21

 

GIANTS       91-50                       Crawford makes a play for the ages. 

LA                 89-53     2.5   GB    Urias with the shutout.

San Diego    74-66    16.5  GB     Couldn't they win just one?

Yesterday

Giants defeated Chicago, 6-1. 

LA defeated San Diego, 3-0.

Today

Giants at Chicago; 1:20 local time, 2:20 EDT. Kevin Gausman against Zach Davies, whom the Giants beat up pretty good back in June.

LA hosts San Diego again; 6:10 PDT at Dodger Stadium. Walker Buehler looks to get back on track. 

Yesterday's Game

The Giants finally got a bullpen game right. Eight pitchers combined to allow two hits, four walks and only one run, on a solo homer off Jarlin Garcia in the fourth. And for a time, it looked as though that might be enough for Kyle Hendricks. He shut out the Giants on two hits through five, but in the sixth, Brandon Belt, who'd already walked twice, led off with a double. One batter later LaMonte Wade dropped a little blooper into left, enough to score Belt and tie it, though Wade was thrown by a mile trying to advance to second. And, as has happened so many times this year, once Hendricks was out of the game the Giants pounced. Facing reliever Trevor Megill, Brandon Crawford led off the seventh with a single. Evan Longoria then absolutely crushed a mighty drive all the way up to the top rail of the bleachers, just short of Waveland Avenue. Mike Yastrzremski singled, Steven Duggar walked, and that was it for Megill. Michael Rucker came in and got the double-play ball he needed from Tommy LaStella, but with two out and Yaz on third, Belt then took Rucker the other way for another two-run shot and that made it 5-1.

The play for the ages came just moments later, in the bottom of the seventh. Tyler Rogers gave up a leadoff walk. Patrick Wisdom then hit a shot up the middle. Crawford stretched out, barely gloved it, then immediately issued a perfect blind backhand flip to LaStella at second, who made the pivot and the throw to first for a double play. Voluble Jon Miller, describing the action, was struck momentarily speechless-- if you haven't seen the replay, drop what you're doing and check it out now. This ranks with Derek Jeter's blind toss to the plate in the 2001 AL division series. Sure, Crawford makes great plays all the time-- recall Hosmer's grounder in Game 7 of the 2014 World Series-- but this one is truly exceptional, a supreme exhibition of athleticism as well as "baseball intelligence", from a player having an MVP-worthy season.   

Well, the game didn't end there, though it might as well have. Rogers got out of the seventh, Tony Watson pitched a perfect eighth, and Jay Jackson got the final outs on a much more routine double-play ball, the Giants' third of the game. Thanks to Thursday's day of rest, Kevin Gausman will start today on his regular schedule, and Gabe Kapler doesn't need to roll the dice on a second bullpen game.  But for a change, this one was a real winner. 

Notes

Matt Duffy's now with the Cubs. He pinch-hit for Hendricks leading off the sixth and took a called third strike from Camilo Doval. Duffman is 30 now; he's appeared in 78 games for the Cubs. He took last year off-- missing a World Series appearance-- and played only 46 games for Tampa in 2019 after his fine 2018 season. We always wish him well... Megill, whom the Giants cuffed around severely in the seventh, is the brother of Tylor Megill, a starter for the Mets, whom the Giants also lit up a month ago... Belt was on base four times yesterday and scored twice.  

On this 20th anniversary of the September 11 attack on America by the Global Jihad, we honor those lost, and those who gave the "last full measure of devotion," those brave heroes of Flight 93. If you haven't been to the memorial at Shanksville, Pa., we urge you to put that on your short list if at all possible. It's time well spent, and moments you will never forget. 

God bless America.