All San Francisco Giants starter Kevin Gausman could do leaving the mound in the fifth inning on Sat Jul 24, 2021 is talk in the glove after the Pittsburgh Pirates shelled him at Oracle Park. Giants manager Gabe Kapler in black jacket calls for a new pitcher (AP News photo)
By Jeremy Kahn
After getting off to a great start during the 2021 season, it seems that San Francisco Giants (61-37) pitcher Kevin Gausman is in a kind of rut.
Gausman lasted just 4.1 innings, allowing six runs on eight hits, walking four and striking out two, as the Pittsburgh Pirates (38-60) made it two wins in a row after a 10-2 victory over the Giants at Oracle Park.
This is the second start in a row that Gausman, who was going for his 10th win of the season could not get past the fifth inning in a start.
In his previous start against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night at Dodger Stadium, Gausman lasted just three innings, two runs (both on home runs), walked three and struck out five and did not fare in the decision.
Pirates starter Wil Crowe went the first 5.1 innings, allowing two runs on four hits, walking one and striking out nine on his way to his second win of the season.
The Pirates got to Gausman in the top of the first inning, as they loaded the bases with nobody out, and then Gregory Polanco hit a sacrifice fly to Alex Dickerson in left field that scored Adam Frazier from third base after Frazier led off the inning with a single to centerfield, then went to second on a wild pitch by Gausman.
After KeBryan Hayes walked, Bryan Reynolds also drew a walk against Gausman that loaded the bases and then Polanco drove in Frazier with his sacrifice fly to left field.
Once again, the Pirates loaded the bases, as John Nogowski reached on a fielders choice and Jason Vosler committed a fielding error.
Gausman was able to get out of the inning and the jam, as he induced Ben Gamel to hit into a double play.
Thairo Estrada got the Giants on the board in the bottom of the second inning, as he grounded into a double play that scored Wilmer Flores from third base to tie up the game.
Flores singled to lead off the inning when he singled off of Crowe and then went to third on a Vosler single, and then scored the tying run on the Estrada double play.
The Pirates took the lead for good in the top of the third inning, when Polanco picked up his second RBI of the game, as he drove in Reynolds with the tie-breaking run. Gamel then added to the lead, as he singled Polanco.
Polanco added his third RBI of the evening in the top of the fifth inning, as he hit his 11th home run of the season.
Kevin Newman broke the game wide open, as he hit a two-run single, when he singled to centerfield that scored both Nogowski and Gamel to give the Pirates a five-run lead.
LaMonte Wade, Jr., became the eighth different Giants player to reach double figures in home runs, as he hit his 10th home run of the season off of Crowe in the bottom of the season.
Michael Perez added to the lead in the top of the eighth inning, as tripled in Newman, who singled to lead off the inning. Wilmer Difo came off the bench to pinch-hit for former Giants pitcher Chris Stratton and hit a sacrifice fly to score Perez from third base.
Frazier then doubled following the Difo sacrifice fly, and after Hayes lined out to Steven Duggar for the second out. Reynolds then singled to right field to score Frazier from second base.
Mike Tauchman came on to pitch the final inning for the Giants, as the outfielder made his first ever appearance on the mound, as he pitched one inning, allowing one run on three hits.
Tauchman allowed a single to Newman put the final touches on the scoring, as he singled in the top of the ninth inning off of Tauchman to score Nogowski, who led off the inning with a double.
NOTES: After being out of the broadcast booth since June 6, when the Giants lost to the Chicago Cubs at Oracle Park, Duane Kuiper made a surprise return to the booth and shocked his longtime broadcast partner Mike Krukow.
Kuiper, 71 is undergoing chemotherapy for an undisclosed condition came back to Oracle Park to broadcast a game.
In his first game in almost seven weeks, Kuiper spoke with Greg Papa on Giants Pregame Live and said.
“Hey, I missed me. Sorry,” Kuiper said. “Sitting on that couch after a while, my wife is so happy that I walked out of the house today, where she gets six hours where she doesn’t have to worry about me tripping or falling or what I’m going to eat or what’s going on. Anyway, I’m thrilled to be back, and the one thing I definitely learned while I was gone, for whatever it was, two months or so, is how much I appreciate my partners because I got a chance to watch them for all those games, and I certainly do appreciate them.”
UP NEXT: Alex Wood takes the Oracle Park mound on Sunday afternoon, as he looks for his ninth win of the season. The Pirates will send JT Brubaker to the hill, as he looks for his fifth win of the season.