San Francisco Giants’ J.D. Davis (7) tosses his bat after hitting the winning home run next to Boston Red Sox catcher Connor Wong, left, during the ninth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sat Jul 29, 2023 (AP News photo)
Boston (56-48). 000 000 002. – 2. 5. 0
San Francisco (57-48). 100 001 001. – 3 11. 0
Time: 2:38
Attendance: 37,470
Saturday, July 29, 2023
By Lewis Rubman
SAN FRANCISCO–After finally snapping their six game losing streak but beating the Oakland Athletics in both of the two games of the Bay Bridge Series that were played here earlier in this week, the city by the bay took on the team from the Bay State last night and resumed their losing ways, dropping the first of a scheduled three series. This afternoon, they defeated the Boston Red Sox, 3-2, in a thrilling saga of blown chances and recovery.
The Giants, as they had last Wednesday night in their win over the A’s, went the opener route, once again choosing Ryan Walker, who had held Oakland scoreless in his 2-2/3 innings on the hill, which left him 3-0, 2.70.
This afternoon marked his seventh performance as an opener this year, and he again threw 2-2/3 frames of shutout ball, allowing a double to Justin Turner in the first but not permitting anyone else to reach base safely.
Sean Manaea replaced him, struck out Duran on three pitches and remained in the game for another 4-1/3 innings, which included his striking out the side in Boston seventh. He gave up only two hits, both singles, and didn’t walk anybody. Manaea was followed on the mound by Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval.
The visitors chose James Paxton as their starting pitcher. The veteran of 149 big league starts, in which he had a WHIP of 1.20 and opponents batting average of .236, held the Mets to three runs, two of them earned, on three hits and a walk, while striking out seven in his last outing six days ago at Fenway Park.
It brought his season’s record to a respectable 6-2, 3.46. This afternoon, The Big Maple dodged tr0uble for most of five innings, allowing one run, which was earned, on nine hits, a walk, and a wild pitch.. He struck out five.
He threw 104 pitches, 66 for strikes before Richard Bleiler relieved him to open the home sixth. He escaped with a no decision, making his record 6-2, 3.34 for the season. Mauricio Llovera, traded to Boston yesterday, took over when his ex-teammates came to bat in the eighth, and Kenley Jansen made a cameo appearance in the ninth.
The San Franciscans started off strong. Austin Slater smacked Paxton’s first offering to center for a leadoff single. Wilmer Flores followed up with a line drive that took a couple of bounces in left center field before bouncing off the AAA Insurance advertisement for an RBI double.
He advanced to third on JD Davis’s single to left. Patrick Bailey went down swinging, but in the process Davis took second on a wild pitch. That’s when the tide turned Luis Matos grounded out to third, and Michael Conforto to first. A wasted opportunity that left the Giants with a mere one run lead.
The Giants missed another opportunity to add on to their lead in the third. After a one out single by Flores and a walk to Davis, Bailey hit into an around the horn double play to end the inning. They missed another in the fourth.
Conforto got a one out single to right and moved to third when Luciano lofted an opposite field double to right. With the infield in, Schmitt sent a hard line drive straight into the glove of Tristón Casas at first. Mike Yastrzemski walked to load the bases, but Slater flew out to right, and the score remained a tenuous 1-0, San Francisco.
They threatened again in the sixth, but, with two down and two men on base, Conforto took a called third strike on Paxton’s 104th pitch. (It seemed to me that home plate umpire Junior Valentine made the wrong call).
San Francisco finally got their second run in the sixth, against Richared Bleier. Luciano led off with a single to left and went to second when Bleier hit Schmitt with a pitch. Yastrzemski laid down a sacrifice bunt to third that moved both runners up a notch.
Slater sent a hard shot on which Christian Arroyo made a beautiful rapid response catch at second and threw him out at first. Luciano scored on that plate, finally upping the Giants’ lead to 2-0.
San Francisco loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth against Llovera a double by Matos, the leadoff hitter, back to back strikeouts by Luciano and Smith, and an intentional walk to Yastrzemski and an unintentional one to Slater. But Flores, who had gone three for four, took a called third strike. The Curse of the Leadoff Double had struck again.
That meant that it was a 2-0 lead that Camilo Doval was called on to. preserve in the top of the ninth. He began by issuing a 3-2 walk to Masataki Yoshida, pinch hitting for Yu-Cheng Chang, Duran put the tying runs in scoring position with a double off the bricks under Levi’s Landing. And Turner drove them home with a single up the middle.
The Giants came up in their half of the ninth with a 2-2 tie on their hands. That’s because Bailey threw Turner out trying to steal second, Devers flew out to the warning track in left, and Casas went down swinging.
That tie lasted exactly one pitch. Davis blasted Kenley Jansen’s first offering, a 92.1 mph cutter, into the left field bleachers, 387 feet from home. It was his 14th home run and 52nd RBI of the year.
Doval was charged with a blown save but got credit for the win. His records now is 3-3, 2.68. Jansen, now 2-5, 3.15, was the loser.
The rubber game of the current series will start Sunday, afternoon at 1:07. Neither team has announced its probable starter. Count on this one being a bullpen game.
