Diamondbacks leapfrog Giants in playoff chase
The San Francisco Giants opened a critical three-game set in Arizona on Monday night but were outmatched in an 8–1 loss to the Diamondbacks, a result that shifted the wild-card standings in the National League.
Rookie Kai-Wei Teng took the mound for San Francisco, still looking to settle in at the big-league level. He showed flashes — striking out five across four innings — but his outing unraveled on miscues. In the first, a passed ball and throwing error allowed Arizona’s Geraldo Perdomo to score without a hit, giving the D-backs an early 1–0 lead. Without giving up a hit, the Giants were down in the 1st inning.
San Francisco briefly responded in the third when Casey Schmitt drilled a 418-foot solo homer to center, tying the game 1–1. Schmitt would go on to be the Giants’ lone bright spot at the plate, finishing with the only two hits of the entire team tonight. They batted 2/29 with a 0.069 batting average.
After Teng exited, the Arizona bats pounced. In the sixth inning, Joel Peguero and Joey Lucchesi combined to allow five runs. The damage piled up with James McCann’s two-run homer and Perdomo’s RBI triple, stretching the lead to 7–1. The Diamondback went through the entire order in the 6th, a horrible sting for the Giants bullpen.
By the time the eighth rolled around, Arizona tacked on one more when McCarthy doubled and Perdomo, reaching base for the fourth time, singled him home.
The Giants offense never solved Zac Gallen, who tossed six innings of two-hit ball with six strikeouts. San Francisco’s only other baserunner of note came from Matt Chapman’s seventh-inning walk. Bryce Eldridge was called up this morning from the minors, making his MLB debut as the designated hitter, went hitless in three at-bats but came within a foot of his first career extra-base hit before a leaping catch at the wall denied him.
San Francisco struck out 10 times overall and mustered only two hits. This was a painful outing by Bob Melvin’s club who are in desperation mode to experience October baseball.
The loss dropped the Giants to 75–75 and, more importantly, pushed them behind Arizona in the wild-card race. The Diamondbacks (76–75) have now won 12 of their last 18 and leapfrogged San Francisco by half a game, sitting just 1.5 back of the Mets.
With the Reds also winning, the Giants and Cincinnati both trail New York by two games for the final postseason spot. San Francisco will look to reset quickly, though tomorrow’s starter remains TBD.
Gallen (12–14) earned the win, while Matt Gage (0–1) took the loss in relief.
Rookie Kai-Wei Teng took the mound for San Francisco, still looking to settle in at the big-league level. He showed flashes — striking out five across four innings — but his outing unraveled on miscues. In the first, a passed ball and throwing error allowed Arizona’s Geraldo Perdomo to score without a hit, giving the D-backs an early 1–0 lead. Without giving up a hit, the Giants were down in the 1st inning.
San Francisco briefly responded in the third when Casey Schmitt drilled a 418-foot solo homer to center, tying the game 1–1. Schmitt would go on to be the Giants’ lone bright spot at the plate, finishing with the only two hits of the entire team tonight. They batted 2/29 with a 0.069 batting average.
After Teng exited, the Arizona bats pounced. In the sixth inning, Joel Peguero and Joey Lucchesi combined to allow five runs. The damage piled up with James McCann’s two-run homer and Perdomo’s RBI triple, stretching the lead to 7–1. The Diamondback went through the entire order in the 6th, a horrible sting for the Giants bullpen.
By the time the eighth rolled around, Arizona tacked on one more when McCarthy doubled and Perdomo, reaching base for the fourth time, singled him home.
The Giants offense never solved Zac Gallen, who tossed six innings of two-hit ball with six strikeouts. San Francisco’s only other baserunner of note came from Matt Chapman’s seventh-inning walk. Bryce Eldridge was called up this morning from the minors, making his MLB debut as the designated hitter, went hitless in three at-bats but came within a foot of his first career extra-base hit before a leaping catch at the wall denied him.
San Francisco struck out 10 times overall and mustered only two hits. This was a painful outing by Bob Melvin’s club who are in desperation mode to experience October baseball.
The loss dropped the Giants to 75–75 and, more importantly, pushed them behind Arizona in the wild-card race. The Diamondbacks (76–75) have now won 12 of their last 18 and leapfrogged San Francisco by half a game, sitting just 1.5 back of the Mets.
With the Reds also winning, the Giants and Cincinnati both trail New York by two games for the final postseason spot. San Francisco will look to reset quickly, though tomorrow’s starter remains TBD.
Gallen (12–14) earned the win, while Matt Gage (0–1) took the loss in relief.
