San Francisco Giants Blake Sabol circles the bases after clouting a bottom of the fourth inning home run at Oracle Park in San Francisco against the Seattle Mariners on Mon Jul 3, 2023 (AP News photo)
Seattle (41-42). 001 001 046. – 6 10. 0
San Francisco (46-39). 002 000 003 – 5. 7. 0
Time: 2:34
Attendance: 40,691
Monday, July 3, 2023
By Lewis Rubman
SAN FRANCISCO–Here we go again. Just as the Giants were about to move into serious contention, they found themselves––beaten up, on a losing streak, playing a game in New York one night and another in San Francisco the next, suffering from injuries, the aging process, and the learning curve of youth–back home, trying to re-establish their credibility as a possible post season contender.
On the positive side, the orange and black reinstated Mike Yastrzemski from the injured list and inserted him in the fifth slot of the batting order, playing his best position, right field.
That was, roughly speaking, the situation of the third place Giants, 3-1/2 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks for the NL West lead, and at the start of the opening battle of a three game series against the Seattle Mariners.
The M’s are not an overwhelmingly good team, but they’re no pushover either. Especially in a series that features a day game after a night game smack dab in the middle of it. And don’t let the clichés about the virtues of home cooking fool you; coming home after midnight and having your kids up and about at dawn is not the recipe for a good night’s sleep.
Maybe that explains the Giants’ disintegration in the top of the ninth that lead to a heart wrenching 6-5 loss. The home team almost mounted a storybook comeback in the last half inning, but it was not to be.
The home team sent its ace, Logan Webb (7-7, 3.43 at game time) to the mound. He threw a horrendous first frame in his last outing, which came on June 28, allowing five Blue Jays to score. He recovered to throw four scoreless innings and get the win.
He threw 6-2/3 strong innings tonight, allowing two runs, both earned and striking out 11 Mariners. He surrendered seven hits and two bases on balls plus a wild pitch. His pitch count was an even 100, with 68 of them counting as strikes. Webb wasn’t involved in the decision, but his ERA dropped to 3.38.
Oakland native Bryan Woo, a right handed rookie with a 1-1, 4.37 slate started for Seattle. It was his sixth major league start. He went five frames in his previous one, allowing two runs, both earned , on six hits and. a walk while striking out seven Nationals on June 27.
He allowed two runs, earned, again tonight, but this time he went six innings before leaving the game He allowed three hits, one of which left the park, and walked two, striking out seven. Like Webb, he got a no decision but lowered his ERA, which now stands at 4:08.
A swinging bunt single by Teoscar Hernández in the top of the fourth, followed, an out later, by a Texas League single by Eugenio Suárez set up the Mariners’ – and the game’s – first run, which came on a passed ball by Blake Sabol with Mike Ford at the plate and the wild pitch Webb unleashed with Dylan Moore at the plate.
Sabol atoned for his passed ball by driving a 497 foot home run over the fence and into the patio in center field with Mike Conforto on base and two down in the bottom half of the inning. It was his fifth round tripper of the year, and it put the Giants up, 2-1. It was a preview of the fireworks scheduled to follow the game.
After Webb had struck out the side in the sixth and notched his fourth consecutive K in the seventh for a total of 11, he surrendered back to back singles to Kolten Wong and JP Crawford. Julio Rodríguez sent a grounder to Schmitt at short, and it looked as if Webb might have escaped damage, but Crawford beat Brett Wisely’s relay to first, and the game was tied at two.
That ended the evening for Webb, replaced by Taylor Rogers, the left handed brother, who got Kelenic to pop out to short and end the inning. The right handed Rogers, Tyler, retired the side in the eighth.
Woo also was through for the evening; Ty Adcock came out in the bottom of the seventh to put the Giants down in order.
Andrés Muñoz retired a pinch hitting Brandon Crawford, who led off the bottom of the eighth, and went on to set San Francisco down, 1-2-3
That brought us to the top of the ninth and Camilo Doval to the mound in a game still tied at two all. Ford led off with a single to right. José Caballero ran for him, and Ty France pinch hit for Moore. Caballero stole second. France was hit by a pitch.
San Francisco challenged the call. San Francisco lost the appeal. Wong hit a soft grounder to first that Wade threw to Davis at third. Too late. JP Crawford’s sac fly to to right brought Caballero in with the tie breaking run, and France moved on to third. Rodríguez doubled to left, bringing in France and Wong.
He also stole third. Doval fanned Kelenic. Rodríguez scored on a single by Hernández, who went to second on a wild pitch. Raleigh finally flew out to the warning track in right. In all, four runs scored in the inning.
Paul Sewald got the nod in the bottom of the ninth for Seattle. Davis doubled down the line to left. Conforto flew out to right. Yastrzemski singled to right, just over the glove of Wong, leaping at second. Davis stopped at third.
Matos couldn’t check his swing in time to keep from fanning for the second out. Sewald got ahead of Sabol, 0-2, who worked the count to 3-2 before blasting a home run over the fence in center field, his second of the night.
The Giants still were behind, 6-5, with two outs, but anything seemed possible now. Wisely’s grounder to short slipped into left for a single. Brandon Crawford now was at the plate. He went down swinging.
Muñoz got the win, making him 2-1, 2.57. Camilo Doval, June’s Reliever of the Month, took the loss. His record now stands at 2-3, 2.77.
The weary Mariners and the even wearier Giants will play at 1:35 tomorrow afternoon in a July 4 celebration of endurance. The Giants haven’t announced their starter, which means he probably will be an opener. Logan Gilbert (5-5, 4.19) will pitch for the team from the Puget Sound.
