This was a weekend I dreaded. As much as we are all Yay Area, the Athletics consistently did a number on us since Interleague began. They kept winning these games that ‘didn’t matter.’ It was one of the two bad jujus: the Bums and the A’s.
I was disappointed when the Giants bats fell silent against Diamondbacks pitching and lost two of three at the yard. But I was at the rubber game loss, Wednesday, and thrilled to see Melvin be decisive about Jordan Hicks.
By removing Hicks in the 3rd, in a one-nothing game, BoMel was saying the game mattered.
I don’t blame Hayden Birdsong for giving up the two dingers and seven more runs, it happens. But I would have preferred Melvin had turned to Randy Rodriguez, whom I trust more in that particular situation. The Wall might have gotten out of the inning with less damage. Then we could have let the kid start with a cleaner slate.
Still, the ‘pen did its job, and the Giants fought back hard to only lose that game by one run. We were a swing of the bat away from a walkoff.
The day off was needed, but I hated that it was the A’s we’d face next.
Then I realized we have the one piece we need to end the bad juju: Bob Melvin.
The Giants swept the A’s at the yard, in three very different ways. With the wind blowing out, we used an offensive explosion by the league RBI leader.
Giants 9, A’s 1
On a cold night, in a scoreless nine inning contest, we loaded the bases in the tenth and walked in the winning run.
Giants 1, A’s 0 F/10
Then finally we scrapped to victory in a hard-fought, back-and-forth contest on Sunday.
Giants 3, A’s 2
Logan Webb hasn’t shown his usual dominance, but the Giants made sure he didn’t need to in game one by continuing to put runners in scoring position for the right guys. Wilmer Flores was two-for-three with RISP, Adames two-for-two. Flores had a career-high eight RBI to extend his lead league to 41.
Not allowing a run to cross the plate Saturday was the job for Landon Roupp and company
Their excellence allowed the Giants to create the situation that allowed the walkoff walk – Wilmer Flores’ 42nd RBI – ha!
Sunday was the battle. There was a lot to be proud of in that win.
Here’s how AP covered it:
“Heliot Ramos hit a leadoff homer in the first inning and had a go-ahead single in the eighth, lifting the San Francisco Giants to a 3-2 victory over the Athletics on Sunday that completed a series sweep.
The three-game set was the teams’ first meeting in the Northern California rivalry since the Athletics relocated from Oakland to Sacramento.
With the Giants trailing 2-1 in the eighth, LaMonte Wade Jr. hit a leadoff triple and Patrick Bailey drove him in with a single to tie it. Ramos’ one-out single to left drove in Bailey from second to cap the rally against A’s reliever Tyler Ferguson (0-2).
Randy Rodriguez (3-0) earned the win after throwing a scoreless eighth and Ryan Walker got three outs for his eighth save.”
A good sweep.
The Royals are much better than the A’s.
Let’s get another series win against the AL in the games that ‘don’t matter.’
Giants Baseball Corner 