Giants Baseball Corner

The Giants struggled to get aboard against Angels starter Yusei Kukuchi, until the top of the 5th, when Heliot Ramos doubled, and then took third on an errant throw from right that missed the cutoff man entirely.

Willy Adames singled to left scoring Ramos and giving the Giants the 1-0 lead. Unusually, the only other guy to get a hit against Kukuchi was Sam Huff, who singled in the second but was stranded.

Justin Verlander was perfect through three, gave up a hit and a walk in the 4th and a home run in the 5th that tied the game 1-1.

It was a very good start interrupted in the 5th by the recently returned Zach Neto, a young exciting player who has been away from the game for months due to a shoulder injury.

The Angels pulled Kukuchi with one down in the 6th after he issued a walk to Tyler Fitzgerald.

Angels reliever Brock Burke picked off Fitz and he was caught stealing. It wasn’t close and it was the second time aggressive base running had ended in a CS. Still, I support BoMel doing it more.

Then with nobody on and one down, the next batter, David Villar singled. Sam Huff then powered a home run that bounced off the top of the wall in center field.

The two most surprising Giants took advantage of reliever Brock Burke and gave Verlander a chance to return to the mound with the lead for the bottom of the 6th.

(Side note: Sam Huff singled, walked, hit a home run and struck out. What a wild appearance for a guy fighting for the backup catcher’s position)!

This was by no means a done deal. Verlander would have to face Luis Rengifo, Mike Trout and Jorge Soler.

Verlander induced a line out to center after ten pitches, struck out Trout on four, and got Soler to fly out after ten more.

The 24-pitch 6th of this one is when Verlander WOULD HAVE won his first of the season. He looked concentrated, focused, in command.

Camilo Doval walked Nolan Schanuel to start the 7th, but then struck out Logan O’Hoppe and got Neto to ground into an inning-ending double-play.

The Giants coaxed another run from the Angels’ ‘pen off a couple of walks issued in the 8th, when Willy Adames had another RBI single to make it 4 – 1.

Tyler Rogers gave up a single but held the 8th.

Jung Hoo Lee was 0-fer today, but the Grandson of the Wind made an incredible diving catch to prevent what could have plated RISP.

Ryan Walker faced Mike Trout leading off the bottom of the 9th with a three-run lead … just how you want him, powerless to win it with one swing.

Unfortunately, Umpire Laz Diaz called a full count strike – a beautiful breaking ball well within the box – a ball, walking Trout.

It was bullshit and Ryan was visibly shaken.

Jorge Soler drilled Walker’s third pitch, a 95 mph slider, into centerfield and just like that, the tying run was at the plate with nobody out. Sigh.

Walker pulled it together and struck out Schanuel, but saw Logan O’Hoppe rip a liner off his 2-0, 95 mph fastball – a base hit past the diving Matt Chapman into left. It was bases loaded, one down.

Then Walker drilled Neto HBP and walked in a run. The implosion was “halfway down now,” as Eddie Murphy’s auntie at the barbecue might have said  Giants 4, Angels 2. Bases still loaded, one down.

Ryan Walker was fighting. He had Angels centerfielderJo Adell down 1-2, but then gave up a hard liner up the third base line that cleared the bases.

Relay play! So close it had to be reviewed.

But Neto was safe.

Angels walk it off. Giants lose.

Walker gets the loss but he also gets a blown save, which is scored BS, which is what that call to Trout was that started the implosion.

Still, if you want to be a closer, son, you can’t lose your cool.

The Giants went 5-5 on the road trip that started The Gauntlet: the longest consecutive game stretch of the season. There are SEVEN more games to go.

We were in the games we lost, it is encouraging.

Bob Melvin was smart. Management could have made this seventeen game stretch much more difficult.

In fact playing guys like Luis Matos and Sam Huff today we’re a part of a larger scheme – and we nearly won. We should have won.

There was a lot that was encouraging about the team’s performance today, in this series and during The Gauntlet.

We need everyone to grow more centered, focused and mindful.