Wilmer, Wade deliver

SF 3  CHC 1

A tremendous team-wide pitching effort shut down the powerful Cubs offense on a blustery afternoon at Wrigley Field. Robbie Ray allowed just three hits—two were wind-aided—and two walks and just one run in his six innings of work. It took him 98 pitches to get it done, but get it done he did with eight ground ball outs, three fly ball outs, and five whiffs facing 23 batters. Superb relief work from Camilo Doval (2 K in the 6th), Tyler Rogers (a six-pitch 7th), and Ryan Walker (game-ending DP) sealed the deal.

The Giants had 34 at-bats in the game and 17 of them came with runners in scoring position. It's almost impossible to believe. They had nine hits and five walks and the Cubs made an error. They were 4-for-17 with RISP which is why they scored a mere three runs. They had a comical number of chances to blow the game open but were content to play a nail-biter! Good thing the pitching was excellent. Wilmer Flores had three hits, one an RBI single in the 1st. LaMonte Wade, Jr. had two hits and drove in the run in the 4th. Christian Koss followed that with an RBI hit but a great throw from Pete Crow-Armstrong got the trailing runner at the plate. The 3-1 lead was just enough.

The 24-14 Giants head to Minnesota to take on the Twins this weekend. Tomorrow is an off-day. The games are at 5:10 p.m. (Fri), 4:15 p.m. (Sat), and 11:10 a.m. (Sun), all times Pacific. The rotation will be Hicks-Webb-Roupp.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Sixteen hits subdue South-siders

SF 14  CHC 5  (11)

Baseball is crazy. After an ugly 9-2 whuppin' by the Cubs yesterday the Giants responded with a 9-run inning today at Wrigley Field. Cubbies fans were streaming for the exits in the top of the 11th after the Giants piled on with an improbable outburst against Ryan Pressly. Heliot Ramos led off with a double but the Manfred Man Christian Koss failed to read the play and didn't score. A Patrick Bailey single broke the 5-5 deadlock. Brett "Maverick" Wisely bunted, scoring Ramos, and was safe at first after the attempt at the plate. Mike Yastrzemski walked, Willy Adames was hit by a pitch, and then Jung Hoo Lee, Matt Chapman, and Wilmer Flores all hit singles. It was 12-5 when Pressly was pulled for Caleb Thielbar. Koss made an out, Ramos doubled for the second time in the inning, Bailey hit a sac fly, and David Villar, pinch-hitting for Wisely, made the last out.

That nuttiness erased an ugly 9th where Ryan Walker and Erik Miller failed to hold a 5-3 lead. But the Giants didn't fold, Miller got it done in the 10th, and the lineup took advantage in the 11th. Justin Verlander started and went five, allowing three runs. Randy Rodriguez, Camilo Doval, and Tyler Rogers each had a scoreless frame. Lee and Chapman were hitting stars with six hits and five RBI between them in the three-four spots, that was matched by Ramos and Bailey in the seven-eight slots. A good night for the club!

The rubber match of the three-game set is tomorrow at 11:20 Pacific. Robbie Ray gets the call.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

 

p.s. I neglected to do a "second inning" post after yesterday which was Game 36. My bad. Here's how things look:

1st inning: 13-5

2nd inning:  9-9

As you can see things got a little tougher. 22-14 (.611) put the Giants 2-1/2 back and in third place. Tonight's big win gains them a game on the NL West leaders as both LA (24-12) and SD (23-12) lose. The 23-14 Giants are now 1-1/2 back.

Back on track

The Giants lost three straight for the first time in 2025, getting whipped twice in San Diego and then falling flat on Thursday night against the lowly Rockies. That game featured Tyler Rogers giving up two runs in the 8th that ultimately decided things. Rogers gave up only one run across 16 appearances (15-1/3 IP, 55 TBF) in the month of April! He's been mostly Mr. Automatic and a big part of the bullpen's contributions to the Giants excellent opening month.

The team bounced back over the weekend with a clean sweep of the three games. Friday showcased a great start (7  2  0  0  2  8) from Robbie Ray in a 4-0 win. That's two really strong efforts from him back-to-back. It seems like it is all about walks for him. If he cuts those down he gets better results. When Ray pitches like that you can see why Farhan Zaidi could think he'd be a nice lefty complement to Logan Webb. (Speaking of Webb, he had a great start today.) On Saturday Matt Chapman's grand slam in the 5-run 6th punctuated the 6-3 win.

This afternoon in San Francisco Willy Adames had his best day with two big bombs and an RBI double. That last one chased German Marquez in the 5th. The Giants piled on in the 7th and finished the 9-3 win with 13 hits and a 6-for-12 mark with RISP. That made it easy for Webb (7  6  1  1  2  6) who got eight ground balls and two double plays.

It's off to Chicago to face the 21-14 Cubs. Game time 4:40 Pacific, Landen Roupp starts.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants whiff in SD

The lineup posted 26 strikeouts in the two-game set. But it was the pitching that let them down. The Padres scored 12 runs, battering both Logan Webb and Landen Roupp. Tonight Justin Verlander gets a shot at the Rockies. Colorado is in town for four, tonight's game is at 6:45 PT.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

Giants make magic

SF 3  TEX 2

The Giants conjured up another walk-off win to take the series. The Rangers tossed two balls away in the bottom of the 9th and Heliot Ramos scored a Little League run to end it. Ramos's dribbler on the inning's first pitch pulled P Luke Jackson off the mound toward the third base side. Jackson made a running scoop-and-throw that got past 1B Jake Burger and into foul ground towards right field. Ramos, jogging for second, turned on the jets for third as Burger corralled the ball. Burger then made a bad throw that got past diving 3B Josh Smith. Ramos broke for the plate as Jackson raced back to get the loose ball but he couldn't get a handle on it and Ramos scored easily.

It was crazy. Watch the video if you haven't seen it. Jordan Hicks struggled early but settled in to deliver five frames with two runs allowed. The Giants fought back to tie it and a superb relief effort from Hayden Birdsong (3 IP, 5 K) really saved the day. After a 1-2-3 top of the 9th from Camilo Doval the Giants got their miracle in the bottom half.

They scored six runs in the three games. They allowed six runs. They got a 6 IP, 2 R  start from Justin Verlander on Friday (but were blanked on four hits), a 7 IP, 2 R start from Robbie Ray in yesterday's win, and a 5 IP, 2 R start from Hicks in today's win. They got eleven hits yesterday but only five today. Like I said I'm not sure how this team wins games! I'm willing to accept "divine intervention" as one of the leading contributors.

The Giants finally get an off-day, then they go to San Diego for two starting Tuesday (Logan Webb, 6:40 PT).

--M.C.

Giants win for BCraw Day*

SF 3  TEX 2

I keep wondering how this team wins games. Then I watch them this afternoon on Fox Saturday. What do the Giants do? They get clutch hits. Patrick Bailey supplied today's happiness by poking it just past the drawn-in first baseman for a walk-off winner. Today the formula was a little different as Robbie Ray pitched his best game yet (7 IP  5 H  2 R  1 W  8 K) and the bullpen only had to cover six outs. The 2025 Giants have a strong relief corps. They keep the games close and that allows the lineup more chances in the late innings.

The Rangers got a couple of early runs off Ray but didn't hit anything hard. Mostly they ran the bases well! After that he shut them down. Willy Adames tied the game with a two-out, two-run single in the 5th. It stayed 2-2 until the 9th. Heliot Ramos smacked a liner for a single, LaMonte Wade, Jr. walked, and Christian Koss (who is looking better) laid down a sacrifice bunt. After the pitching change, Bailey's hit ended it.

This team is thriving on high-leverage magic. It's a lot of fun. Overall they don't hit all that well compared to the league but they seem to have a great sense of timing! Speaking of timing, tomorrow's game is at 1:05 PT. Jordan Hicks faces Jack Leiter.

Go Giants!

--M.C.

 

* Brandon Crawford was feted at the ballpark before the game and threw out the first pitch.

Bullpen gets it done

SF 6  MIL 5

The Giants took the final game of the series this afternoon despite a rough start from Landen Roupp (3-2/3 IP, 6 H, 5 R). Spencer Bivens, Erik Miller, Tyler Rogers, and Camilo Doval threw a combined 5-1/3 scoreless frames to give the home team a chance at a comeback. Sure enough they got two runs in the 8th with some help from the Brewers and that turned the 5-4 deficit into a 6-5 lead. Doval put two on in the 9th but wriggled out of it and sealed the win.

Mike Yastrzemski continues to rake, he had two hits including a homer. Matt Chapman added a two-run homer. Jung Hoo Lee had a double and two walks and Willy Adames had a hit, a walk, and a key RBI. The Giants were 1-for-13 with RISP and left 10 men on base but some poor execution from Milwaukee's fielders and seven walks from their pitchers kept the outcome in doubt until the end.

The Brewers are a tough team and this series win is pretty impressive. The 14-10 Rangers come to town for three starting tomorrow night (7:15 PT), Justin Verlander and the always-tough Nathan Eovaldi will be the starting pitchers.

Go Giants!

--M.C.