On August 8, 2025, the San Francisco Giants returned home and opened their three-game set against the Washington Nationals in style, riding strong pitching and timely power to a 5–0 win at Oracle Park. The victory — their third in a row — continued the momentum from back-to-back road series wins over the Mets and Pirates, pushing them above .500 and keeping them in the NL Wild Card race.
The game began with left-hander Matt Gage making his Giants debut. The veteran worked a clean first inning, retiring the first three batters on 17 pitches before handing off to rookie Kai-Wei Teng to start the second. From there, Teng stole the spotlight. The rookie right-hander delivered five shutout innings, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out four. His biggest moment came in the fifth when, after loading the bases with nobody out, Teng got Jose Tena to ground into a force out and Jacob Young to bounce into an inning-ending double play. The poise under pressure earned Teng his first career major league win.
Offensively, the Giants struck early against Nationals starter Jake Irvin. Rafael Devers crushed a 427-foot solo homer to right-center in the first inning — his 21st of the year — to open the scoring. Willy Adames followed with a sharp infield single, Dominic Smith added the first of what would be a 2-for-4 night, and Matt Chapman laced an RBI single to center to make it 2–0. Smith’s performance extended his hitting streak to 12 games.
The Giants had chances in the third and fourth innings but couldn’t add on until the sixth. Jung Ho Lee, fresh off a series-clinching double in Pittsburgh two nights earlier, lined a ball down the first-base line that was misplayed by Nathaniel Lowe, allowing him to reach second. Casey Schmitt wasted no time capitalizing, turning on a first-pitch curveball and sending it 374 feet into the left-field seats for a two-run homer. In the eighth, Lee singled to left, stole second on the first pitch to Schmitt, and later came home on Patrick Bailey’s infield dribbler that was thrown high to first, making it 5–0.
Lee’s recent surge at the plate — now batting .258 with a .735 OPS — has given San Francisco a consistent spark in the lower third of the order.
The bullpen ensured the shutout stayed intact. Joey Lucchesi worked a smooth seventh on just 16 pitches, Jose Butto struck out two in a perfect eighth, and Tristan Beck needed only eight pitches to record the final three outs in the ninth. In total, Giants pitchers allowed only four hits, walked one, and struck out seven while facing just 29 batters.
With the win, the Giants improved to 59–57, standing eight games back in the NL Wild Card race. They’ll look to keep building on their recent surge in Game 2 tomorrow night, with Carson Whisenhunt set to face Nationals starter Brad Lord in what continues to be a pivotal stretch for San Francisco’s playoff hopes.
The game began with left-hander Matt Gage making his Giants debut. The veteran worked a clean first inning, retiring the first three batters on 17 pitches before handing off to rookie Kai-Wei Teng to start the second. From there, Teng stole the spotlight. The rookie right-hander delivered five shutout innings, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out four. His biggest moment came in the fifth when, after loading the bases with nobody out, Teng got Jose Tena to ground into a force out and Jacob Young to bounce into an inning-ending double play. The poise under pressure earned Teng his first career major league win.
Offensively, the Giants struck early against Nationals starter Jake Irvin. Rafael Devers crushed a 427-foot solo homer to right-center in the first inning — his 21st of the year — to open the scoring. Willy Adames followed with a sharp infield single, Dominic Smith added the first of what would be a 2-for-4 night, and Matt Chapman laced an RBI single to center to make it 2–0. Smith’s performance extended his hitting streak to 12 games.
The Giants had chances in the third and fourth innings but couldn’t add on until the sixth. Jung Ho Lee, fresh off a series-clinching double in Pittsburgh two nights earlier, lined a ball down the first-base line that was misplayed by Nathaniel Lowe, allowing him to reach second. Casey Schmitt wasted no time capitalizing, turning on a first-pitch curveball and sending it 374 feet into the left-field seats for a two-run homer. In the eighth, Lee singled to left, stole second on the first pitch to Schmitt, and later came home on Patrick Bailey’s infield dribbler that was thrown high to first, making it 5–0.
Lee’s recent surge at the plate — now batting .258 with a .735 OPS — has given San Francisco a consistent spark in the lower third of the order.
The bullpen ensured the shutout stayed intact. Joey Lucchesi worked a smooth seventh on just 16 pitches, Jose Butto struck out two in a perfect eighth, and Tristan Beck needed only eight pitches to record the final three outs in the ninth. In total, Giants pitchers allowed only four hits, walked one, and struck out seven while facing just 29 batters.
With the win, the Giants improved to 59–57, standing eight games back in the NL Wild Card race. They’ll look to keep building on their recent surge in Game 2 tomorrow night, with Carson Whisenhunt set to face Nationals starter Brad Lord in what continues to be a pivotal stretch for San Francisco’s playoff hopes.
Chongwoo Chang / chongwoo.chang@baynewslab.com
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