San Francisco Giants Morning Minute: The Gap Widens Again
On this edition of the San Francisco Giants Morning Minute, we discuss the Giants being shut down by a masterful pitching performance.
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Good morning, San Francisco Giants’ fans, and welcome to another edition of the Giants Morning Minute. On Saturday, the Giants dropped game two of a three-game set with the Braves, 3-1, to even the series. Mike Foltynewicz (7-5) earned the win, while Albert Suarez (3-2) – who was starting in the place of the injured Jake Peavy who was starting in the place of the injured Matt Cain – took the loss. Jim Johnson closed the door for his 13th save.
The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs, 3-2, so the Dodgers take their division lead up to two games over the Giants. The St. Louis Cardinals also lost, so the Giants remain 1.5 games up on them for the first wildcard spot. In third place, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Miami Marlins are both three games back of the Giants.
Here’s what went on Saturday.
1 – Young Gun Shuts Offense Down
On Saturday night, Foltynewicz’s deliveries were as to difficult to hit as his name is to spell. The 24-year-old right-hander used his entire repertoire – a high 90’s fastball, a mid-80’s changeup, and a slider-curveball combination – to keep Giants’ hitters off balance. It worked to perfection.
The lone run he allowed in his 7.2 innings came off the bat of Brandon Crawford. The Giants’ shortstop led off the second-inning by stroking a 98-mile-per-hour fastball to left field, where it soared into the tunnel just inside the fair/foul pole. It was Crawford’s third home run in his eighth at-bat against Foltynewicz.
That early lead was short-lived. Former Dodger Matt Kemp (once a Dodger…) lifted a three-run home run to center field in the fourth inning, putting the Braves ahead 3-1. That would be all Atlanta needed, as they rode Foltynewicz’s arm the rest of the way.
2 – But They Had Their Chances
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Even with Foltynewicz’s dominance, the Giants still had opportunities to score. Denard Span collected a one-out single in the fifth inning, and moved to second base on a wild pitch. Neither Angel Pagan nor Joe Panik could bring him all the way around. In the sixth inning, Crawford led things off with a double right past first baseman Freddie Freeman. The Giants had three chances to bring him in, but he remained planted at second base for the rest of the inning.
Another scoring opportunity opened up with two outs in the eighth. Span got it started again, slashing a double just inside the third-base line. Pagan followed with a walk that would chase Foltynewicz from the game, but his bullpen picked him up. Mauricio Cabrera and Jim Johnson got the final four outs of the game to seal a victory.
That’s how it goes, and how it’s been going for the Giants. Things seem all fine and dandy for two games, but they come out and are shut down the next day. They have one more against Atlanta and two against the last place Arizona Diamondbacks. Before heading to Wrigley Field for four days, those games need to be used to build momentum.
Next: Giants Morning Minute: Samardzija's Superb Stuff
And that will do it for this edition of the Giants Morning Minute. Up next, the Giants and Braves finish their series with a little day baseball. Madison Bumgarner, coming off one of his worst starts of the season, takes the hill. Rookie Aaron Blair will be recalled and start for the first time since June 24th.