The Miami Marlins Pablo Lopez who picked up his first win of the 2022 season delivers against the San Francisco Giants in the fifth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sat Apr 9, 2022 (AP News photo)
Miami. 2. 5. 0
San Francisco. 1. 5. 2
Saturday April 9, 2022
By Lewis Rubman
SAN FRANCISCO–This afternoon’s contest between the Marlins and the Giants was played, if not flawlessly, much more crispier than Saturday’s comedy of errors. The starting pitching we saw from both teams today today was a treat.
Pablo López, who missed almost all of the last half of last year’s season with a strained rotator cuff in his right, pitching, arm started the game for the fish. Southpaw Carlos Rodón, who capped a seven year stint with the White Sox last season, when he was an AL all star, signed as a free agent with the Giants this March 16.
He went 1-0,1.35 in 6-2/3 innings during spring training before taking the mound for San Francisco in his first start for the team.
The Marlins response to the announcement of Rodón as the San Francisco starter was to send eight right handed batters to face him. Centerfielder Jesús Sánchez was the lone lefty on manager Don Mattingly’s lineup card.
The Marlins jumped to any early lead thanks to some Giant misplays in the top of the third. Wilmer Flores made a nice play on Jon Berti’s ground single to third but threw wildly to first. His error allowed Miami’s second sacker to move up a base. He advanced to third on a wild pitch to Jorge Soler and scored before Jorge Aguilar was thrown out at first after swinging and missing for the third strike of his at bat.
If Bart’s throw to Belt had not resulted in an out, the play would have been scored as strike out-wild pitch. Since it did result in an out, the official scoring call was strike out, with no wild pitch or RBI recorded. The upshot was that Miami enjoyed a one run advantage after two and a half innings of play.
The Giants drew even in the home fifth. After López had retired 12 consecuetive batters following Ruf”s first inning single, Estrada lined a single to left, and Duggar laced a double, also to left, bringing Estrada home with two down. Bart, the number nine hitter, walked, leaving López to face the top of the order with two men on base.
The Marlin starter game through with a little help from home plate umpire Lance Barrett, who called al strike on what looked like ball four to Yastrzemski before SF’s lead off batter grounded out to second.
By now, Rodón had thrown 89 pitches, which was not surprising in light of his 12 strike outs over five innings, in which he gave up one run, three hits, and two walks in addition to his one official wild pitch and the one the one that was subsumed under his strike out of Soler in the third. John Brebbia relieved him at the top of the sixth and set the Marlins down in order. López didn’t come out to pitch in the bottom of the sixth.
The line for López was one run, earned, on three hits, one walk, and six strikeouts over five innings pitched. He threw 79 pitches only 24 were balls. Steven Okert, his replacement, struck out the side on 11 eleven pitches in the Giants’ sixth.
Brescia gave way to Jake McGee for the vistors’ seventh and prompty surrendered a double to center by Anderson and an RBI single to left by Sánchez. With one out, Berti’s fly to deep right sent Sánchez to third and McGeee to the showers.
Enter Camilo Dovalk with two out and a runner n third. He issued a four pitch passport to Soler, bringing Cooper, who was one for three, with two Ks, to the plate. He grounded out to Belt at first. But Miami had regained the lead.
Okert continued his strike out strak, fanning Crawford to lead off the home seventh, before yielding to Cole Sulser. Crawford slammed Suler’s first offering 399 feet into the left center field walll for a double.
Estrada followed with full count walk, bringing Duggar to the plate. He whiffed on three pitches. It now was up to Joey Bart to keep hopes for the incipient rally alive. He took two strikes and fouled off a fastball before grounding in to a 6-4 force out.
Richard Bleier opened the eighth on the mound for the Marlins, which brought in Austin Slater to hit for Yastrzemski. Bleier struck him out looking. Then he k’dBelt and Ruf swinging.
Yesterday’s losing pitcher, José Alvarez, came in to pitch the ninth for San Francisco. He got Anderson to hit a grounder to Crawford, but the usually sure handed shortstop bobbled the ball, putting the lead off. batter on first.
After Alvarez struck Sánchez out swinging, he induced another grounder to short, this time from Stallings. Crawford came on his second chance, ending the ending with a 6-4-3 twin killling.
Mattingly called on Anthony Bender for the save in the ninth. Pederson greeted him with a single to right. But Crawford grounded into a 3-6-3 double play. Rojas made a fine play on Flores’ weak grounder to short to end the game.
It was a disappointing loss, charged to McGee, for the home team. The win went to Okert and the save, to Bender. Needless to say, it was the first of the season for all of them.
Sunday’s rubber game is scheduled for a 1:05 start. The probable pitchers are the left handed Trevor Rogers for Miami and righty Anthony DeSclafani for the Giants. It promises to be an exciting afternoon.
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