San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb delivers against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the top of the first inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed May 15, 2024 (AP News photo)
Los Angeles (29-16) 000 000 010. 1. 7. 1
San Francisco (20-25) 002 001 01x. 4 7. 0
Time: 2:23
Attendance: 36,027
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
By Lewis Rubman
SAN FRANCISCO–The San Francisco Giants avoided being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in Wednesday night’s finale to their three game series, defeating their rivals from the south, 4-1, in an exciting contest that wasn’t decided until the last out.
San Francisco’s for the time being ace, Logan Webb, was on the hill for the hosts and began his evening with a respectable earned run average of 3.38 in spite of poor performances in his April 30 and May 5 starts, which he followed on May 10 with an acceptable but losing effort against the woeful Cincinnati Reds.
Webb was throwing tonight to Curt Casali, with whom the Giants had signed a one year contract earlier in the day in an effort to buttress the team’s injury plagued catching corps. Casali had been hitting .362 for the Iowa Cubs. This is his second stint with San Francisco. He was a Giant in the wildly successful 2021 season and part of ’22.
The Dodgers certainly didn’t choose anyone from the top of their rotation. Dave Roberts and Company took its time deciding who would be on the mound in Wednesday night’s game before settling on Eliéser Hernández, a five year veteran with a lifetime mark of 10-21, 5.04 with the Marlins, as their starter.
The 28 year old righty was signed by the Dodgers in January and invited to spring training but assigned to Oklahoma City before being placed on the Dodgers’ 26 player roster today. Although Hernández has been used primarily as a starting pitcher, the Dodgers’ thumbnail sketch of him in their game notes appears in the “Bullpen” section
Logan had control issues in the early going, throwing 67 pitches while holding the Dodgers scoreless in the first three frames. Hernández, on other hand, held San Francisco hitless until Casali singled to right with one down in the third.
Mike Yastrzemski immediately converted that hit into a run, two runs, in fact, with a 345 foot home run over the brick facing in right field. When the inning was over, Hernández had delivered only 45 pitches, but he and his team were trailing, 2-0.
That almost became 2-1 when Teoscar Hernández led off the fourth with a towering drive over the fence in front of the visitors’ bullpen in right center, Over the fence or not, the ball came down in Luis Matos’ glove, a spectacular catch that preserved the Giants’ lead.
The score remained 2-0 stayed until the bottom of the sixth, when, after Estrada’s lead off single to left, Hernández retired Chapman and Wade, bringing up Héctor Ramos, He whacked a 3-2 pitch into left center field, splitting the outfielders and bouncing off the 391 foot marker, driving in Estrada and increasing SF’s lead to 3-1..
Hurling six innings was enough work for Hernández. He had reached a pitch count of 91 that included 63 strikes and allowed three runs, all earned, on four hits, one of them yard, and a walk. He was the losing pitcher, making him 0-1, 4.50 in his return to the show. Eduardo Salazar followed him on the mound. Salazar kept the Giants off the board in the seventh but coughed up a tally in the eighth
Webb didn’t come out to pitch the seventh either. He’d thrown 103 pitches, 62 for strikes, in his six frame exercise and held the Dodgers to three hits, three bases on balls, and a hit batter, He stood in line for the win and got it, evening his won-lost balance sheet to 4-4 and
dropping his ERA to 3.03. Sean Hjelle replaced him, retired Andy Pages and James Outman before allowing Betts to single to right.
That was it for Hjelle. Southpaw Erik Miller was assigned the tough task of facing Ohtani. Miller struck him out looking at a four seam fastball.
Tyler, the torpedo tossing Rogers twin, had to face the heart of the Dodgers order in the eighth. He was, at best, moderately successful. Freeman and Smith started things with back to back singles that put runners on the corners. Muncy’s sacrifice fly to the warning track in left diminished the Giants’ lead to 3-2.
Matos came through again in the penultimate frame. He tacked on another tally with a broken bat single to right that plated Wade, who ha walked and advanced to second on a passed ball.
The stage was set for Camilo Doval, in search. of his seventh save. He struck out Pages and Outman but walked Betts. This brought up Ohtani, who dropped a 2-2 pitch into left for a single that moved Betts up 90 feet. Freeman was now at bat, representing the potential tying run. The count reached 2-1. Doval threw a cutter. Freeman swung … and grounded out to second.
The Giants will have a well earned day off tomorrow and return to work on Friday the 17th for the first game of three against Colorado.
The Rockies will throw Ryan Feltner (1-3, 5.20) against San Francisco’s Kyle Harrison (3-1, 3.42) on Friday night at Oracle Park with a 7:15pm PT first pitch.
Sports Radio Service 