Tag: St Louis Cardinals

Giants Survive An Ugly Seventh To Beat Cardinals 6-5 In Ten Innings

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San Francisco Giants Drew Gilbert (right) is congratulated by Grant McCray (58) after hitting a two run home run in the top of the tenth inning at Busch Stadium in St Louis on Wed Sep 16, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Wednesday aftternoon the San Francisco Giants (64-89) finished up their three-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals (75-78) with a one run 6-5 win in ten innings at Busch Stadium in St Louis.

With this series tied at one apiece it will be up for grabs today. The game got underway amid some some very warm temps, low 90s at first pitch. Both teams had quiet starts through the first two innings.

It was the Giants who drew the first run of the game. San Francisco would take the only run of the game into the seventh inning. The Giants lit up in the seventh inning scoring three runs taking a 3-0 lead.

In a crazy bottom of the seventh San Francisco had gone from playing clean ball to back-to-back errors allowing the Cardinals to score a run and load the bases scoring yet another run trailing 3-2.

The Giants were able to score an insurance run in the eighth inning taking a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning. The Cardinals scored two runs in the top of the ninth to tie the game but were unable to cross the finish line and this game went into extra innings.

San Francisco hit a two run home run to start the top of the tenth taking back the lead 6-4. It got dicey in the bottom of the tenth inning and although St. Louis did load the bases and score one run they came up a run short. The final was 6-5 in favor of San Francisco; they had won the game and the series.

GAME RECAP

San Francisco starting pitching Anthony Molina had a couple of great opening innings going three and out in both of them. St. Louis starter Matthew Liberatore was equally effective although did give up a walk in the first inning and a single in the second. Both starters were successfully limiting the traffic on the bases.

The Giants broke through in the third inning scoring the first run of the game. Jonah Cox singled followed by a Bryce Eldridge walk. With the two runners on base, Cox scored when Brett Harris hit into a double play and San Francisco was first up on the scoreboard and the Cardinals would have to play catch-up in a very close game. Molina closed out the fourth inning pitching with continued exceptional work.

The Giants had runners at first and third in the fifth inning but left them both stranded missing an opporunity to extend their lead. Molina gave up a single in the bottom of the inning, San Francisco taking the 1-0 lead into the sixth inning.

In the sixth inning the Giants again put two runners on base but just couldn’t bring them home. With two outs and nobody on base there was a pitching change for San Francisco. Anthony Molina had been terrific going 5 2/3 innings of shutout baseball with an 82 pitch count. He was relieved by Philip Abner who closed out the inning.

San Francisco had more opportunity to advance their 1-0 lead in the top of the seventh inning. First at bat Andrew Knizner was hit by a pitch and advanced to first followed by a Christian Koss single. With the two runners on base Jonah Cox singled Knizner home and Koss scored on a throwing error taking a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh.

Carson Seymour would take the mound in the bottom of the seventh inning. It had been looking so good with the Giants playing some really clean ball. Unfortunately this game did a 360 in the seventh. With two outs and one runner on base San Francisco had back-to-back errors.

The Cardinals scored a run on the second error and were finally up on the scoreboard 3-1. With Seymour struggling, there was another pitching change for the Giants with Trent Harris relieving Seymour. It was a bit of an ugly start for Harris throwing a wild pitch that scored a second St. Louis run and this was a one run game 3-2. Harris went on to get the third out.

The Giants badly needed an insurance run and they achieved just that in the top of the eighth inning. Shay Whitcomb hit a single reaching second base on a throwing error. Andrew Knizner singled Whitcomb home and San Francisco had a little breathing room leading 4-2.

Harris did give up a double in the bottom of the eighth inning but closed out the inning. The Giants were three outs away from winning game three and the series despite some very unfortunate miscalculations. Leading by two runs they had a great chance to close out this game with a win in regulation.

There was not much going on in the top of the ninth inning and this game went into the bottom of the ninth. Dylan Smith would take the mound for the Giants looking to close out this game.

Smith walked Nolan Gorman the first at bat followed by a Thomas Saggese infield hit and the Cardinals had two runners on base with no outs. There would be more discussion on the mound but no changes.

The first out came at the expense of Nathan Church. The winning run Ivan Herrera came to the plate and Smith walked him loading the bases. The Giants were in deep trouble.

Fermin hit a sacrifice fly driving Gorman home and this was a one-run game 4-3. With two outs Smith gave up a single to Leo Bernal and Saggese scored and this was a tie game 4-4.

With two outs St. Louis had runners at first and third and that was it for Smith. Sanmartin relieved Smith and got out of the inning when one of the Cardinals best hitters Alec Burleson grounded out and San Francisco had survived a walk-off going into the tenth.

The Giants got a home run in the top of the tenth inning off the bat of pinch hitter Drew Gilbert with Grant McCray onboard taking back the lead 6-4 and San Francisco was back in business. What an amazing way to start extra innings.

The Cardinals continued to fight and with one out they had runners on first and third. Again the Giants were looking at another awful situation with the bases loaded when St. Louis drew a walk.

There had been some real struggles on the mound for both Smith and Joel Kuhnel. Kuhnel got the final out in this agonizing game although he did allow one run. The final of this crazy game was 6-5

GAME NOTES

After a bit of a blowout yesterday, the Giants had a mixed bag in game three. San Francisco again took the first lead of the game but some late inning defense almost cost the Giants this game.

The positive we can take from this game is that San Francisco found a way to win this wild game despite giving away some scoring opportunities late. They did win the series and the game 6-5.

The offense did enough early with some important contributions throughout the lineup. They survived the ninth inning and did not collapse completely after the defensive problems. St. Louis did put a lot of pressure on San Francisco late in the game.

The defensive collapse late in the game was problematic. This was by far their biggest negative in this game. San Francisco had played a clean, solid game going into the late innings and then it all seemed to fall apart committing back-to-back errors.

They sure gave St. Louis a lot of opportunities turning a game that looked pretty comfortable into a nail-biter. Routine defensive plays were not being made cleanly and there was a lot of pressure on the pitching staff because outs just were not being recorded.

The Giants defense continues to be an issue especially late in games when it most matters. Sloppy defense can erase good pitching and hitting in a flash. The Giants just made this game far more difficult than it had to be.

So the Giants were resilient and found a way to win but the late-inning defense was absolutely unacceptable. Shay Whitcomb who was playing second base had an error and Casey Schmitt followed that error with a second one. Those miscues helped to create the Cardinals’ rally and the reason that this game became so tight.

A bright spot in this game for sure was the outing that came from Anthony Medina. He was excellent; he went 5 2/3 innings allowing no runs. The Cardinals were having a lot of trouble accomplishing anything against him. He left the game with a shutout intact turning the game over to the bullpen which turned into chaos defensively as well as some command issues from the bullpen.

Friday night the Giants will take on their rival the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-game series their last road trip of the season. Cesar Perdomo will take the mound for San Francisco with an 0-1 win/loss record and a 3.68 ERA. The Dodgers will start Tyler Glasnow. He has a 4-1 win/loss record and a 3.50 ERA. First pitch for this game is scheduled for 7:10 PM.

5 2/3 shutout baseball

Cardinals Outlast Giants Winning Game One 2-1; Loss is SF’s fourth straight

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San Francisco Giants Jonah Cox (53) is caught stealing as the St Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) places a tag in the top of the sixth inning at Busch Stadium in St Louis on Mon Sep 14, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Monday evening the San Francisco Giants (62-88) took on the St. Louis Cardinals (74-76) at Busch Stadium amid some steamy conditions with rain forecast Tuesday and Wednesday. The Cards ended up edging the Giants with a 2-1 one run win on Monday to open up the road trip.

Through the first three innings it was a pitchers duel. Starting pitcher for the Giants got into a bit of trouble in the bottom of the first inning giving up a single and a walk but he closed out the inning.

The Cardinals starter Quinn Matthews breezed through the first three innings already striking out four Giant at-bats going three and out in every inning. After five innings, Matthews was cruising going three and out with exception of the fourth inning where he gave up a walk. San Francisco was still looking for their first hit.

San Francisco got into a bit of a jam in the bottom of the fifth inning making three pitching changes in the inning. The Cardinals put two runs up on the scoreboard taking a 2-0 lead.

The Giants would finally get their offense going scoring a run in the top of the sixth inning cutting the St. Louis lead in half 2-1. This game went into the bottom of the eighth with St. Louis still leading 2-1 and San Francisco was three outs away from a loss in game one. The Giants got two runners on base in the top of the ninth but just couldn’t bring them home losing game one.

GAME RECAP

St. Louis starting pitcher Quinn Matthews went three and out to open this game. Giants starter Landen Roupp allowed a couple of runners on base giving up a single and a walk. This scoreless game went into the second inning.

Again it was all Matthews going three and out. Roupp gave up a double and another walk but kept the Cardinals off the scoreboard.

This game continued along the same path in the third inning with Matthews striking out a couple more Giants and going three and out. Roupp was holding pretty steady giving up a couple of singles but no runs.

San Francisco got their first runner on base in the top of the fourth inning via a walk but remained hitless. St. Louis pitcher Matthews was crushing it through four his pitch count at 56.

Giant’s pitcher Roupp got his first three and out in the bottom of the fourth. His pitch count was at 69 and this game had turned into a good old-fashion pitcher’s duel. St. Louis had four hits through the first four innings. Both teams were looking for a break-through, and the first run of the game.

Matthews got his seventh strikeout in the top of the fifth inning and another one, two, three inning. Roupp got into a bit of a jam in the bottom of the fifth giving up a single and a walk putting two Cardinal runners on base with one out. There would be a pitching change for the Giants with Reiver Sanmartin relieving Roupp who was not at all pleased much of his angst due to the calls at the plate by the umpire.

Sanmartin loaded up the bases giving up a couple of runs and the San Francisco bullpen got busy. Sanmartin was shakey from the start and he was out. Now it would be up too Joel Kuhnel to get the Giants out of a big-time jam. He got a strike out and a ground out and the Giants had avoided further damage trailing 2-0.

The San Francisco offense came to life in the top of the sixth inning. Grant McCray started off the inning with a double. Jonah Cox singled, McGray scored from second base and the Giants were on the scoreboard cutting the St. Louis lead in half 2-1. Kuhnel went three and out in the bottom of the inning.

The Giants had a great chance in the top of the seventh inning to do some damage putting three runners on base with two outs. There would be a pitching change for St. Louis with Justin Bruhl relieving Matthews who had pitched a great game until the seventh inning rolled around.

He had gone 6 2/3 innings. Bruhl went to work getting out of the inning which was huge for St. Louis. The Giants Trent Harris relieved Joel Kuhnel and went three and out in the bottom of the inning.

The Cardinals Ryne Stanek relieved Bruhl striking out both Christian Koss and Jonah Cox in the top of the eighth inning. He went on to give up a single and a walk finally getting the third out and San Francisco got nothing in the inning and were three outs away from losing game one.

The Cardinals would be looking for some insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Leo Bernal got his third hit of the game but not much else and the Cardinals would be pinning their hopes on to Riley O’Brien to close out this game.

Nate Furman struck out, but Jung Hoo Lee hit a single and the Giants had the tying run on base and the go-ahead run at the plate. Drew Cavanaugh drew a walk and San Francisco had two runners on base with only one out.

Grant McCray struck out and the Giants were one out away from the loss with Christian Koss their final hope. A wild pitch advanced the runners to second and third and the Giants just needed that one hit. Unfortunately Koss grounded out and that was the ball game, the Cardinals winning game one of the series 2-1.

GAME NOTES

The Giants got excellent pitching from starter Landen Roupp. He pitched into the fifth inning and kept the Cardinals scoreless for much of his outing. It did seem that he did enough to remain in the game which made his removal in the fifth inning interesting.

There were three pitching changes in the fifth inning with Reiver Sanmartin giving up two hits and a walk being relieved by Joel Kuhnel who got out of the inning. It seemed that the pitching change came back to bite them. The Giants held St. Louis to only two runs which in most cases is good enough to win most games.

The only run of the day came in the sixth inning for the Giants when Jonah Cox delivered an RIB single. This was a huge at-bat giving San Francisco a chance to get back in the game.

The Giants remained competitive throughout once they started hitting. This was not a sloppy or high-scoring game and San Francisco was in the game throughout. They did have their opportunities to tie or even take the lead but were unable to cash in. Their pitching was very good and sure gave them a legitimate chance to win.

The biggest missed opportunity for the Giants was when they loaded the bases in the seventh inning coming away empty. In a 2-1 game that is huge. The timely hit they so badly needed could have completely changed the outcome.

They had limited scoring opportunities and San Francisco had to take advantage of them but came up short. This has been a problem for the team. The pitching is good but the work at the plate does not consistently deliver.

The bottom line is that the Giants could have won this winnable low-scoring game. The pitching was good enough, the game close enough and the Cardinals were not dominating San Francisco. It was that seventh inning that spelled out this loss.

Tuesday the Giants will be looking to bounce back in game two and tie up the series. Blade Tidwell will start for the Giants in game two. He has an 0-2 win/loss record and a 4.82 ERA. St. Louis will feature Andre Pallante on the mound. He is having a good season with a 12-6 win/loss record and a 3.45 ERA. First pitch for this game is scheduled for 4:45 PM

Giants mount eighth inning comeback to sweep the Cardinals 7-6

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San Francisco Giants Jung Hoo Lee slugs a single in the second inning against the St Louis Cardinals at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed Sep 9, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Lincoln Juarez

SAN FRANCISCO – The Giants hoped to continue to play spoiler to the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday afternoon in the final game of a three-game set. St. Louis dropped the first two games of the series plunging them to 6.0 games back of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final Wild Card spot in the National League. For the Giants, a sweep of the Cardinals at home would’ve been their first since June 29-July 1, 2001.

A beautiful 80 degree afternoon at Oracle Park began with a 95mph called strike one to Cardinal leadoff hitter Bryan Torres who popped out to Shay Whitcomb at third for the first out of the day. The first of three quick outs to set the Cardinals down in order with the help of another great diving play by Bryce Eldridge at first base to end the inning.

Drew Gilbert leadoff the home first with a line drive up the middle and in the blink of an eye he was testing his luck for two bases. He dove in well ahead of Nathan Church’s throw for a leadoff double. Two batters later, Bryce Eldridge, who extended his on-base streak to 17 games Tuesday night, blooped a base-hit to left field to bring home Gilbert, extending his streak to 18 games. After reaching on a fielder’s choice, Jonah Cox was caught stealing to end the Giants rally in the first with a 1-0 lead.

It was the third time in as many games against the Redbirds the Giants scored in the first inning hoping for the same result from the first two games in which the Giants secured their first series win against St. Louis since sweeping a three-game set at Busch Stadium in 2023.

The one-run lead wouldn’t last as the Cardinals brought a run home on two hits in the top of the second. In the third, the Cardinals added more after an unfortunate sequence of events for Giants’ starter Blade Tidwell. In the process of having Ivan Herrera picked off between first and second base Tidwell was called for interference after running through the baseline, making contact with Herrera, allowing him to advance to second base.

Tidwell then walked Alec Burleson and gave up a 378ft homerun to Leo Bernal putting the St. Louis ahead 4-1. A situation that could’ve been two out with nobody on resulted in Tidwell being visibly frustrated on his way back to the dugout after the three-run inning.

He would only last another full inning, getting pulled in the fifth with the bases loaded from a single, hit-by-pitch, and walk with nobody out. Tidwell’s final line was 4.0 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. He was replaced by left-hander Philip Abner, making his Giants debut.

St. Louis was held to just one in the fifth thanks to Abner rolling a double-play on the first pitch he threw. They got one more in the sixth and had a 6-1 lead the rest of the way.

It was a game in which the Giants offense struggled to get anything going past the first inning thanks to Cardinals’ starter Andre Pallante giving up the lone run across 5.0 innings of work. San Francisco was shutout after the first inning until the bottom of the eighth, when Bryce Eldridge came through with his second RBI-hit of the afternoon. It knocked in two to make it a 6-3 Cardinal lead. Jonah Cox followed with a base-hit of his own driving in another run to get the Giants within two.

Edridge stood on second base with Cox at first and Jung Hoo Lee in the box with two out. Jung Hoo lined a double off the brick wall in right bringing home both Eldridge and Cox, who shared a long, celebratory hug after Cox scored. On the next pitch Shay Whitcomb, who had been great all day defensively, smacked one to centerfield also off the wall to trade places with Jung Hoo Lee. The Giants came all the way back and had a 7-6 lead.

As the Oracle Park crowd gave a standing ovation to the Giants offense at the end of the eighth inning, Trent Harris made the trek to the mound to close out a Giants comeback win. Jose Fermin leadoff the ninth with a single on the first pitch prompting the Cardinals to pinch-hit with the Homerun Derby champion, Jordan Walker. Walker rolled into 6-4-3 double-play and one pitch later Trent Harris got his first career big-league save and Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson earned his first career win courtesy of the Giants’ eighth inning comeback.

St. Louis could not avoid the sweep heading into their nine-game homestand, their final of the season, where the final three games of the Giants, Cardinals season series will be played next Monday through Wednesday. The Cardinals look to make one last run at the final National League Wild Card spot with 15 games remaining.

The Giants swept a team in 2026 in three consecutive days for the first time, they won all three games in their road series against the Atlanta Braves but the final game of that series was over two months after the first two.

Tony Vitello and his squad of young prospects will welcome the San Diego Padres to town for a three-game series beginning Friday night at 7:15pm, hoping to spoil more playoff hopes. The Padres, another team trying to overcome the Diamondbacks for the final Wild Card spot.

Starters for Friday for San Diego LHP Robbie Ray (11-8 ERA 3.38) for San Francisco RHP Anthony Molina (3-0 ERA 2.79) first pitch 7:15pm PDT.

Giants win 2-1, on 2-game Winning Streak

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San Francisco Giants (#50) Christian Koss hit his fourth home run this season against the St. Louis Cardinals in an MLB game on Tuesday, September 8th, 2026, at Oracle Park in San Francisco, CA. (Photo credit to Jae Choi)

By Michael Villanueva

SAN FRANCISCO – Tuesday morning, the San Francisco Giants learned the door to their postseason had closed. Due to tiebreaker procedures, the Giants are eliminated from the playoffs for the fifth straight year. So Tuesday evening, the Giants’ mentality was now just to have fun and win ball games. The Giants are in game two of three, hosting the St. Louis Cardinals. In Game 2 tonight at Oracle Park, the Giants (61-85) would get the win over the Cardinals (72-74), 2-1, and win this home series.

The Giants’ starting and winning pitcher of the game, Landen Roupp, would allow 2 hits, 0 runs, 4 BB, and 2 strikeouts in this game. This is also Roupp’s ninth win as a starter for San Francisco. St. Louis pitcher Quinn Mathews received his third loss as the starting pitcher for the Cardinals. Mathews would allow 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 ER, 4 strikeouts, and 2 homeruns.

San Francisco Giants first baseman Rafael Devers was named one of MLB Players of the Week. Devers batted .385 with six home runs, 13 RBI’s, and a 1.669 OPS from August 31st to September 6th. This is now his fifth career award and second straight for the Giants.

This game really off in San Francisco’s direction from early homers from Eldridge and Christian Koss. With one more win in tomorrow’s afternoon game, they can have the chance to sweep the Cardinals in this homestands. In the bottom of the first inning, Giants Bryce Eldridge would get the game started with his sixteenth homer of the season. Eldridge sent that ball to the left outfield and got the ballpark rocking early.

The Cardinals would have no response on their offensive side. So Giants Christian Koss decided to join in on the home run fun. In the bottom of the second inning, Koss would drill his third home run in the past four games. These two homers from Eldridge and Koss would be enough to give the Giants the lead and ultimately win this game.

St. Louis was able to find themselves in scoring positions. However, with smart pitching from Roupp and the Giants defense holding up. They were able to prevent the Cardinals from converting any runs. Especially by placing the ball low on his sinkers, forcing the Cardinals’ hitters to ground out.

It wouldn’t be until the top of the ninth inning that the game would see a drastic change. The St. Louis Cardinals weren’t gonna let up that easy against the Giants. With two outs, it was now or never to make a move. Cardinals Nathan Church would be able to get a single. On the next batter, Church would steal to second base on the first pitch. Leading up his teammate Bryan Torres to get a single, and bringing in Church to score.

With the score now being 2-1, but with two outs for the Cardinals. The Giants would just need one more stop to call the ballgame. So next batter, Cardinals Ivan Herrera would get grounded out, and that would conclude the ball game. With the Giants finding out this morning, there will be no playoffs. The team was all smiles after getting this Tuesday night win.

The San Francisco Giants won’t get a lot of rest as the team has to come back tomorrow afternoon to finish off this homestand with the Cardinals. Tomorrow’s win will give the Giants a sweep of the Cardinals. San Francisco will send out RHP Blade Tidwell (0-2), and St. Louis will go with RHP Andre Pallante (12-6). The game will be broadcast live on MLB.TV with first pitch at 12:45 p.m.

Bryce Eldridge AP photo

Giants survive bullpen meltdown, beat Cardinals 5-4 in extras

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Photo: San Francisco Giants’ Bryce Eldridge hits an RBI double against the St. Louis Cardinals during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

By Vince Cestone

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants nearly suffered another loss to a bullpen meltdown, but they survived on a clutch Bryce Eldridge hit in the 10th and a Shay Whitcomb infield hit in the 11th to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 in extra innings.

With the Giants up 3-2 in the ninth inning, manager Tony Vitello went to Dylan Smith for a two-inning save, but just like it did against the Cincinnati Reds in the third game of the series, his outing went south but to a lesser extent. The Giants didn’t blow a 9-3 lead this time, but the Cardinals were able to even the score. After Joshua Baez started the inning with an infield hit, shortstop Thomas Saggese singled. The next batter Nathan Church tried to bunt but popped out. With the runners staying put, Bryan Torres then walked, setting it up for pinch hitter Jose Fermin, who hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game at three. Smith retired the next batter Alec Burleson on a flyout to send the game to extra innings.

Before all the craziness, it looked good for the Giants. Ace Logan Webb was on the hill for the Giants, and he did a great job, pitching six innings of one-run ball. He struck out eight batters, gave up three hits, and walked only two batters. Webb looked like he was going to get the win, until the bullpen meltdown happened a few innings later.

Before then, the Giants started the scoring in the very first inning. Left fielder Turner Hill led off the bottom of the first with a walk. The following batter Rafael Devers doubled him in to give the Giants a 1-0 lead. The next three batters were retired in order by Cardinals starting pitcher Michael McGreevy.

The Giants added on in the third inning, with the help of the Cardinals defense. After Christian Koss singled on a comebacker to the pitcher who seemed to have mishandled the ball but still was deemed a hit, McGreevy airmailed the ball to first over the head of Burleson, allowing Koss to get to second. The next batter Hill grounded out to first, advancing Koss to third. The hot-hitting Devers then walked. That set it up for Eldridge, who hit a sacrifice fly to center field to increase the Giants’ lead to 2-0.

The Giants tacked on a third run in the fifth inning on back-to-back doubles from Devers and Eldridge. Both collected two hits in the game.

But then the Cardinals came roaring back. In the top of the sixth inning, the Cardinals got on the board with a two-out, solo home run by Burleson off Webb. That made the score 3-1 and the comeback was on.

St. Louis scored again in the seventh inning after a leadoff walk by Nolan Gorman. After the relief pitcher Trent Harris struck out the next two batters, Nathan Church doubled in Gorman, who advanced to second earlier in the inning on a passed ball, to cut the Giants’ lead to 3-2. This set up the ninth-inning comeback by the Cardinals.

After the Giants left the bases loaded with two outs in the ninth, the Cardinals brought in their ghost runner in the 10th. Right fielder Jordan Walker grounded out to start the inning, advancing the ghost runner Burleson to third. The next batter Leo Bernal hit a bloop single to right, just in front of Jung Hoo Lee, to give St. Louis a 4-3 lead.

But the Giants answered right back in the bottom of the 10th. With Hill as the ghost runner at second for San Francisco, the Cardinals intentionally walked Devers when the count got to 3-1. The next hitter Eldridge promptly singled to center, brining Hill home to tie the score at four. Later in the inning, the Giants had the bases loaded and one out, but Drew Gilbert grounded into an unusual 2-1 double play that ended the rally for the Giants. The catcher Bernal picked up the little tapper that landed right in front of home plate, stepped on home, and then threw to first to end the threat. The Cardinals had survived and went to the 11th with the game still tied.

After Giants reliever Jason Foley held St. Louis scoreless in the top of the 11th, San Francisco went to work in their half of the inning. Drew Cavanaugh, who came into the game as a pinch hitter in the ninth, led off the inning with a sacrifice bunt, advancing the ghost runner Nate Furman to third. That left it up to the third baseman Whitcomb, who punched a high chopper over the head of the shortstop Saggese, bringing in the winning run as the Giants walked off the Cardinals 5-4.

For the Cardinals, the starting pitcher McGreevy went 6 2/3 innings, giving up six hits, three runs, and two walks. He struck out four batters.

Nearly 26,000 fans showed up at Oracle Park on Labor Day Monday, an unusually small crowd on a holiday. But the ones that showed up saw a great game, as the Giants’ grit displayed on Monday night bodes well for 2027.

Up next, the Giants will try to make it two in a row against the Cardinals on Tuesday night. The Giants’ Landen Roupp (8-13, 4.17 ERA) will take on the Cardinals’ Quinn Matthews (1-2, 4.38 ERA). Game time is at 6:45 p.m. at Oracle Park.

San Francisco Giants podcast Marko Ukalovic: Giants open up three game set against Cardinals Monday

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San Francisco Giants starter Logan Webb gets the call against the St Louis Cardinals Mon Sep 7, 2026 at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP News photo)

San Francisco Giants podcast Mark Uklavoic:

#1 How would you evaluate César Perdomo’s performance, especially his six scoreless innings against the Mets on Sunday?

#2 How important were Jung Hoo Lee’s two RBIs in giving the Giants their early 2–0 lead?

#3 What went wrong for Carson Seymour in the eighth inning, when the Mets scored four runs to take the lead?

#4 What could the Giants have done differently in the eighth inning to prevent Bo Bichette’s three-run homer from deciding the game?

#5 The St Louis Cardinals will open a three game series against the San Francisco Giants on Monday night at Oracle Park starters for St Louis RHP Michael McGreevey (6-9 ERA 3.97) for San Francisco RHP Logan Webb (8-8 ERA 4.21) first pitch at 6:40pm PDT.

#6 Speaking of the St Louis Cardinals the and the Colorado Rockies tilted the caps Sunday in Denver after St Louis pitcher Hancel Rincon was odered to fix his hat by plate umpire Doug Eddings on Saturday night. Eddings said ‘not going to wear his hat on my field that way.’ Cardianls manager Oliver Marmol came out of the dugout to argue Eddings order for Rincon to straighten out his hat. Eddings threw Marmol out of the game. Eddings reportedly apologized to Rincon before Sunday’s game.

Join Marko for the San Francisco Giants podcast each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

MLB The Show podcast Tony Renteria: Mets on six game skid what improvements do they need to make?; Cards Walker leads MLB in homers; plus more news

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The New York Mets called up 38 year old veteran Tommy Pham on Mon Apr 13, 2026 against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The Mets were looking for a shot in the arm and are in the middle of a six game slump. Pham was 0-3 in the game and said to the meida before the game that he was glad he could “provide some sunshine.” (AP News photo)

MLB The Show podcast Tony Renteria:

#1How concerning is the New York Mets’ six-game losing streak and 20 consecutive scoreless innings, and what adjustments could they make to turn their offense around?

#2 What does Jordan Walker’s MLB-leading eight home run pace suggest about his development, and how does it compare to past Cardinals greats?

#3 What factors contributed to the Diamondbacks blowing a 7–1 lead against the Orioles, and what does this say about bullpen reliability early in the season?

#4 How can long-term, high-value contracts—like the Orioles’ $161 million deal—impact a team’s competitiveness and roster flexibility?

#5 To what extent are injuries responsible for the early struggles of teams like the Blue Jays and Brewers, and which team is better positioned to recover?

Tony Renteria does MLB The Show podcast each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants avoid the sweep against St. Louis 4-3 behind game winning hit by Andrew Knizner in the eighth

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San Francisco Giants Casey Schmitt dives into second base with a double as St Louis Cardinals second baseman Brandon Donavon puts on the tag too late at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed Sep 24. 2025 (AP News photo)

By Lincoln Juarez 

SAN FRANCISCO – The Giants took the final game of three against the Cardinals to avoid being swept. Andrew Knizner came up with two clutch RBIs and the game-winning hit in the eighth inning. Rafael Devers launched his 34th home run of the season into McCovey Cove for the 108th Splash Hit by a Giant in Oracle Park’s history. 

In the first of four meaningless games at Oracle Park to end the season, the Giants hosted the Cardinals in the final game of their three game series. The orange and black suffered two devastating losses to begin the week officially eliminating them from playoff contention. The Giants were searching for any way to give the Oracle Park crowd something positive to cheer about. 

SF’s JT Brubaker made his first start as a Giant in his fifth appearance with the team. In nine career games against St. Louis, prior to Wednesday night, he was 0-6 with a 6.20 ERA. 

The only trouble he faced from the Cardinal lineup came in the third inning where two runs came across on three hits against the right hander. After tying an MLB record with four doubles in a game Tuesday night, Brendan Donovan doubled again, this time driving in Victor Scott II. He then came around to score on an Ivan Herrera single which ended up being the last time a Cardinal flew across the plate. 

The Giants got to Cardinals’ starter Sonny Gray for a run in the second, third, and fourth innings building up a 3-2 lead. 

Casey Schmitt doubled in the home second for his first of three hits on the night. Jung Hoo Lee followed and traded places with Schmitt to give the Giants a 1-0 at the time. 

After giving up the lead in the top half of the inning and trailing 2-1, Rafael Devers led off the home third with his first career Splash Hit and 34th home run of the year to tie the game. 

In the bottom of the fourth Christian Koss led off with a deep fly ball to right that was dropped by right fielder Jordan Walker, allowing Koss to reach second base on the error. A productive groundout by Drew Gilbert moved Koss over to third and he eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Andrew Knizner.

The Giants took that 3-2 lead all the way to the eighth behind three strong shutout innings by Carson Seymour, when the Cardinals finally broke through to tie the game. Nolan Arenado scored Ivan Herrera on a sac fly that received a large, collective groan from the fans packed inside Oracle Park. 

Jose Butto replaced Matt Gage and got the Giants out of the inning in a 3-3 tie. 

Seven, eight, and nine were due up in the home eighth looking for some magic. Christian Koss led off with a single and moved over to second on a ground ball by Drew Gilbert forcing the only play to be at first base. Andrew Knizner, who got the start with a .219 batting average so far this season, stepped up with the go-ahead run in scoring position. 

He drove a screaming line drive 108mph off the bat to center field past a diving Victor Scott II and all the way to the center field wall. Pumping his fists as he powered into third base, Knizner had given the Giants an eighth inning lead on an RBI-triple. 

Nothing more came in the eighth, but the excitement continued in the top of the ninth with second baseman Christian Koss rolling a do-it-yourself double play, dancing across the second base bag as he slung a throw to Bryce Eldridge at first to complete the play.

St. Louis sent pinch hitter Jose Fermin to the plate as their final hope. On the first pitch he bunted a ball down the third base line where Casey Schmitt gloved it and threw to first on the run for the final out. 

The Giants avoided being swept by the Cardinals for the first time since June 20-23, 2024 and for the first time in San Francisco since June 17-19, 1991 at Candlestick Park. 

San Francisco will try to bring the momentum from Wednesday night into the final weekend of the season, following an off day Thursday. Game 160 will take place Friday evening at Oracle Park with the Colorado Rockies who have not announced a starter and for the Giants RHP Trevor McDonald (0-0 ERA 3.38)

First pitch 7:15pm.

Giants bullpen implodes and Walker blows another save in despairing loss to Cardinals 9-8

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San Francisco Giants Heliot Ramos salutes the Almighty after hitting a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning against the St Louis Cardinals at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Tue Sep 23, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Lincoln Juarez 

SAN FRANCISCO – Ryan Walker blew another save against the Cardinals as the red bird bats rallied late to overcome a big deficit. The Giants playoff hopes dwindled following another miserable loss at home. 

Tuesday night with Logan Webb on the mound the Giants looked to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Game one did not go in favor of the orange and black in a slim 6-5 loss. Webb went into Tuesday night 14-11 with a 3.27 ERA and just 4.1 innings shy of 200 innings pitched on the season. 

St. Louis came out swinging in the first, scoring three runs on five hits off Webb. Three of those hits and a run came before the Giants ace recorded an out. Three of the five Cardinal hits in the first also had an exit velocity of 101mph or higher. 

It was hard to know the Giants even hit in the home first as a lifeless crowd watched Cardinals’ starter Andre Pallante set them down quietly in order on just 12 pitches. 

In the bottom of the third, still trailing by three, the Giants brought around five runs to take the lead and turn the game around. Heliot Ramos stepped in with the bases loaded and nobody out and hit a groundball to third baseman Nolan Arenado.

What looked to be a sure 5-2-3 double play turned out to be an error charged to Arenado as his throw home nailed Patrick Bailey who was running from third. The ball bounced off Bailey in the direction of the Cardinal dugout allowing Christian Koss to score from second right behind him. 

Willy Adames stepped in two batters later and drove in the tying run on a base hit to right. Matt Chapman then drove in Ramos on a sacrifice fly to give the Giants the lead. Jung Hoo Lee capped off the five-run inning with an rbi single to center that scored Adames. 

A spirited comeback inning made it 5-3 Giants after three full. 

In the top of the fifth inning Logan Webb, one out away from 200 IP, struck out Alec Burleson and achieved the 200 inning mark for the third straight season. He became the first Giants pitcher to achieve the milestone in three consecutive seasons since Giant great Madison Bumgarner did so in six consecutive seasons from 2011-2016. Webb finished with 6ip, 8h, 3er, 2bb, and 5k. 

The Giants struck for two more runs to add on to their lead in the home fifth as Patrick Bailey doubled home Matt Chapman and Christian Koss singled home Bailey to make it 7-3 San Francisco. 

After Heliot Ramos hit his 20th home run of the year in the sixth, it seemed like the Giants would cruise to a substantial victory, however the Cardinals didn’t go down easy. 

St. Louis plated four runs in the top of the seventh off a Giants bullpen who threw 4.2 scoreless against them Monday night. Renowned Giant killer Nolan Arenado topped off the inning with his 11th homer of the season to put the Cardinals within one, 8-7. 

Ahead by a run the Giants sent closer Ryan Walker to the mound to get the final three outs and secure the win. He got three outs but they were not the final three outs recorded of the night. Walker, who blew a save in St. Louis against the Cardinals on September 6th, gave up the Giants lead in the ninth Tuesday night. The Cardinals racked up two runs on four hits in the ninth to comeback and take the lead 9-8. 

In the bottom of the ninth Willy Adames doubled with one out setting up the tying run in scoring position. Matt Chapman struck out, becoming the second out of the inning. Down to their final out, it was up to pinch-hitter Wilmer Flores, who replaced rookie Bryce Eldridge. Wilmer struck out swinging to end the game, stranding the tying run at second. 

The Giants lost their second straight and the series to the Cardinals. Another disappointing performance by Ryan Walker left fans at Oracle Park in disgust as they headed for the exits knowing it will almost definitely be another year without playoff baseball in the city by the bay. 

The final game of the series will take place Wednesday night with RHP Sonny Gray (14-8, 4.33) vs. LHP Robbie Ray (11-8, 3.65). 

First pitch at 6:45pm at Oracle Park. 

Giants lose another Verlander start and fall to Cardinals 6-5

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San Francisco Giants Heliot Ramos (17) hits a two run single off of St Louis Cardinals starter Michael McGreevy (36) in the bottom of the fourth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Mon Sep 22, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Lincoln Juarez 

SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco Giants couldn’t help starter Justin Verlander with the gloves or the bats as they lost another game he started in game one against the St. Louis Cardinals at Oracle Park. The Cardinals offensive boom in the fifth inning surged them past the Giants in a 6-5 win. The loss drops the Giants to 3.5 games back in the NL Wild Card race.

Monday night the Giants hosted the Cardinals in the first game of a six-game home stand to end the season at Oracle Park. Verlander was on the mound for his 28th start of the season. The veteran right-hander looked to take the momentum from his last four starts, where he’s posted a 0.36 ERA (1er, 25.0ip) with a .149 opponent average, 0.92 WHIP, and 23 strikeouts, into Monday. 

Verlander did not allow a run through his first two innings pitched and got some help in the first inning from Heliot Ramos on his 19th home run of the season. 1-0 Giants before the Cardinals offense came alive and scored in three straight innings. 

The Redbirds tied it in the third and set down any momentum the Giants offense had by throwing a zero in the bottom half. St. Louis struck again in the fourth to take the lead, but this time the Giants had an answer. 

Matt Chapman, Casey Schmitt, and Patrick Bailey all singled to manufacture a run and tie the game 2-2. Later with two outs, Heliot Ramos singled home two more runs to put the Giants ahead 4-2 with his second and third RBI of the night. 

In the top of the fifth, the Cardinal offense took off. A four-spot in the fifth inning made it a 6-4 ballgame in favor of the Cardinals. Verlander did not make it out of the inning and ended up with another no-decision through 4.1 IP. 

After the fifth, the Giants bullpen shut out the Cardinals the rest of the night and Devers hit his 33rd home run of the season to get the Giants within a run in the home fifth. 

The offense could not overcome the one-run deficit and the Cardinals held on behind a great bullpen effort and took game one of the series 6-5.

Tuesday night Logan Webb will get the start for San Francisco in what will be another must-win game scenario if they want to have any sort of shot at the postseason after this week. 

Starters: For the Cards RHP Andre Pallante (6-14, 5.23) vs. for the Giants RHP Logan Webb (14-11, 3.27), Tuesday night at Oracle Park. First pitch at 6:45pm.