The definitive moment of the San Francisco Giants’ 4-1 loss to the San Diego Padres came in the bottom of the third inning. Rookie right fielder Drew Gilbert singled for the first hit of his major league career, then stole second for the first stolen base of his major league career. And when the throw to second went into center field, he got thrown out trying to go to third, making the first out on the base paths of his major league career.
After that, the Giants managed two hits in the final six innings, though one was Rafael Devers’ 23rd home run of the season. Logan Webb’s excellent start fell apart in a three-run 7th inning and the Giants dropped below .500 once again, falling to 29-29 at home.
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Yu Darvish (2-3) held the Giants to three hits for 5 2/3 innings and struck out six, including all three hitters he faced in the 5th inning. His only real hiccups came in the second, where Dominic Smith and Jung Hoo Lee singled with one out before Darvish struck out Patrick Bailey and got Christian Koss to pop out, and when Devers hit one 405 feet to center on a pitch that wasn’t even in the strike zone. The guy is strong.
But Darvish retired Willy Adames, and then the best bullpen in the major leagues took over after that. An infield single by Matt Chapman was all the offense the Giants could muster against Jeremiah Estrada, closer Robert Suarez (Save No. 33), and new Padre Mason Miller, who struck out the side swinging in the 8th with all three batters having zero chance at the final pitches they saw.
Webb started off strong, aside from his matchups with Jackson Merrill, who went 3-for-3 off Webb. Through five innings, the rest of the Padres lineup was 1-for-16. But in the 6th, Fernando Tatis, Jr. led off with a double. Webb got two outs and got to 1-2 on Merrill before the 22-year-old center fielder lined an inside fastball past Smith at first to score Tatis with the game’s first run.
Webb had thrown only 88 pitches through the 6th, so Bob Melvin left him in the game, even after preserving his bullpen by having Koss pitch the 9th inning Sunday. But Webb was dealing! Until he wasn’t.
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Sheets led off with a double. Jake Cronenworth then singled home pinch-runner Bryce Johnson for a 2-1 lead. As we all know, the natural enemy of a Logan in the wild is, of course, a Bryce. Then catcher Freddy Fermin hit his first home run as a Padre, jumping on a hanging slider and drilling it over the Chevron cars in left field.
I am not a nickname expert, but I’m not sure “The Ferminator” is going to stick.
The Giants bullpen did a solid job, but the damage was done. And the fans at Oracle Park went home disappointed for the 9th time in 10 home games since the All-Star break. There’s no amount of Funko Pops, Hawaiian shirts, or wrestling title belts that can take away the stink of the second-half Giants.