Tag: San Francisco Giants

San Francisco Comes From Behind To Beat Rockies in Game Two 5-4

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San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey, left, and right fielder Michael Conforto celebrate the team’s win in a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, in Denver. (AP News photo)

San Francisco Comes From Behind To Beat Rockies in Game Two 5-4

By Barbara Mason

Wednesday the San Francisco Giants (30-30) took game three of the game series with the Colorado Rockies (26-36) 5-4 at Coors Field in Denver taking the first two games of the series.

They handled the Rockies in game one winning 10-4 on Tuesday night getting back to .500. Rookie Patrick Bailey had a great game with three hits and LaMonte Wade Jr. went 3 for 3.

The Giants saw the return of Joc Pederson and Thairo Estrade from IR. Estrada had two doubles and Pederson singled and scored in the five-run fifth inning. Their return was exactly what the team needed in their lineup.

Wednesday night the Giants were looking to take game two in the series. With the return of Estrada and Pederson, they had some added fire power going forward looking for a second win in the series.

The Rockies got on the board in the second inning taking a 3-0 lead. Ezequiel Tovar singled Mike Moustakas home. Colorado would add to that lead in the second when power hitter Charlie Blackmon doubled driving Harold Castro and Tovar home for the 3-0 lead.

In the sixth inning Nolan Jones solo homered to right center to take a 4-0 Colorado lead. San Francisco had been quiet through the first six innings of the game.

The silence came to an end for the Giants in the seventh inning when they scored three runs and they were back in this game. Austin Slater singled and Michael Conforto scored from second base. Casey Schmitt singled and both Mitch Haniger and Blake Slater scored. The Giants now trailed by a single run 4-3.

The Rockies had two on base in the bottom of the seventh inning with two outs, threatening to extend their lead. Relief pitcher Taylor Rogers took care of business and Colorado left the inning with two runners stranded on base.

San Francisco needed some offense in this game and they had two innings left to make a move. Pederson walked and Mitch Haniger was hit in the eighth inning. The Giants now had two runners on base with one out.

Slater singled and Pederson scored tying up the game 4-4 and with only the one out, San Francisco had a great opportunity to take the lead for the first time in this game. The Giants took full advantage of this opportunity. Bailey executed a perfect bunt and he had put the Giants ahead 5-4 when Haniger was able to score from third.

After trailing 4-0 the Giants had come to life taking the 5-4 lead. An extra run in the ninth inning would be huge for San Francisco. The Giants began crushing grounders and with two runners on base and no outs they had a great chance to add to their lead.

The Rockies made some great defensive plays and got out of the inning. They would be looking for the walk-off in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Giants needed to protect their lead for their second win in the series.

Closer Camilo Doval finished off the Rockies with a three up three out inning and the Giants came away with the come from behind win 5-4.

The Giants will finish up this series Thursday afternoon with first pitch at 12:10 PM. Alex Cobb will take the mound for San Francisco with a 5-2 W/L record and a 2.71 ERA. Chase Anderson 0-0 will be on the hill for the Rockies with a 1.69 ERA.

Giants Defeat Rockies 10-4; Series is tied at 1-1

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San Francisco Giants’ Thairo Estrada follows the flight of his RBI-single off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Dinelson Lamet in the second inning at Coors Field in Denver on Tue Jun 6, 2023 (AP News photo)

By: Mary Anne

The San Francisco Giants continued their road trip with a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night. The Giants wanted to avoid a two-game losing streak, and that they did — as they defeated the Rockies 10-4 at Coors Field in Denver. San Francisco improved to 30-30, while Colorado dropped to 26-36.

The Giants’ starting lineup consisted of LaMonte Wade Jr., Thairo Estrada, Joc Pederson, J.D. Davis, Michael Conforto, Mitch Haniger, Mike Yastrzemski, Patrick Bailey, Brandon Crawford, and John Brebbia. Brebbia pitched just one inning and gave up two hits and one walk before exiting the ballgame.

After a scoreless first inning, San Francisco grabbed an early lead in the top of the second inning. Brandon Crawford doubled on a line drive to Randal Grichuk, and Patrick Bailey scored for a 1-0 lead. Thairo Estrada then singled on a line drive to Brenton Doyle, and Crawford scored for a 2-0 lead. LaMonte Wade Jr. went to third base.

The Giants took a 3-0 lead in the top of the third inning. Patrick Bailey tripled on a sharp fly ball to Brenton Doyle, and Mitch Haniger scored for a 3-0 lead.

The Rockies avoided a shutout in the bottom of the fourth inning. Nolan Jones reached on a fielder’s choice, which was fielded by J.D. Davis, and Randal Grichuk scored to cut the Giants’ lead to 3-1.

The Giants added to their lead in the top of the fifth inning. LaMonte Wade Jr. singled on a ground ball to Brenton Doyle as Mike Yastrzemski and Patrick Bailey scored to extend the Giants’ lead to 5-1. J.D. Davis doubled to Doyle as Wade Jr. and Joc Pederson scored to expand the Giants’ lead to 7-1. Michael Conforto singled on a line drive to Doyle as Davis scored to increase the Giants’ lead to 8-1.

The Rockies scored a double in the bottom of the fifth inning. Jurickson Profar doubled on a sharp line drive to Mitch Haniger, and Charlie Blackmon scored to cut the Giants’ lead to 8-2.

The Giants padded their lead in the top of the seventh inning. J.D. Davis was out on a sacrifice fly to Jurickson Profar, and LaMonte Wade Jr. scored for a 9-2 lead with two outs.

The Rockies responded in the bottom of the seventh inning. Jurickson Profar tripled on a fly ball to Austin Slater, and Charlie Blackmon scored to cut the Giants’ lead to 9-3. Ryan McMahon then doubled on a sharp fly ball to Slater, and Profar scored to reduce the Giants’ lead to 9-4.

The Giants reached double-digits in the top of the ninth inning. Mitch Haniger walked, and LaMonte Wade Jr. scored for a 10-4 lead. Thairo Estrada went to third base, while Wilmer Flores went to second base.

The ballgame ended with an epic ending. Ryan McMahon grounded into a double play as Brandon Crawford went to Thairo Estrada, who went to LaMonte Wade Jr. Jurickson Profar was out at second base, while McMahon was out at first base with three outs.

The Giants and Rockies will face each other again on Wednesday, June 7 at 5:40 pm Pacific.

Former Giants manager Roger Craig passes away at 93; Giants Gear Up For 3-Game Series with Colorado

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American League manager Tony La Russa, center left, from the Oakland A’s, and National League manager Roger Craig, of the San Francisco Giants, watch batting practice at Wrigley Field in Chicago, July 10, 1990, both managed against each other in the previous season at the 1989 World Series. (AP file photo)

Former Giants manager Roger Craig passes away at 93; Giants Gear Up For 3-Game Series with Colorado

By Barbara Mason

Former San Francisco Giants manager Roger Craig who was hired to replace former Giant manger Jimmy Davenport with 18 games left in the 1985 season. Craig passed away at the age of 93 as announced by Giants Chief Executive Officer Larry Baer.

Craig managed the Giants to the National League West Division title in 1987 with some exciting former Giants first baseman Will Clark, third baseman and left fielder Kevin Mitchell and outfielder Jeffery Leonard to name a few.

Craig in 1989 led the Giants to a National League title and to the World Series against the cross bay rivals Oakland A’s. The A’s swept the Giants in four games but it was a turn around for the franchise who suffered so much of the 1980s until Craig came on the scene and helped mold them as a post season contender.

Craig will be remembered for the moniker “Humm Baby” which he got from former Giant catcher Brad Gulden who said “humm baby” to the pitchers before they delivered a pitch. The Giants adapted the moniker as their signature for the 1986 campaign “Humm Baby.” Craig managed the Giants from 1985-1992.

Roger also developed a pitching staff that used the split finger fastball that helped show what good pitching did to good hitting in order for those teams to advance to the post season the way they did. Craig also had a good relationship not just with his players but he was patient and answered and worked very well with the reporters who covered the Giants over the years. There is no doubt Roger Craig will be sorely missed.

Giants-Rockies series preview: Monday the San Francisco Giants (29-30) had a second day off in the past four days. They had a day off last Thursday preparing for their past weekend series with the Baltimore Orioles. San Francisco had a shutout in game two (4-0) of that series but dropped games one and three and find themselves below .500 once again. They are 5.5 games behind the co-leaders of their division: the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West.

On Tuesday, the Giants travel to Colorado to take on the Rockies in a three game series. The Rockies have a 26-35 record and are at the bottom of the NLWest.

The Rockies have decided to send Dinelson Lamet to the mound with a 1-2 record and a 13.17 ERA. The Giants starter was undecided early this afternoon but it looks like they may send Sean Manea to the hill. The Giants have some great relief pitching earning a save rate of 76%.

San Francisco has a lot of fire power in contrast to the Rockies with Michael Conforto, Thairo Estrada and JD Davis. Conforto has 11 home runs this season, Estrada has a .301 batting average and JD has 31 RBI’s. They have a solid lineup, all of them able to put runs up on the board.

The Rockies home run leader is Ryan McMahon with 9 homers this season and Elias Diaz has a great batting average at .309. McMahon is also their RBI leader with 34 RBI’s.

First pitch in Tuesday’s game is 5:40 PM at Coors Field in Denver as San Francisco will be looking to not only get back on the winning track but also get their season record back over .500. Fans will be treated to a great match-up between these two teams.

MLB standings aside, both of these teams seem to raise their level of play when they meet so picking a projected winner does not always pan out. It will come down to who has more fire power in this series.

A rough third spells doom for Giants who fall to the Orioles 8-3

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Photo courtesy of San Francisco Giants. DeSclafani readies to throw a pitch.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN FRANCISCO- The final game of their home series against the Orioles did not go well as the Giants lost by a final of 8-3.

The first pitch was thrown out at 1:07 p.m. with 9 mph winds going out to CF and the sun shining bright.

On the mound to start for the Giants was Anthony DeSclafani who came into the game sporting a 4-4 record with a 3.38 era. While for the Orioles Tyler Wells got the start with 3-2 record and a 3.23 era who also has a stellar 0.83 whip which leads the MLB.

The offense got going in the top of the third inning when Adam Frazier knocked in a run on a sacrifice fly to center field that got James McCann home. Following that up Austin Hayes singled on a line drive to right field and with Jorge Mateo on third it extended the lead to 2-0.

The top of the third continued to be a struggle for DeSclafani who walked Aaron Hicks and then walked Ryan Mountcastle and with the bases loaded that brought in the third run of the inning for Baltimore.

Offensively the Orioles were not done in the third as with the bases still loaded Josh Lester singled on a sharp line drive to center field. The hit knocked in three runs as Austin Slater made a poor throw to Brett Wisely which gave enough time for the third run to come home.

DeSclafani also hit James McCann with a pitch but was able to strike out Jorge Mateo finally bringing the top of the inning to a close.

At the top of the fourth inning not surprisingly the Giants made a pitching change bringing in Jakob Junis who came in with a 3-2 record and a 3.82 era.

In the sixth inning with Junis still on the mound McCann who was up to bat absolutely crushed a pitch to left field making it a 7-0 ball game.

With the Giants now up in the sixth Wilmer Flores walked which set up Blake Sabol who homered to right center field getting his seventh home run of the season and making it 7-2.

After the home run the Orioles made a pitching change taking out Wells and putting in Mike Baumann who had a 4-0 record along with a 4.11 era heading into the game.

Wells would finish with a stat line of 5.1 innings pitched, allowing four hits, two earned runs, and nine K’s.

In the seventh the Giants went to the bullpen once again this time calling on Ryan Walker who came in with a 1-0 record and a 1.23 era. Junis left the game with three innings pitched, three hits allowed, one run allowed, and 3 K’s.

The eight inning saw another pitching change for the Giants as Taylor Rodgers came into the game with a 1-2 record and a 3.93 era.

Baltimore followed suit in the bottom of the eight inning bringing in Yennier Cano who came into the game with a 1-0 record and a 0.90 era.

The Giants did get some excitement going in the inning with back to back hits from Lamonte Wade Jr. and J.D. Davis. Wilmer Flores was then able to reach on a fielders choice out scoring Wade from third making it 7-3.

Sabol then grounded out into a double play that was played beautifully by the Orioles defense bringing the inning to a quick close.

In the ninth to close the game out the Giants brought in Luke Jackson who was coming in for only his second appearance of the season so far.

Anthony Standar reached on a fielding error by Wisely and Hicks knocked him home with a triple bringing the score up to 8-3.

The bottom of the ninth saw the Giants go down in order with Austin Voth now dealing for the Orioles.

Taking the win home was Wells while DeSclafani took the loss.

The Giants next game will be on the road against the Rockies on Tuesday at 5:40 p.m.

Cobb, Giants get five hit shutout beat O’s 4-0 at Oracle

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Alex Cobb works against the Baltimore Orioles during the sixth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Fri Jun 3, 2023 (AP News photo)

Baltimore (36-22). 000 000 000 – 0. 5. 1

San Francisco (29-29). 003 001 00x. – 4. 10 0

Time: 2:35

Attendance: 32,416

Saturday, June 3, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–Just when you thought things were beginning to gel for the Giants, they dropped two in a row to the marauding Pittsburgh Pirates and then laid an egg in the first of their current three game series against the high flying Baltimore Orioles, losing a 3-2 heart breaker and dropping their record to 28-29.

The Orioles, who began the Saturday at 36-21, occupy second place in the American League East, whose members are, like all the children in Lake Woebegone, above average.

Not a single team has a losing record. The Giants, after finally climbing above the .500 mark on May 29, began Saturday looking up at it. With their 4-0 triumph over the Orioles tonight, they once more are on an even plane.

Although Logan Webb, whose bobblehead was tonight’s stadium giveaway, is the putative ace of the Giants’ rotation, Alex Cobb, their starting pitcher for tonight, took the mound with the best won-lost record of the group (4-2) and the second best ERA (3.05).

Only Webbs’ 2.85 was better than that. The club’s Cobb Webb combo is complimented in the bullpen by Camilo Doval, who was named National League Reliever of the Month for May in spite of a mediocre performance against Pittsburgh on the 31st.

Tonight, Cobb improved that already solid record, gaining his fifth win of the season in the process of thorughly dominating the Orioles’ lineup.

His opponent was sophomore right hander Kyle Bradish, sporting a 2-1, 3.89 mark for the seasons. This was his first appearance against the Giants, or against any other NL West team, for that matter. He went 4-7, 4.90 in his rookie year.

His performance tonight was lackluster, lasting only four innings, in which he threw 79 pitches 53 of which counted as strikes. He yielded three runs, all of them earned, on seven hits, a walk, and a wild pitch. His ERA climbed to 4.13, and he was charged with the loss.

The home team took the lead in the third frame. LaMonte Wade, Jr. smacked a one out double against the right field wall and scored on JD Davis’s single to right. Mike Yastrzemski, aided by a clock violation first ball, doubled to right center.

Wilmer Flores singled up the middle to center, driving in Davis and Yastrzemski. Blake Sabol singled to right, putting runners on first and second. It looked for a moment as though Giants would blow the game open, but Aaron Hicks made a leaping catch in front of the Orioles’ bullpen of Haniger’s drive to deep center field.

The inning ended with San Francisco still in front, 3-0, in spite of a wild pitch that advanced the two stranded runners to second and third. On inning later, Wade’s second consecutive double, a two out blast that bounced into the bleachers behind the Visa advertisement in right center, went to waste when Davis fanned.

Keegan Akin relieved Bradish to open the Giants’ fifth. He struck Yazrzemski out looking but yielded a Texas League single to Flores and made an off line throw to second on Sabol’s bouncer to the mound.

The base on balls he issued to Haniger loaded the sacks with Giants, which cost Akin a trip to the showers and brought Bryan Baker out of the pen and into the game to face Casey Schmitt and his .315 batting average. Baker fanned him, keeping the Orioles in striking distance of their hosts.

Walks to Crawford and Wade followed by a fly out to deep right center by Davis that moved Crawford to third brought Cionel Pérez in to pitch for Baltimore and Austin Slater to pinch hit for Yastrzemski in the home sixth.

He came through with a run producing single to center, charged to Baker. He stayed in the game and made a nice diving catch of Austin Hays’s sinking. liner to center in the top of the seventh.

It was Bruce Zimmerman on the hill for Baltimore after the seventh inning stretch. He held the Giants to a single by Bailey.

Ryan O’Hearn doubled to left on Cobb’s 102nd pitch, sending Hicks, who’d gotten to first on an infield single, to third. The Giants challenged the call at second, which was upheld. Cobb retired Jorge Mateo, 1-3, the runners holding, and then left the game.

He’d gone 7-2/3 innings and thrown 103 pitches, only 33 of which were balls. He shut the O’s out on five hits and no walks while striking out seven, bringing his ERA down to 2.71. Scott Alexander got the final out of the inning and gave way to Duval for the top of the ninth.

Camilo Doval – who else? – was called on to face Balitmore’s second, third, and fourth batters in the top of the ninth. Adley Rutschman went down swinging. Anthony Santander grounded out to first. Hays grounded out to second, Doval earned his 15th save in 16 opportunities, and the Giants returned to .500.

The teams will play the rubber game of the series Sunday, afternoon at 1:05. Baltimore will send starboard side starter Tyler Wells (3-2, 3.29) to the mound against San Francisco’s righty Anthony DiScalfani (4-4, 3.48).

Orioles get 3-2 edge on Giants despite Wade Jr’s splash hit

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San Francisco Giants’ LaMonte Wade Jr., right, is congratulated by teammate J.D. Davis, left, after hitting a home run against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Fri Jun 2, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Troy Ewers

SAN FRANCISCO–In front of a crowd of 27,873 in Oracle Park on a beautiful 59 degree night, it was the Baltimore Orioles against the San Francisco Giants in their first meeting since 2019 and it was a duel between Logan Webb and Dean Kremer.

The Orioles came into this game with the third best record in the league (35-21) and it showed with good pitching to keep the Giants off balance and the O’s hitting to just get by 3-2 on Friday night to open a three game series.

The game started with Webb going three up three down in the 1st and the energy seemed like it was all Giants when LaMonte Wade Jr. hit a solo leadoff home run and not just any home run, the 100th “Splash Hit” here at Oracle Park.

The second inning was the Orioles time to shine when Austin Hays scored from a Ryan O’Hearn single, then Aaron Hicks scored off a short roller single by Jorge Mateo and the second inning ended with The O’s up 2-1.

In the third inning Mike Yastrzemski hit a double that scored J.D. Davis and evened out the score, 2-2. Between the fourth inning and the seventh inning, each pitcher had quick innings and no one had the upper hand it felt like.

The game changer was from Gunnar Henderson hitting a leadoff home run in the top of the seventh and now the Giants were gonna have to fight back. In the eighth inning no energy from the Giants’ bats , but in the ninth inning SF had to try to score on one of the top closers in the business, going for his 15th save of the season, Felix Bautista.

Bautista struck out the first two batters, then Casey Schmitt shot some adrenaline in the building with a double, but Bautista would still get his save when he struck out Michael Conforto to end the game and the Orioles came away with a one run win. This is the 15th save for Bautista, making him the second best closer in the MLB.

Next game is Saturday night at 7:05pm PT and it will be Kyle Brandish (2-1, 3.89) on the hill for the Orioles and Alex Cobb (4-2, 3.05) for the Giants at Oracle Park.

Giants look ahead to series with Orioles Friday night

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San Francisco Giants’ Wilmer Flores hits a single to drive in a run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the third inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed May 31, 2023 (AP News photo)

Giants Look Ahead To Series With Orioles

By Barbara Mason

Thursday, the San Francisco Giants (28-28) got a day off after a grueling 29-game schedule. It has been a long month for the Giants but they were able to get back to .500 winning series over the Astros, a two game series over Milwaukee, a series over Miami and Minnesota.

They swept the Phillies and most recently lost a series to the Pittsburgh Pirates. They beat some very good teams in the month of May and It will be a nice respite today although brief.

The team will be back in action Friday night taking on the Baltimore Orioles (35-21) in a a three-game series and they will be doing it at Oracle. After that series they will have another day off before heading to Colorado to take on the Rockies.

Friday’s game will kick off a challenging series for the team. The Orioles are second in the AL East which is an incredibly strong division with the likes of the Toronto Rays, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and the Boston Red Sox.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 PM with Logan Webb on the mound for the Giants. He has an ERA of 2.75 and a 4-5 win/loss record. He went 7.0 innings in his last outing against the Brewers allowing 4 hits and 1 run with 11 strikeouts in the 3-1 win.

Baltimore will send Dean Krenmer who takes the mound with a 5-2 win/loss record and a 4.58 ERA. He is 2-1 in away games. His last outing was on May 27 against Texas in a 5-3 loss. He allowed 5 hits, 3 runs and 5 strikeouts in that game.

The game will more than likely be played surrounded by the June gloom that accompanies the start of summer for the San Francisco Bay Area. The Giants will be looking to improve their .500 record as they take on Baltimore in this upcoming series.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Giants host second place Orioles in 3 game set Friday at Oracle

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San Francisco Giants’ Mike Yastrzemski scores a run on a wild pitch by Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller, right, during the fifth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed May 31, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca:

#1 The San Francisco Giants (28-27) couldn’t win the rubber game match against the Pittsburgh Pirates (28-27) on Wednesday afternoon at Oracle Park in San Francisco as the Pirates Bryan Reynolds belted three RBIs and the Bucs scored four times in the top of the third inning which help keep Pittsburgh ahead for much of the game in a 9-4 win.

#2 The Pirates with the victory are now a game above .500 and had hit and run production from ex-Giant outfielder Andrew McCutchen and first baseman Connor Joe who both went 3-4 with an RBI. Pirates manager Derek Shelton was please that the offense is starting to pick up.

#3 For the Pirates have not won consecutive games since they dropped below the .500 mark since the beginning of the season when they were 1-2. Since their 20-8 start the Pirates have gone 8-19.

#4 Michael, the Giants committed two errors in the game and errors can cost you runs talk about how the two errors impacted the Giants on Wednesday afternoon?

#5 The Giants have the day off on Thursday and open up a series against the Baltimore Orioles (35-21) on Friday night. The Orioles will start Dean Kremer (5-2 ERA 4.58) he’ll be opposed by the Giants Logan Webb (4-5 ERA 2.75) first pitch at Oracle Park at 7:15 pm PT.

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

Bucs 4 run third boosts win over Giants 9-4 at Oracle Park in Wednesday matinee

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Pittsburgh Pirates’ Rodolfo Castro, center, is tagged out trying to steal third base by San Francisco Giants third baseman J.D. Davis (7) during the fifth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed May 31, 2023 (AP News photo)

Pittsburgh (28-27). 004 202 001. – 9. 14. 1

San Francisco (28-28) 011 011 000. – 4. 12. 2

Time: 2:32

Attendance: 23,817

Wednesday, May 31, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–This afternoon’s rubber game of the three contest series between the Pittsburgh Pirates and your San Francisco Giants was not a pretty sight. Exciting, yes. Interesting, yes. But you could tell by the quality of play that this was a day game – and a 12:45 start at that! – after a night game. The Pirates won it. definitively, 9-4.

The Giants chose Alex Wood (1-0, 3.51 at game time). The sinker, slider, changeup lefty was not sharp today. He lasted only 4-1/3 innings, in which he managed to throw 94 pitches, 55 of them counting as strikes.

Wood gave up six runs, all of them earned, and left two inherited runners, who didn’t score, when he was relieved by Ryan Walker. Wood took the loss, leaving him 1-1, 4.80 for the season. He struck out four and walked three.

Wood’s opposite number for Pittsburgh, righty Mitch Keller came to work with a 6-1, 3.01 record but was coming off an awful outing in Seattle where he yielded six runs in as many innings while getting credit for the win last Friday.

He wasn’t impressive today, either, but he got the job done, lasting six frames and allowing four runs, all earned, on 10 hits, a walk, and two wild pitches. He struck out eight and made 101 deliveries to the plate, 74 of them going for strikes. He was the winning pitcher, and his record now stands at 7-1, 3.25.

The Giants opened the scoring in the bottom of the second after Blake Sabol’s shot grounder just barely made it through to center for a single, he moved on a base on a walk to Haniger, and came home on Patrick Bailey’s single to left. Schmitt grounded into double play to end the inning, the third twin killing at this early spot in the game.

The Bucs counter attacked in the top of the third. Ji Hwan Bae drew a walk. Austin Hedges sent him to second with a sacrifice bunt. Bae scored on Andrew McCutchen’s double to left, tying the game.

With two outs, Wood plunked Connor Joe. Rodolfo Castro singled to left, driving in McCutchen. and sending Joe to third while Castro went on to second on Blake Sabol’s bad throw home.

Both runners crossed the plate on Ke’Bryans triple … again to left. When Jack Suwinski went down swinging for the third out, it was 4-1 in favor of the Pirates. They tacked on two more in the fourth on Bryan Reynold’s double with Bae and McCutchen in scoring position.

Flores’s Texas League single to center in the bottom of the frame plated Wade, who had doubled with one down, to close the gap. to 4-2.

The men from the Monongahela added two more tallies in the fourth on a Bryce Reynolds single with Bae and McCutchen in scoring position, and the home team countered with the fifth when Yastrzemski hit a triple that hit the wall between the AAA and State Farm Insurance advertisements in right center and scored on a wild pitch.

Hard hitting by Pittsburgh and bad fielding by San Francisco (specifically a throwing error by Wisely at second on what should have been a double play) enabled the Pirates to put two more runs on the board in the top of the sixth, giving them an 8-3 lead.

Schmitt almost made it a close game in the sixth, but Reynolds a leaping catch of his drive over the top of the left field fence that change what looked like it would be a home run into a sacrifice fly.

Luke Jackson came in to. pitch the top of the seventh or the orange and black, who still trailed 8-4. He kept it there, and Rob Zastrzyzny and Dauri Moreta combined to keep the Giants off the board in their half of the frame.

Tyler Rogers brought his submarine delivery to the mound for the Pittsburgh eighth. He held the Pirates to a lone single.

Robert Stephenson put the Giants down in order in the eighth.

Camilo Doval allowed another Pirate tally in the top of the ninth. It came on a walk to Joe, who stole second, and scored on a Texas League single by Suwinski, mixed in with three strike outs.

Yohann Ramírez closed it for Pittsburgh, allowing a single to Brett Wisely, who was erased in a game ending double play.

The Giants have tomorrow off and will play their next game at home at 7:15 Friday evening against the Baltimore Orioles. The orange and black against the orange and black– Halloween in June. Dean Kremer (5-2-4.58) is scheduled to start for the O’s; Logan Webb (4-5,2.75) for the Giants.

Pirates Aim to Right Ship with 2-1 Win

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Pittsburgh Pirates’ Connor Joe (2) is congratulated by Jack Suwinski (65) after hitting a home run against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Tue May 30, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Tony the Tiger Hayes

SAN FRANCISCO-A day after the Giants scored 14 runs against the Pirates, San Francisco had trouble making solid against Pittsburgh pitching losing 2-1.

The Giants managed to work seven walks off five Pirates pitchers, but just five hits in the loss.

After playing sourly most off May the Pirates hope tonight’s win bodes good fortunes for June.

The Pittsburgh club currently visiting the City by the Bay are a far version of the Pirates that shot out of the gate this season and opened eyes around baseball like a triple shot of espresso from Cafe Trieste.

After beginning the 2023 campaign 20-8, the youthful Pirates had people thinking the long struggling franchise had finally turned the corner.

No, no one was seriously considering the Pirates winning their first World Series title in 44 years this season.

But at least the Bucs – who went 20 straight seasons without a winning record after Barry Bonds left them to join the Giants after the 1992 season – had a vibrancy to them .

However, in recent weeks the Pirates’ ship has begun taking on water, losing 19 of their past 25 games and dropping in the standings as if it were weighed down by fools gold.

The Giants meanwhile have been the opposite version of Pirates. After struggling to string together wins the first month of the season the Giants have surged in May going 17-10 and climbing up the standings in the NL West into third place.

The club produced their most impressive win on Memorial Day, knocking the embarrassed Pirates into McCovey Cove with a dominating 18-hit, 14-4 win.

With the win Sunday, San Francisco moved a season best two games games over .500 (28-26). The battered Bucs (26-27) fell under .500 for the first time since April 2.

Tuesday night at Oracle Park however, the Pirates drew blood first when short-lived former Giant Connor Joe – San Francisco’s opening day left field starter in 2019 – clubbed a soaring solo home run down down the left field line off Giants “opener” John Brebbia to make it 1-0.

But the Giants didn’t waist any time tying the game in the bottom of the first off Pirates starter Johan Oviedo. After the young righty issued back to back walks to Mike Yastrzemski and J.D. Davis, Michael Conforto hammer a run scoring single to left.

The action reached a crescendo in the top of the fifth when Giants rookie catcher Patrick Bailey put on a defensive display that would have made Johnny Bench proud.

After the Pirates took a 2-1 lead on a wild pitch by Giants reliever Sean Manaea, Bailey went to work showing why the used a No.1 pick on the receiver a few years back.

With base runner Jason Delay charging hard from third on a sharp ground ball to Giants first baseman Lamont Wade, Bailey artfully blocked home plate and applied a sweeping tag on Delay for the putout. Pittsburgh challenged the play, but video showed conclusive evidence of the out.

With Andrew McCutchen up next, Palacios strayed too far off first and Bailey threw a dart to first to pickoff the hapless Bucco.