to.

After the game, Wilmer was still puzzled, telling reporters, “I want to know what he said. I still don’t know.” When asked if it may have had to do with a pitch violation during the at-bat, Flores responded, “I guess, I don’t know.”

With the loss, the Giants have now dropped five of their last seven games and are looking to get back on track Saturday. They’ll send Landen Roupp (4-5, 3.99 ERA) to the mound against Boston’s Brayan Bello (3-1, 3.49 ERA) in Game 2 of the series, with first pitch scheduled for 1:05 PM PST.

The Giants are now 42-34 on the season.

San Francisco Giants Podcast with Michael Villanueva: Giants Avoid Sweep with 2-1 Win Over Guardians

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Casey Schmitt (10) greets Jung Hoo Lee (right) at home plate after both score on San Francisco Giants Wilmer Flores two run double in the bottom of the seventh inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco Thu Jun 19, 2025 (AP News photo)

San Francisco Giants podcast Michael Villanueva:

#1 San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb put together seven dominant innings with nine Ks and no walks. What do you feel clicked for him yesterday compared to the past starts?

#2 Wilmer Flores came through with a clutch two-run double off the bench — should the Giants be using him more in key late-game situations?

#3 Michael do you remain worried about the offense’s inconsistency, or are you more inspired by the Giants’ ability to fabricate a victory with just two runs scored?

#4 The bullpen held strong again, with Doval locking down the ninth — is the Giants’ bullpen quietly becoming the most reliable part of this team?

#5 Looking at the upcoming schedule, can a close win like this be a turning point to assert dominance in the league, or do the Giants still have too many unanswered questions?

#6 The Giants continue their homestand tonight at Oracle Park with a key game against the Red Sox, following a much-needed victory over the Guardians. When Rafael Devers plays his old team for the first time since the trade, everyone will be watching him closely. Boston’s Hunter Dobbins (3.74 ERA) will face Hayden Birdsong (2.79 ERA). 7:15 is the first pitch.

Michael Villanueva is a Major League Baseball podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants game wrap: Webb rewarded for 7-inning, 9-K gem with win, as Giants beat Guards 2-1 to avoid sweep

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San Francisco Giant Wilmer Flores hits a two run double in the bottom of the seventh to give the Giants the lead over the Cleveland Guardians at Oracle Park on Thu Jun 19, 2025 (AP News photo)

Thursday, June 19, 2025

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

Cleveland Guardians 1 (37-36)

San Francisco Giants 2 (42-33)

Win: Logan Webb (7-5)

Loss: Matt Festa (1-1)

Save: Camilo Doval (11)

Time: 2:22

Attendance: 40,093

By Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–Logan Webb was rewarded for an incredible seven-inning, nine-strikeout performance by a two-run double by Wilmer Flores with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, and the Giants avoided the sweep with a 2-1 win over the Guardians to snap their four-game losing streak.

Usually, weekday getaway games at Oracle Park start at 12:45, but that was not the case today. Thursday was Juneteenth, which became a federal holiday in 2021. “Lift Every Voice,” the black national anthem, was played prior to the start of the game, followed by the Star Spangled Banner.

The Giants sent their ace and stopper, Logan Webb, to the mound, as they looked to snap their four-game snide and avoid the sweep on a hazy afternoon at Oracle Park. The Giants were held to just two runs in both of the first two games of this series, and with the offenses’ inability to give Webb run support, Thursday looked to be a good old-fashioned pitcher’s duel at the ballpark.

Webb ran into trouble right away in the top of the first inning, as the Guardians placed runners at first and second with one out in the top of the first inning. Webb struck Carlos Santana out swinging for the second out. Heliot Ramos then took an RBI base-hit away from Lane Thomas with a great diving catch out in left field to end the inning.

Gavin Williams took the ball for Cleveland, and the Giants went down scoreless in each of the first two innings. Webb settled down with a one, two, three top of the second, but he got into trouble again in the top of the third.

Angel Martinez led off the top of the third with a double down the right field line, and then Steven Kwan lined a base-hit up the middle that almost took off Webb’s head. The Guardians had runners at the corners with nobody out.

Daniel Schneemann, who hit the big home run last night, struck out swinging for the first out. Kwan then stole second, but Martinez was cut down at the plate by first-baseman Dominic Smith.

Webb had a chance to get out of the inning unscathed, but Santana had other plans. Webb threw a sinker just off the outside corner at the knees, and Santana dunked it out to shallow left-center to put the Guards on the board.

The Guardians got to Webb in the top of the third, but he settled down the rest of the way. In fact, Webb was dominant the rest of the way, and he set down 12 of the final 14 men he faced to finish off an incredible outing. While Webb gave up seven hits, he gave up just one run, and he struck out nine over seven innings. On top of that, he did not give up any runs.

Webb did his job. The only question was whether the Giants’ offense would do theirs. The Giants wasted major opportunities in three-straight innings from the third through the fifth, and they were unable to do anything after Heliot Ramos was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the sixth.

Williams was done after giving up just two hits over six shutout innings. Perhaps, the Giants would have better luck against Matt Festa in the bottom of the seventh.

Casey Schmitt started things off by fisting a broken bat single up the middle to center. Jung Hoo Lee then drew a walk, and the Giants had runners at first and second with nobody out. Up came Patrick Bailey, and he did exactly what he was supposed to do: bunt the runners over to second and third. It was with a torpedo bat, a fad that is thankfully going away, but he still got the job done.

Guardians Manager Stephen Vogt then brought in Nic Enright to face Wilmer Flores, who was pinch-hitting for Christian Koss. Wilmer worked the count to 2-2, and then he grounded a double down the left field line to give the Giants their first lead of the day.

The Giants have been pressing as of late and trying too hard to hit home runs. The bottom of the seventh inning Thursday was how the Giants are meant to win games, and exactly how they won during their torrid 24-14 start. It was a base-hit; a walk; a sacrifice bunt; and then a double down the line. Beautifully done.

Bob Melvin entrusted Randy Rodriguez with the top of the eighth Thursday, and Rodriguez rewarded his skipper with a one, two, three shutdown inning. Camilo Doval then came in for the ninth, and he threw a 1-2-3 inning to notch down his 11th save.

The Giants beat the Guardians 2-1, and this sold-out crowd of 40,093 could all go home happy. Well, at least all of the ones who were Giants’ fans.

Logan Webb was rewarded for his great start with the win; Matt Festa took the loss; and Camilo Doval got the save.

The Giants improve to 42-33, and they will face Rafael Devers’ old team, the Boston Red Sox, over the weekend for three starting Friday night. It should be interesting and full of emotions to say the least.

Hayden Birdsong (3-1, 2.79 ERA) will take the ball for the Giants in the series opener Friday night. Hunter Dobbins (4-1, 3.74), a young pitcher who has excited fans in Boston, will make the start for the Red Sox.

First pitch will be at 7:15 p.m.

Giants News and Notes:

Thursday was Duane Kuiper’s 75th birthday. It was fitting that his milestone birthday came on a day that the two teams he played for faced off.

Duane’s son, Cole, brought a birthday cake into the broadcast booth, and he was joined by Jon Miller and Dave Fleming, who came over from the radio booth. Buster Posey also came into the booth for the cherry on the top, as Thursday’s sold-out crowd sang “Happy Birthday.”

Here’s to many more years of great memories with the great Duane Kuiper, truly one of the greatest baseball announcers of all-time, behind the mic!

San Francisco Giants podcast Stephen Ruderman: That first win for Verlander continues to elude him

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San Francisco Giants starter Justin Verlander pitches to the Cleveland Guardians line up in the top of the first inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed Jun 18, 2025 (AP News photo)

San Francisco Giants podcast Stephen Ruderman:

#1 Stephen, the Cleveland Guardians Daniel Schneeman’s three run home run kept the San Francisco Giants Justin Verlander from winning his first game of the season as he dropped his record to 0-4 on Wednesday night.

#2 Verlander allowed four runs and was charged with three earned runs in 4.2 innings of work after being activated from the Injured List on Wednesday morning. Verlander surrendered seven hits and struck out six. It was Verlander’s first start since May 18.

#3 The Guardians Kyle Manzardo hit two doubles and Jose Ramirez got a base hit for an RBI as the Guardians are assured a series win for the first time since 2005.

#4 Stephen, the Giants Heliot Ramos stayed consistent with a home run his 12th of the season. Ramos is hitting .284.

#5 Starting pitchers for Thursday afternoon’s game for the Guardians RHP Gavin Williams (5-3 ERA 3.89) for the Giants RHP Logan Webb (6-5 ERA 2.58) first pitch is 12:45pm PDT.

Join Stephen Ruderman for the Giants podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants’ offense stumbles, Justin Verlander is hit in return from IL in 4-2 loss to Guardians

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San Francisco Giants starter Justin Verlander was touched up by the Cleveland Guardians on Wed Jun 18, 2025 at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP News photo)

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

Cleveland Guardians 4 (37-35)

San Francisco Giants 2 (41-33)

Win: Logan Allen (5-4)

Loss: Justin Verlander (0-4)

Save: Emmanuel Clase (16)

Time: 2:27

Attendance: 34,055

By Stephen Ruderman

The Giants have now lost four-straight for just the second time this season, as Justin Verlander struggled in his return from the Injured List, and the Giants’ offense stumbled again in a 4-2 loss to the Guardians.

Following the hoopla around the trade for Rafael Devers, the Guardians beat the Giants 3-2 in Devers’ debut last night. The loss was also the third-straight for the Giants, whose offense has started to go dormant again.

The Giants turned to Justin Verlander, who was activated off the Injured List to make his 11th start of the season. Verlander was still looking for his first win as a Giant, as he came into Wednesday night’s game 0-3 with a 4.33 ERA over ten starts in a Giants’ uniform.

Verlander last started on May 18 against the A’s. In that start, Verlander gave up two runs and walked five over four innings, and he got a no-decision. However, Verlander also aggravated his right pectoral muscle in that start, which prompted the Giants to place him on the IL

Unfortunately, Verlander was given a rude welcome in the top of the first inning. Kyle Manzardo lined a double to right field with one out, and then Jose Ramirez, the lone-remaining member of the 2016 Cleveland Indians, lined a base-hit to right to put the Guardians on the board early.

The Guardians could have made it a bigger inning, but when Ramirez took off for second base, catcher Patrick Bailey, who was also returning from the IL Wednesday night, gunned Ramirez down at second. That’s right: a whole battery coming off the IL.

Left-hander Logan Allen took the ball for the Guards, and he started his night with a one, two, three bottom of the first. Allen threw a scoreless bottom of the second, and he worked his way out of a jam in the bottom of the third.

Verlander settled down to throw a scoreless top of the second and a one, two, three top of the third. Unfortunately, Verlander found himself back in trouble in the top of the fourth.

Carlos Santanta reached on a chopper to the right side that took a weird hop off the lip of the outfield grass and was bobbled by second-baseman Tyler Fitzgerald. In this era of not giving errors on plays that clearly should be, Fitzgerald was cast with a tough error.

Lane Thomas lined a base-hit to center to put runners at first and second for Cleveland with one out. Up came Daniel Schneemann, and he blasted a three-run home run to left-center, and the Guardians now had a 4-0 lead.

The Giants went down scoreless against Allen in the bottom of the fourth, and the Guardians made noise again in the top of the fifth. Monzardo, who doubled and scored the game’s first run in the top of the first, doubled with one out. The longtime veteran, Carlos Santana, then walked two batters later with two outs.

That would end the night for Verlander, and Bob Melvin turned to Spencer Bivens. Bivens caught Thomas looking at a sinker on the outside corner to end the inning with the score still 4-0.

Verlander gave up four runs, three of them earned, over four and two thirds innings in his return from the IL. He gave up seven hits, but he struck out six, and he hit 95 miles per hour on the gun.

Allen retired the first two men he faced in the bottom of the fifth, but Baile lined a base-hit to center to extend the inning for Heliot Ramos. Ramos got a “sweeper”—don’t worry, I’ll get around to saying it soon—and golfed it out to left-center field for a two-run shot to put the Giants on the board and cut the deficit in half.

The Guardians’ lead was now 4-2, as Bivens threw a one, two, three top of the sixth. The Giants’ bullpen did their job, as they held the Guardians scoreless the rest of the way.

Unfortunately, the Giants’ offense couldn’t do their job. Allen ended up going five and a third innings, and the Guards’ bullpen took it the rest of the way. The Giants had runners on in each of the final four innings, but they just couldn’t keep things going, and the Guardians won it 4-2.

Logan Allen got the win; Justin Verlander took the loss; and Emmanuel Clase got the save.

The Giants have indeed just four-straight, as they fall to 41-33.

The Giants will look to salvage a game in this series and avoid the sweep in a Thursday matinee at Oracle Park. The Giants will have their ace, Logan Webb (6-5, 2.58 ERA), who has also become their stopper, on the mound Thursday. Gavin Williams (5-3, 3.89 ERA) will go for Cleveland.

Usually, weekday afternoon games at Oracle Park start at 12:45 p.m. That will not be the case Thursday. First pitch will be at 1:05 p.m.

Giants News and Notes:

To make room for Justin Verlander and Patrick Bailey, who both came off the Injured List Wednesday night, the Giants sent right-handed pitcher Tristan Beck and catcher Logan Porter back to Triple-A Sacramento.

Devers Makes a Grand Debut, Giants lose Game 1 Against the Guardians 3-1

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San Francisco, California, USA, June 17, 2025; At Oracle Park, Robbie Ray, 38, the starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, throws a pitch against the Cleveland Guardians in the first inning. (Photo Credits to D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images)

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Oracle Park

Cleveland Guardians: 3

San Francisco Giants: 2

Win: Cleveland Guardians Pitcher Slade Cecconi (2-3)

Loss: SF Giants Pitcher Robbie Ray (8-2)

Saver: Cleveland Guardians Emmanuel Clase (15)

Attendance: 36,222

By: Michael Villanueva

SAN FRANCISCO- The Cleveland Guardians defeated the San Francisco Giants on Thursday night to start their nine-game homestand. The Giants were beaten by the Cleveland Guardians in a final score, 3-2.

Giants Manager Bob Melvin placed Rafael Devers into the No.3 spot in the roster and DH role. In the third inning, Devers excellently earned himself an RBI double, a strong 111mph blast into Triples alley that scored Willy Adames and put San Francisco ahead 2-1. Later, he would add a single in the ninth, part of a desperation rally that nearly turned the tide.

Throughout the game, the Giants’ offense had opportunities but found it tough to take advantage of them. San Francisco only finished 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position, leaving 13 men behind overall, even though they put runners on base in almost every inning. Dom Smith’s RBI single in the second inning leveled the game early and was the only other Giant to drive in a run.

Robbie Ray pitched six innings and allowed three earned runs on five hits while striking out five batters, giving San Francisco a strong display. His only big error occurred in the sixth inning when Gabriel Arias hit a game-winning solo home run to put the Guardians ahead for good.

Arias hit his first home run since April 16th. “When you get six innings with three runs, a lot of times you win the game like that,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said after the game, putting Ray’s performance in perspective. He believes you are expecting more from him because he has been so excellent.

Slade Cecconi of Cleveland held his own, giving up just two runs in five innings while keeping the Giants in check. San Francisco put up a strong fight in the bottom of the ninth, loading the bases following consecutive hits by Jung Hoo Lee and Devers, as well as a walk by Heliot Ramos, but closer Emmanuel Clase jammed the door shut. The Guardians’ bullpen took it the rest of the way. He earned his 15th save of the season by striking out Casey Schmitt on a high heater to close the game.

There were good signs for San Francisco despite the defeat. The club kept fighting in the last innings, and Devers seemed at ease at the plate. However, moral victories are not reflected in the standings, and the Giants are aware that if they hope to tie the series, they will need to perform better in the closing moments. In the ninth, the Giants had a chance to walk it off after loading the bases, but Emmanuel Clase closed the game off with a strikeout. After the game, Melvin noted, “We had a rally going, and it looked like we had a chance in the ninth, which we’ve done so many times here, but just couldn’t.”

On Wednesday night, the two teams will play again, The Guardians will start LHP Logan Allen (4-4 ERA 4.28) and the Giants’ veteran right-hander Justin Verlander (0-3 ERA 4.33) is expected to make his comeback from the injured list. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m., and he will face Logan Allen from Cleveland.

With the loss, The Giants are now on a three game losing streak and are 41-32 on the season. Guardians have now just snapped their previous three game losing streak.