San Francisco Giants hitter Nick Amhed hits a two run single in front of New York Mets catcher Omar Narvaez in the bottom of the second inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Mon Apr 22, 2024 (AP News photo)
Monday, April 22, 2024
New York (12-9). 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1x 2 4 0
San Francisco (11-13) 0 2 2 0 01 0 0 x 5. 8. 1
Time: 2:25
Attendance: 24,138
By Lewis Rubman
SAN FRANCISCO–Tonight’s Giant 5-2 win over the visiting New York Mets was a contest between two teams struggling to re-establish their fairly recent dominance. The Amazin’s went 101-62 as recently as 2022, one year after the orange and black stunned the baseball world with a 107-55 mark.
Neither team has come close to reaching those marks since then. This year’s Mets, shorn of highly paid starters Max Scherzer, sent to Texas last year in a trading deadline deal, and Justin Verlander, dealt to Houston, also at the 2023 deadline, have improved on the dismal 75-87 dismal mark they posted when last year’s tumult and shouting had died down .
It was the first of a three game series between the Metropolitans and the Giants , whose fall from grace since ’22 is painfully well known to the readers of these dispatches. You might call it a Cain and Abel series between the two successors to the New York Giants. Ken Rosenthal has written an interesting column in today’s Athletic, in which he discusses both squads’ chances of being contenders this year.
The team from Queens sent the well travelled left handed veteran José Quitana to the mound. He brought with him a respectable 1-1, 3.05 mark for the year and a five pitch arsenal consisting of, in descending order of deployment, a sinker, four seam fastball, curve, change up, and slurve.
Opposing New York’s 35 year old southpaw was 26 year old right hander Keaton Winn, who was impressive in his hard luck loss to the Padres on April 6 and got the win in his next, and most recent start, on April 17 going six frames and yielding only four hits and a walk, for one run, earned, on a home run, against the Marlins in Miami. He throws, again in descending order of frequency, a split finger fastball, a four seamer, and a slider.
The Giants took an early lead in the bottom of the second. Jorge Soler led off with an infield single to the left side. An out later, Michael Conforto singled to left, moving Soler up to second. Thairo Estrada drew a walk to load the bases.
Tom Murphy took a called third striking,, drawing a chorus of boos. Nick Ahmed followed up with a long fly to left that the scoreboard announced as a double, but third base umpire Roberto Ortiz declared a loud strike. So Ahmed sent a hard shot that just got past Francisco Lindor and into center field for a two run single.
The home team doubled its lead in the next frame on a leadoff walk to Wilmer Flores followed by a single that Jung Hoo Lee lifted into right. After Soler went down swinging, Matt Chapman hit a two bagger that fell close to the left field corner to make the score 4-0, San Francisco.
Pete Alonso put the Mets on the board with a 382 foot blast into the left field bleachers to lead off the top of the fourth. It was his seventh dinger and 12th RBI of ’24 and came on an 0-1 split finger fastball,
Another lead off home run, Conforto’s splash hit on the first pitch of the home sixth, got that run back and sent Quinntana to the showers. It was the Giants’ left fielder’s fifth round tripper and 16th RBI of the year and came off a curve. San Francisco now led, 5-1.
Replaced by Jorge López, Quintana had lasted 5+ innings and allowed five runs, all earned, on seven hits and three walks, striking out four, and throwing 91 pitches, 53 for strikes. His ERA rose to 4.21,and he was charged with the loss, dropping his balance sheet to 1-2.
Winn didn’t last much longer. He issued a base on balls to Starling Marte to open the visit0rs’ seventh. Marte swiped second, which proved to be unnecessary because Winn walked Lindor on four pitches. That’s when Ryan Walker came to his rescue, replacing the SF starter after he’d worked 6+ innings and yielded four hits, including Marte’s homer, which accounted for the only run he allowed, The walk to Lindor was the only free pass he issued, Winn’s pitch count was 87, 60 of which were in the strike column. His record now stands at 2-3, 3.54.
Tyler, the submarining right handed Rogers relieved Walker and set the Mets down in order
Sean Reid-Foley took over mound duties for New York after the seventh inning stretch and held the Giants scoreless for an episode before giving way to southpaw Josh Walker, who turned in a 1,2,3 bottom of the eighth.
Camilo Doval was entrusted with the job of securing the win, his fourth save opportunity of the season. He had to face the top of the Mets’ batting order to do it. He reached a full count on Brandon Nimmo before walking him.
Marte broke his bat on a ground out to second that advanced Nimmo into scoring position. Lindor hit a bouncer that Doval fielded and then threw poorly to first for an error that put runners on the corners with Alonso at the plate.
Dovall then unleashed a wild pitch that let Nimmo cross the plate with the run that made it a 5-2 game. Alonso then grounded out, Chapman to Flores as Lindor moved on to third.. Doval walked on Brett Baty, and that made DJ Stewart, the Mets’. next batter, the potential tying run, Doval got him on a ground ball to second to get the ugly save and preserve the gratifying win.
The battle between the New York Giants’ two successors will continue Tuesday, at 6:45. The probable starters will be Luis Severino (2-1, 2.14) for the Mets and Logan Webb (2-1, 1.93). It promises to be a pitchers’ duel, so be prepared for a slug fest.
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