OAK 4 SF 3 (11)
Down 3-2 with two outs in the 9th against All-Star closer Blake Treinen the Giants managed a dramatic comeback to tie the game. The third batter in the inning, Alen Hanson, whiffed to apparently end it. Catcher Josh Phegley, however, dropped the ball and Hanson raced safely to first base. Hunter Pence, with a full count, ripped a double and that scored the speedster and the Giants suddenly were back in the fight. Tony Watson got into trouble in the bottom half and miracle man Reyes Moronta was summoned to bail the team out. He did that with aplomb, inducing a double-play to send the game to extras. He followed that with a scoreless 10th as well, continuing his superb work in this his rookie season. The Giants unfortunately could get nothing going and the A's broke through against Will Smith in the 11th to win it.
It was not a good night for Giants starter Madison Bumgarner as the ace southpaw was wild, throwing 92 pitches to 19 batters and only 47 of them were strikes. He walked SIX in his four-plus innings of work, loading the bases in the 5th and walking in two runs. Those were the third and fourth bases-loaded bases-on-balls in his career. He left with the score 2-1 (a Brandon Belt solo homer in the 4th) and the bags full. Sam Dyson got the double play but it scored a run and it stayed 3-1 until the 7th. The Giants got three hits (Buster Posey, Hanson, Pence) to make it 3-2 and that set up the improbable 9th. Good relief work once again made it possible; Dyson, Ray Black, and Derek Holland delivered four hitless frames after Bumgarner exited.
The A's opened up sections of the Coliseum typically closed to baseball fans and the result was the largest baseball crowd in the Bay Area since the final game at Candlestick Park in 1999 which was seen by 61,389 folks. Tonight's 56,310 is also the largest MLB crowd this season.
Johnny Cueto tomorrow afternoon. GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
1 comment:
Brandon Crawford put on another ridiculous fielding display last night. That guy is amazing!
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