Giants Split Series With 4-1 Win

Today’s Game: A leadoff walk, steal and one-out infield rap put G-Men on the corners against Mitch Keller. The Bucs could only get one on a grounder (Will Craig opted for the sure out at second, passing on a possible play at home) to allow the Giants to draw first blood. Kevin Newman worked a walk with an out and stole second on a hit (well, K actually) and run but was left on as Alex Wood’s slider is nasty early on. A two gone single turned the order over for the Giants in the second. Erik Gonzalez singled with one away but got no further than second. Kell held San Fran to a two-out knock in the third. Fraze banged a one-out rap with no other action. A walk and double set up shop for the Giants in the fourth, but Mitch flew right and struck out the 7-8-9 hitters. Jake Stallings, Craig and E-Gon opened with hits (flare, liner & dribbler) before Ka’ia Tom’s sac fly knotted the score. Buster Posey collected his third hit with two gone in the fifth, causing no damage. Fraze singled and an out later, B-Rey did the same to put Pirates on the corners. The Bucs tried the fake break to second, delayed steal of home sleight-of-hand, even with Jake up, but it was sniffed out, played well, and Adam was cut down at the dish.

San Fran opened the sixth with a knock and walk, and in came Clay Holmes. A force left G-Men on the corners and a wild pitch gave them the edge, 2-1. Tom’s two out single led to nada. Holmes survived a knock and walk with two down in the seventh. Caleb Baragar climbed the slope and walked Fraze after an out; he stayed anchored at first. Duane Underwood took over in the eighth and got through with just a two-out rap. Matt Wisler was called on and tossed a clean frame. David Bednar fluffed the rosin bag in the ninth, and a walk and Mike Yastrzemski dinger gave the Golden Gaters’ a comfy 4-1 lead. Tyler Rogers came in to tuck it away. He bopped Ka’ai, the TCB to close it out; no walk off wicca today.

A split with the Giants is a decent weekend for the Bucs at this point, and the series was hotly contested, with a little bit of everything going on. Now for a day off before visiting the Cards and Bravos…

Notes:

• Fraze and E-Gon had two hits while Ka’ai Tom hit the trifecta – a knock, a walk and a bop.
• Jake Stallings was injured in the seventh when he was banged by a foul ball off the knee and took himself out. It was diagnosed as a left quad contusion; we’ll see how that develops.
• The attendance was 7,356.
• On his radio show, Ben Cherington said Chad Kuhl is near to going for a rehab assignment at Indy, as is Ke’Bryan Hayes, without giving a specific timeline.

Tomorrow’s Game: The Pirates are off before beginning a six-day road trip against St. Louis and Atlanta.