Giants come up short

SD 3  SF 2

The Giants played a close, hard fought game tonight in San Diego but could not get the big hit and ultimately lost to the Padres. They were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Darin Ruf just missed a pinch-hit grand slam in the 7th, and in the 8th they loaded the bases again but could only score one run. The Giants had the matchup they wanted–Evan Longoria against Drew Pomeranz–but he hit a double-play grounder on the first pitch. It was a game of agonizing near-misses. Logan Webb pitched well, kept the ball in the park, and deserved better. Buster Posey hit a homer off Yu Darvish in the 1st, but a poor play by Tommy La Stella in the bottom half let the tying run score with two outs. La Stella’s fielding has not been stellar so far, and his bat is not making up for it. Let’s hope he gets it going soon. The Padres rallied in the 6th for the two runs that ultimately decided the game. The Giants worked hard against Darvish but he got the big outs when he needed them.

Final line for Webb was 6 IP, 7H, 3R, 1 BB, 4 SO, with 26 BF on 96 pitches. Darvish (6-1/3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 12 SO, 27 BF, 107 p) is one of the best in the league and Webb, subbing for Kevin Gausman, really stepped up and gave the team a chance against him. Call-ups Zack Littell and Sam Selman each threw a scoreless inning in relief. Brandon Crawford was hit by a Darvish pitch in the lower leg and was pulled in the 5th, let’s hope he’s back soon. The Giants finish the month of April 16-10, in first place in the NL West. With all the hype over the Dodgers-Padres matchups so far this season, it’s worth noting the Giants-Padres games have had plenty of drama themselves. Here are the scores (SF-SD): 3-2, 1-3, 3-2, and tonight’s 2-3.

Anthony DeSclafani goes tomorrow against Blake Snell, 5:40 Pacific.

Go Giants!

–M.C.

p.s. The Giants were 18-7 in April of 2003, the best start since they’ve occupied the new park. They were 16-11 in April of 2014, so 2021 looks pretty good!