Tag: San Francisco Giants

Giants Destroy Cubs In Eleventh Inning 14-5

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By Barbara Mason

In one crazy game the San Francisco Giants (23-14) beat the Chicago Cubs (22-15) 14-5 in 11 innings. When it looked like Justin Verlander would win his first game as a Giant, the Cubs tied up this game at 5-5. It would go into the 11 inning when the Cubs unleashed a barrage of hits, (6 hits, 2 sacrifices, and a walk). They scored nine runs in the eleventh. This was the most runs in a single inning in Wrigley Field history.

Game recap: The Giants got going early scoring in the second, third and fourth innings taking a 5-0 lead. San Francisco had two runs in the second inning taking an early 2-0 lead. Matt Chapman scored the first run of the day after walking and advancing home via a Cubs error. Patrick Bailey hit a sacrifice fly driving Wade Jr. home for the 2-0 tally. The Giants had a great start in this game.

San Francisco added two more runs in the third inning taking a 4-0 lead. Jung Hoo Lee who has been terrific hit a home run with Willy Adames on base. Not to be outdone the Cubs Miguel Amaya hit a two run home run (Swanson was on base) cutting the San Francisco lead in half 2-4.

The Giants would add one more run in the fourth inning for a 5-2 lead. Brett Wisely hit a sacrifice fly and Heliot Ramos would score. The Cubs would creep a little closer in the fifth inning scoring a single run when Dansby Swanson scored off a infield single off the bat of Jon Berti.

Neither team would score in the sixth, seventh or eighth innings. This game went into the ninth inning with the Giants holding onto a 5-3 lead. With San Francisco on the verge of tying up this series the Cubs put the brakes on it by scoring two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Justin Turner singled Crow-Armstrong home followed by a Kyle Tucker single driving Carson Kelly home tying up this game 5-5.

The tenth inning got underway and San Francisco was unable to score with one runner, Wilmer Flores, on base. The Cubs had runners at the corners with one out and a very real opportunity to win game two.

The Cubs couldn’t cash in and the game went into the eleventh inning. The Giants got a great start in the inning with runners on second and third and no outs. A Patrick Bailey single brought Christian Koss home.

A Brett Wisely sacrifice gave San Francisco a second run when Heliot Ramos scored. The Giants still had no outs with the bases loaded threatening to extend their 7-5 lead. San Francisco was relentless scoring on a reviewed score and the Giants had a 8-5 lead.

The hits just kept on coming. When the dust had settled Patrick Bailey, Brett Wisely, Willy Adames, Mike Yastrzemski, Jung Hoo Lee, Matt Chapman and Wilmer Flores had all crossed home plate for a 14-5 win tying up the series.

Justin Verlander went five innings allowing five hits, three runs, two walks and three strikeouts. Relief pitchers Randy Rodriguex, Camilo Doval and Tyler Rogers each pitched an inning with Rodriguez allowing only one hit. This was a hard fought game going into the 11th inning. It all fell apart for the Cubs in the top of the 11th. Verlander had finally realized his first win as a Giant.

Game notes: The Giants were looking for a little payback after losing game one of their three game series with the Cubs getting punished 9-2. The Cubs had a five-run sixth inning to take the first game of the series. Both teams have the same record at the start of Monday night’s game. Verlander still struggling to pick up his first win ended up leaving after five innings surrendering five hits and three earned runs.

The San Francisco Giants finished the game with 16 hits and a whole lot of payback in this win. The rubber game of this series will get underway tomorrow with first pitch scheduled for 11:20 AM. Robbie Ray will take the mound for the Giants with a 4-0 win/loss record and 3.05 ERA. The Cubs will start Ben Brown who come into this game with a 3-2 win/loss record and a 4.88 ERA.

San Francisco Giants podcast Stephen Ruderman: Giants end 3 game losing streak with huge win over Cubs 14-5

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San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey (left) and pitcher Hayden Birdsong (right) discuss things over in the bottom of the sixth inning at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Mon May 5, 2025 (AP News photo)

San Francisco Giants podcast Stephen Ruderman:

The San Francisco Giants are playing a good team in the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field both team started Tuesday with records of 22-14. Monday’s tough 9-2 loss for the Giants is not indicative of the way they’ve playing of late. As they came back with nine runs in the top of the 11th on Tuesday night for a 14-9 win.

The Giants ran into a tough patch losing a two game series to the San Diego Padres and then dropping the first game on Monday’s game in Wrigley. The Giants got some pay back smacking the Cubs around Wrigley and snapping their three game loss streak.

Stephen Ruderman is a San Francisco Giants beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cubs Score Five Runs In Sixth Inning Beating San Francisco 9-2

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Chicago Cubs Carson Kelly (15) rounds the bases in the bottom of the sixth inning as the San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman (foreground) can only watch at Wrigley Field in Chicago Mon May 5, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The San Francisco Giants (22-14) kept pace with the Chicago Cubs (22-14) going into the fourth inning. With the game tied, the Cubs made their move scoring 2 runs taking a 4-2 lead. The sixth inning was the killer for the Giants. The Cubs scored five runs winning the game 9-2. Chicago’s defense was superb finishing the game with 9 hits and put out an equally dangerous offensive effort.

Game recap: Two quick opening innings took this game into the third inning. The Giants had one hit in the first two innings, a single by Matt Chapman in the second but that was it for the offense. The Cubs also had two quiet innings to start the game.

The Giants went three up, three out in the third inning but the Cubs Dansby Swanson doubled in the bottom of the third followed by top of the order batter Ian Happ who hit a two run home to right center taking a 2-0 lead. The Giants had an error in the first that would be followed by more infield problems.

San Francisco tied up the game in the fourth inning when Luis Matos homered to left center driving Matt Chapman home for the 2-2 score. The Giants rally was stopped short when the Cubs pushed the score back out to 4-2.

With two outs the Giants were almost out of the inning but the Cubs Nico Hoerner singled, Dansby Swanson singled and Nicky Lopez singled in an offensive flurry. Swanson’s single drove in base runners Crow-Armstrong and Hoerner who both scored for the 4-2 tally. San Francisco had a second Giant’s error in the inning. San Francisco finally got out of the inning but the damage had been done.

The Cubs had more in store for the visiting Giant’s. Chicago went crazy in the fateful sixth inning scoring five runs and taking a 9-2 lead. Carson Kelly got the inning going with a solo home run.

The Cubs would extend their lead when they loaded the bases with no outs. Relief pitcher Spencer Bevins had a rough time loading the bases and walking in another run for a 6-4 lead. Hoerner sacrificed and a third run crossed home plate.

Chicago finished off the inning with a Seiya Susaki single that drove in both Nicky Lopez and Dansby Swanson for a 9-2 lead going into the seventh inning.

A quiet seventh and eighth inning took San Francisco into the top of the ninth inning down to their last three outs. The Giants went quietly into the night losing game one to Chicago 9-2. The four errors San Francisco had contributed to this loss. The Giants have had quite a time with errors this season; already 20 so far.

San Francisco Giant’s starting pitcher Landen Roupp went 5.0 innings finishing with five hits, two earned runs, no walks and four strikeouts.

Game notes: Monday evening the Giants took on the Cubs kicking off a six game road trip. San Francisco has dropped into third place in the National League West but is within a game and half of first place. Both clubs have good records but Chicago is holding down first place in the National League Central , three full games ahead of the second place Reds. The Cubs won their series with the Brewers over the weekend and the Giants also won their weekend series against the Colorado Rockies. The opening game of this game was pretty clear that the Cubs have the pitching which they got out of starter Matthew Boyd and plenty of hitting with a five run rally in the bottom of the sixth.

Tuesday the Giants Justin Verlander (0-2 ERA 4.38) will take another crack at it on the mound looking for his first win as a Giant. The Cubs will start Colin Rea 2-0 who comes in with a 1.46 ERA. First pitch for this game is scheduled for 4:40 PM

6th inning bases loaded no outs

San Francisco Giants game wrap: Adames hits two HRs, and Giants win series in 9-3 laugher over Rockies

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San Francisco Giants game wrap:

San Francisco Giants Wilmer Flores (41) congratulates Willy Adames (right) who had two home runs after the game against the Colorado Rockies at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sun May 4, 2025 (AP News photo)

Sunday, May 4, 2025

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

Colorado Rockies 3 (6-28)

San Francisco Giants 9 (22-13)

Win: Logan Webb (4-2)

Loss: German Marquez (0-6)

Time: 2:29

Attendance: 41,087

By Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–Willy Adames hit two home runs, and the Giants took the series over the Rockies in a 9-3 laugher.

As the Giants looked to take the series against the Rockies Sunday, they had the perfect man on the mound in their ace, Logan Webb. To be honest though, Webb had a bit of a rocky time—no pun intended—in the top of the first inning. Webb only gave up one hit, but the Rockies hit the ball hard off him.

The Rockies also had the perfect man on the mound for the Giants in German Marquez, who came into today’s game 0-5 with a 9.82 ERA. Mike Yastrzamski lined out to begin the bottom of the first inning, but with one out, Willy Adames battled his way through a long at-bat, as he fouled off four two-strike pitches

The longer an at-bat goes, the more the momentum is going to swing in favor of the hitter, because he’s getting a great look at what the pitcher is throwing. Even if Adames strikes out, it’s a great at-bat, because he got a lot of pitches out of Marquez, and because he can give a detailed scouting report to his teammates on what Marquez is featuring.

Adames ended up with the best result possible. On the tenth pitch, he hit a home run to left-center field, which not only got the Giants on the board, but got this sold-out crowd into the game early.

Webb then settled down with a scoreless top of the second and a one, two, three top of the third. Marquez also settled down with a scoreless bottom of the second, and he retired the first two men he faced in the bottom of the third.

With two outs, up came Adames, who hit his second home run of the game. This one was a mammoth blast to left field that went about a third of the way up into the bleachers. Okay, maybe it wasn’t a total mammoth blast, but it certainly seemed and felt like one.

Webb worked through some trouble in the top of the fourth, and he got a chopper off his leg which he turned into a 1-3 putout. Webb immediately shooed to the dugout to make sure nobody came out, but Dave Groeschner came out anyway. Of course Webb was fine, and he stayed in the game.

After Marquez threw his first one, two, three inning of the day in the bottom of the fourth, the Rockies got on the board in the top of the fifth. Mickey Moniak led off the inning with a triple, and Jacob Stallings got him in with a base-hit to left to make it 2-1.

Alan Trejo reached on an error, and Webb was in trouble. However, Webb then got Brenton Doyle to ground into a double play, and he struck out Jordan Beck to end the inning with the Giants still ahead.

The Giants had their response in the bottom of the fifth. Luis Matos led off with a double, and Patrick Bailey singled him over to third. Christian Koss grounded out, but Mike Yastrzemski knocked in a pair with a base-hit to center, and that made it 4-1.

That did it for Marquez, as the Rockies brought in Angel Chivilli.

Only three times in the history of Oracle Park has a player hit three home runs in a game. Kevin Elster did it for the Dodgers the day the park opened on April 11, 2000; Pablo Sandoval of course did it in Game 1 of the 2012 World Series against the Tigers; and Joc Pederson did it in a wild game against the Mets on May 24, 2022.

Willy Adames had a chance to be the fourth man to do it. He hit a long fly ball deep to right-center field, but the ball hit off the wall. Yaz scored to make it 5-1, so not all was lost.

The Giants had scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth, and Webb remained in control. The Giants scored four more in the bottom of the seventh to make it a laugher at 9-1, but Willy Adames was unable to get that elusive third home run. Still, 3-for-5 with a pair of home runs, a double and three RBIs ain’t shabby.

Webb went seven innings when all was said and done. He walked two, and struck out six.

The Rockies scored a pair of runs off Spencer Bivens in the top of the eighth to make it 9-3. Lou Trivino came in for the ninth and ran into a bit of trouble, but he ended up pitching a scoreless inning to end it.

Logan Webb got the win, and Garman Marquez got the loss.

The Giants responded to their first three-game losing streak of the year with a three-game winning streak, as they improve to 22-13.

The Giants will head to the friendly confines of Wrigley Field in Chicago to take on the Cubs, who themselves are off to a great start at 21-14. The Giants will have three in Chicago Monday through Wednesday, and then three in Minnesota against the Twins over the weekend Friday through Sunday.

Landen Roupp (2-2, 5.10 ERA) will take the ball for the Giants in the series opener Sunday night. Left-hander Matthew Boyd (2-2, 2.70 ERA) will go for the Cubs. First pitch will be at 6:40 p.m. at Wrigley, 4:40 p.m. back home in San Francisco.

Giants News and Notes:

Sunday’s crowd of 41,087 was the eighth sellout of the season here at Oracle Park. The Giants are just two sellouts shy of their highest total since 2018, which is 10 (2022 and 2024).

San Francisco Giants podcast Stephen Ruderman: Giants conclude four game series with Rockies today at Oracle Park

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San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman (left) and LaMonte Wade Jr (right) celebrates the win against Colorado Rockies on Sat May 3, 2025 at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP News photo)

San Francisco Giants podcast Stephen Ruderman:

#1 Saturday’s game at Oracle Park was one for the books as the San Francisco Giants down to the last place Colorado Rockies 3-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning saw Matt Chapman connect for a grand slammer that put the Giants back in the drivers seat taking a 6-3 lead which would end up being the final score.

#2 The Giants won their 11th game when the were behind by two or more runs that leads the Majors this year.

#3 The grand slam by Chapman was his third career grand slam and it was the Giants first since Chapman did it on May 11, 2024 against the Cincinnati Reds.

#4 San Francisco Giants starter Jordan Hicks struck out seven hitters the most this season for Hicks. Hicks pitched five innings, allowed three hits, three earned runs, and two walks.

#5 Starting pitchers for the Rockies RHP German Marquez (0-5 ERA 9.82) for the Giants RHP Logan Webb (3-2 ERA 2.83) talk about how you see this match up today?

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

MLB podcast Charlie O Sun May 4, 2025: Red Sox Casas out for season with left knee injury; Rangers Seagar returns after hamstring injury; plus more MLB news

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Boston Red Sox Triston Casas is carted off the field after clipping his foot with Minnesota Twins pitcher Joe Ryan, Casas went down and injured his left knee on Fri May 2, 2025 at Fenway Forcing Casas to miss the rest of the 2025 season.

Headline Sports podcast Charlie O Sun May 4, 2025:

#1 Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas will be out for the rest of the season due to a ruptured left patellar tendon Saturday. On Friday night Casas was safe on a check swing that Minnesota Twins pitcher Joe Ryan miscued for an error. Casas stomped hard on the first base bag. Casas’ left foot hit Twins first baseman Ty France’s foot and fell down on his left knee. Casas had to leave the game on a stretcher.

#2 The Texas Rangers activated All Star shortstop Corey Seagar. Seagar had been on the ten day IL and returned on Saturday. The Rangers sent infielder Jonathan Orenelas was optioned to Triple A Round Rock. The Rangers missed Seagar who had been out with a right hamstring strain against the Sacramento A’s on April 22.

#3  San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis who was hit with a pitch on Friday in the left forearm by Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller. Keller hit Tatis with a 93 mph sinker pitch. Padres manager Mike Shildt said x-rays proved negative. Tatis has been suffering with swelling, soreness but the contusion has improved and the medical staff cleared him to play on Saturday.

#4 Right hand pitcher Craig Yoho was sent down the minor leagues Triple A Nashville on Saturday. On Thursday Yoho walked four batters and gave up five runs in one inning of relief. In return the Brewers brought up right hand pitcher Elvin Rodriguez before their game against the Chicago Cubs.

#5 The Sacramento A’s had a successful road trip that puts the A’s over .500 at 12-7. The A’s have the winningest road record in baseball surpassing the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants who are second and third respectively for winning road records. One of the keys to success in a season is winning on the road.

Join Charlie O for Headline Sports each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Hicks hangs in there, and Chapman’s grand salami carries Giants to 6-3 win over Rockies

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San Francisco Giants Matt Chapman (26) rounds the first base after hitting a sixth inning grand slam is congratulated by first base coach Mark Hallberg in the bottom of the sixth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sat May 3, 2025 (AP News photo)

Saturday, May 3, 2025

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

Colorado Rockies 3 (6-27)

San Francisco Giants 6 (21-13)

Win: Randy Rodriguez (2-0)

Loss: Jake Bird (0-1)

Save: Ryan Walker (6)

Time: 2:21

Attendance: 40,049

By Stephen Ruderman

The Giants appear to be back on track, as Jordan Hicks hung in there for five innings, and Matt Chapman hit a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning to propel the Giants to a 6-3 win over the Rockies.

The Giants snapped their first three-game winning streak of the year with a 4-0 win Friday night, as Robbie Ray struck out eight over seven shutout innings.

Saturday, Jordan Hicks looked to follow that up with a strong outing of his own. Following three-consecutive rough starts, Hicks had a much better outing against the Texas Rangers on Sunday, when he gave up two runs over five innings.

Hicks got off to a solid start Saturday, as he opened the game with three scoreless innings. So did Rockies’ starter Bradley Blalock, who retired the first seven men he faced.

The Giants struck first when Luis Matos hit a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the third. Other than that, Blalock kept dealing, and the Giants struggled to mount any sort of rally against him.

As for Hicks, he cruised through five shutout innings, but he ran into trouble in the top of the sixth. Brenton Doyle walked to start the inning, and after back-to-back base-hits by Jordan Beck and Ryan McMahon tied the game, Hicks was done.

Randy Rodriguez came in, as he has many times for Giants’ starters so far this season. Hunter Goodman greeted Rodriguez with a base-hit to left to give the Rockies the lead. Rodriguez retired the next two, but Kyle Farmer chopped a base-hit off Rodriguez’s ankle that scored McMahon to make it 3-1.

It was an unfortunate end to what was a solid outing for Hicks, who got charged for three runs over five-plus innings, but struck out seven.

10 of the Giants’ 20 wins had come with them trailing by two or more runs, and here they were again trailing by two.

Blalock walked Matos to start the bottom of the sixth, and then he walked Mike Yastrzemski with one out. Rockies Manager Bud Black brought in Jake Bird, who walked Willy Adames to load the bases. Jung Hoo Lee then lined a base-hit up the middle into center field to make it 3-2.

Up came Matt Chapman. Chapman fouled off the first pitch, and then he hit a grand slam to right-center to give the Giants a 6-3 lead.

The Giants’ bullpen then handled the rest. Camilo Doval threw a one, two, three inning in the top of the seventh, and Erik Miller threw a scoreless top of the eighth. Ryan Walker, who last picked up a save exactly two weeks ago on April 19 in Anaheim, came in for the ninth, and he threw a one, two, three inning to get his sixth save of the year.

Randy Rodriguez, who came in for Hicks in the top of the sixth, picked up the win. Jake Bird was saddled with the loss, and Ryan Walker got the save.

The Giants picked up their 11th win when trailing by two or more runs, as they improve to 21-13.

The series finale will be Sunday, and the Giants will look to win the series with their ace, Logan Webb (3-2, 2.83 ERA), on the mound. Countering Webb for the Rockies will be the veteran, German Marquez (0-5, 9.82 ERA).

The matchup is obvious on paper, but it’s baseball, and the game still has to be played before we know for sure what happens and who will win. First pitch will be at 1:05 p.m at Oracle.

Ray shines with eight strikeouts over seven shutout innings, as Giants snap skid with 4-0 win over Rockies

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Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

Colorado Rockies 0 (6-26)

San Francisco Giants 4 (20-13)

Win: Robbie Ray (4-0)

Loss: Antonio Senzatela (1-5)

Time: 2:02

Attendance: 35,036

San Francisco Giants starter Robbie Ray pitches to the Colorado Rockies line up in the top of the first inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Fri May 2, 2025

By Stephen Ruderman

Robbie Ray struck out eight and gave up just two hits over seven strong shutout innings, which is exactly what the Giants needed to snap their first three-game losing streak of the year with a 4-0 win over the Rockies Friday night.

Every team goes through their struggles, and that is what the Giants have somewhat gone through this week. They were swept by the Padres in a short two-game set down in San Diego, and it was only the third time this season that they had lost consecutive games. The Giants then lost the series opener to the Colorado Rockies, the worst team in Baseball, Thursday night.

The Giants had lost three in a row for the first time all year, and Friday night they looked to snap their skid. They had the perfect man on the mound in Robbie Ray, who came into Friday night’s game 3-0. The Giants also came in 6-0 in Ray’s starts this season.

Ray walked Brenton Doyle to start the game, which I’m sure got some Giants’ fans nervous. Not to worry, Doyle was thrown out trying to steal second base, and Ray set down the next two men he faced.

Rockies’ starter Antonio Senzatela threw a scoreless bottom of the first inning. Ray followed that up with a one, two, three inning in the top of the second.

With this somewhat slump the Giants have been in, they needed a big inning, and they got that in the bottom of the second.

Wilmer Flores led off the frame with a double to center field, and then he got to third on an infield hit by Heliot Ramos. LaMonte Wade came up to the plate. Wade, now one of the longest-tenured Giants, came into Friday night’s game hitting .123. The Giants needed a big inning, and Wade really needed a big hit.

Wade got that hit, as he pulled a pee-rod off the glove of Rockies’ first-baseman Michael Toglia that ricocheted into foul territory in right field. Wilmer Scored; Ramos went down to third; and the Giants had a 1-0 lead.

Sam Huff tacked on another run with a sacrifice fly to right that knocked in Ramos to make it 2-0. Christian Koss came to the plate, and Senzatela threw a wild pitch, which allowed Wade to come in from third to make it 3-0.

The Giants had their big inning. They put a big fat three spot on the board, and Ray was in complete control.

Matt Chapman added a run with a home run to left-center with one out in the bottom of the third to make it 4-0

Ray ended up retiring ten straight after Doyle was caught stealing in the top of the first, and the only real jam he found himself in was when the Rockies had a pair of runners on in the top of the sixth. Ray got out of that, and capped off his night with a one, two, three top of the seventh.

Ray really shined tonight, as he gave up just two hits over his seven shutout innings. He struck out eight, and walked two.

Bob Melvin brought in Hayden Birdsong, who has very-quietly gotten off to a superb start this season. Birdsong threw a scoreless top of the eighth, and a one, two, three, top of the ninth to end it.

Robbie Ray got his fourth win of the season, and Antonio Senzatela took the loss.

Oh yeah, the Giants got their 20th win, and improve to 20-13.

The Giants can make it two in a row Saturday afternoon. Jordan Hicks (1-3, 6.12 ERA), who has been off to a bumpy start in his return to the rotation, will take the ball. He will be opposed by Bradley Blalock (0-1, 10.29 ERA), who will make the start for Colorado.

As I said, it will be afternoon baseball at Oracle Park, as first pitch will be at 1:05 p.m.

Rockies score two late off Rogers to top Giants 4-3 in series opener

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The Colorado Rockies Jordan Beck (left) dives in to score on the San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey on a Hunter Goodman single in the top of the eighth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Thu May 1, 2025 (AP News photo)

Thursday, May 1, 2025

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

Colorado Rockies 4 (6-25)

San Francisco Giants 3 (19-13)

Win: Angel Chivilli (1-2)

Loss: Tyler Rogers (2-1)

Save: Zach Agnos (2)

Time: 2:19

Attendance: 27,198

By Stephen Ruderman

In the great game of baseball, even the worst teams will occasionally beat the best teams, and that is what happened at Oracle Park Thursday night, as the Rockies scored two runs off Tyler Rogers in the top of the eighth inning to top the Giants 4-3 in the series opener.

The Giants returned home to San Francisco after getting swept in their short two-game set in San Diego. It was only the third time all year that the Giants had even lost consecutive games. In fact, through 31 games, the Giants came into Wednesday night’s game having yet to lose three-straight games all season. That’s pretty impressive.

What’s even more impressive is that the Giants have gotten off to this great start playing almost nothing but good teams. The only subpar team the Giants had yet to play prior to Wednesday night’s game was the Los Angeles Angels. Oddly enough, the Giants lost two of three in Anaheim.

Wednesday night, the Giants would welcome the 5-25 Colorado Rockies into Oracle Park for a four-game series. The Rockies won their fifth game of the season yesterday, as they beat the Braves on a getaway afternoon in Denver by a final 2-1. Not only did the Rockies come in with just five wins, they had yet to win consecutive games all year.

It took Justin Verlander nine starts to earn his first world series win. Tonight, Verlander would look for his first win in a Giants’ uniform in his seventh start of the still-young season. He has had some rough starts as well, but he has been burned by a lack of run support from a usually-reliable Giants’ offense.

Verlander was coming off a pair of strong starts, and a cold and foggy night against the Rockies was the perfect setting for his first win. Verlander got off to a solid start, as he pitched through an error in the top of the first inning.

Heliot Ramos wasted no time against the Rockies’ veteran left-hander, Kyle Freeland, as he led off the bottom of the first with a home run to left-center field. It was Ramos’ fifth home run of the season, and his second in as many days.

The Giants looked to do more in the bottom of the first, as a pair of singles set things up nicely with one outs for Mike Yastrzemski, who got a head start on his fifth-straight Mustache May. However, Yaz grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Rockies tied the game in the top of the third, and the Giants once again struggled to provide run support for Verlander. The game became a pitcher’s duel as it made its way through the middle innings.

Verlander finally threw his first one, two, three inning of the night in the top of the sixth, and the Giants’ offense finally made some real noise in the bottom of the sixth. Willy Adames led off the inning with a base-hit to left, and then he ran like the wind and scored when Wilmer Flores lined a double down the right field line.

The Giants had the lead back, and they looked to add more. Matt Chapman got Flores over to third on a flyout to right, and up came Yastrzemski. Yastrzemski doubled off the wall in left, and Flores scored to make it 3-1.

The Rockies made a statement when Ryan McMahon led off the top of the seventh with a home run to straightaway center to make it 3-2. Mickey Moniak then flew out to left for the first out, and that did it for Verlander, who had pitched into the seventh inning for the first time this season.

Verlander gave up two runs and five hits over six and a third innings of work. He walked one and struck out four. Most importantly, he was in line for his first win of the season.

However, after Angel Chivilli threw a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh for Colorado, Verlander would lose his win in the top of the eighth. Bob Melvin summoned his setup man, Tyler Rogers. Left-fielder Heliot Ramos made a tremendous sliding catch on a Texas Leaguer off the bat of Alan Trejo to start the inning, but the inning quickly went south for Rogers afterwards.

With one out, Brenton Doyle lined a base-hit to right and stole second base. Jordan Beck then lined a ground-rule double down the left field line to tie it. Michael Toglia grounded out to third for the second out, and Rogers had a chance to get out of it with the game still tied.

Hunter Goodman came up with two outs, and lined a base-hit the other way to right. Right-fielder Mike Yastrzemski was in perfect position to throw Beck out of the plate, but as he set up to throw, he lost his footing, and his throw sailed past catcher Patrick Bailey. Beck scored, and the Rockies took a 4-3 lead.

The Giants looked to respond, as Wilmer Flores led off the bottom of the eighth with a base-hit off Chivilli. However, after former Giant Scott Alexander came in with one out, Brett Wisely, who came in to pinch-run for Wilmer, was thrown out trying to steal second.

Randy Rodriguez threw a scoreless top of the ninth, but the Giants were unable to do anything against Zach Agnos in the bottom of the ninth. Agnos closed it out with a one, two, three inning, and the Rockies win it 4-3.

Angel Chivilli got the win; Tyler Rogers took his first loss of the season; and Zach Agnos picked up his second save.

The Giants have lost three in a row for the first time this season, as they fall to 19-13. The Rockies, meanwhile, have won consecutive games for the first time this season, and they improve to 6-25.

The Giants will look to snap their three-game slide tomorrow, and they will have no better man on the mound to do so than Robbie Ray (3-0, 3.73 ERA.) The Giants are 6-0 in Ray’s six starts this season. The Rockies will counter with Antonio Senzatela (1-4, 5.22 ERA).

First pitch will be at the old 7:15 p.m., which is still the start time for Friday night games at Oracle Park.

Giants News and Notes:

Tyler Fitzgerald was placed on the 10-day injured list prior to the game with a fracture in one of his left ribs. Brett Wisely was called up to take Fitzgerald’s place on the 25-man roster.

Final Thoughts:

Baseball is a beautiful game, but it’s also cruel at times. Even the worst teams occasionally beat the best teams.

In 2018, the 108-win world champion Boston Red Sox went 16-3 against the 115-loss Baltimore Orioles. That means the 115-loss Orioles beat the 108-win Red Sox three times.

San Francisco Giants podcast Morris Phillips: Giants open 4 game set with Rockies after getting swept in San Diego

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San Francisco Giants baserunner Willy Adames (2) jokes around with San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (center) during a review on a previous play in the top of the sixth inning at Petco Park in San Diego on Wed Apr 30, 2025 (AP News photo)

San Francisco Giants podcast Morris Phillips:

#1 The San Diego Padres got a home run and two runs from Elias Diaz and Fernando Tatis Jr got three hits as the Padres won in a two run game 5-3 to sweep the Giants at Petco Park in San Diego on Wednesday afternoon.

#2 The Padres win moves them up a notch in second place in the NL West into second place passing the Giants and just behind the Los Angles Dodgers who are in first.

#3 Diaz’ homer was a line shot in left field against Giants starter Landen Roupp that started off the third inning that gave the Padres a 2-0 lead. A Giants fan reached over the fence as the ball went off his wrist. The Giants called for fan interference but after the review it ruled a home run.

#4 The Padres got more help from Tatis who got three hits all singles and also scored on a Manny Machado base hit to right field for an RBI. Jose Iglesias was safe on an infield hit for an RBI that scored Luis Arraez. Arraez got a triple to knock in Diaz in the sixth inning. The Padres executed on offense to get the win.

#5 The Colorado Rockies and Giants will open a four game series and a brand new month of May 1 today in San Francisco. Starting pitcher for the Rockies RHP Kyle Freeman (0-4 ERA 5.93) for the Giants Justin Verlander (0-2 ERA 4.99) for a 6:45pm first pitch.

Morris Phillips is a San Francisco Giants analyst for http://www.sportsradioservice.com