What we learned as Webb’s outing wasted in loss to Orioles originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
SAN FRANCISCO — On “Orange Friday” at Oracle Park, the Giants didn’t end up being the victorious team in orange and black.
The Baltimore Orioles handed a one-run lead to one of baseball’s best bullpens and held on for a 3-2 win. With their third straight loss, the Giants dropped back below .500.
The Giants put the tying run in scoring position in the eighth and again with two outs in the ninth, and Gabe Kapler sent Michael Conforto, who has a sore heel, up to bat for Patrick Bailey. Conforto swung through a 3-2 fastball, stranding Casey Schmitt and ending a game that started with a lot of buzz.
LaMonte Wade Jr.’s leadoff homer got the Giants on the board first, but the Orioles struck for two in the top of the second. Mike Yastrzemski’s double tied it up in the third and that’s how things stayed until a loud top of the seventh.
Logan Webb allowed just one homer in May, but Gunnar Hunderson crushed a changeup into the arcade section to put the Orioles back on top. The next batter, Aaron Hicks, thought he had gone back-to-back, but Brett Wisely reached up at the wall in right-center and pulled back a ball that looked like it might sneak over the wall. It was the second close call for Webb, who earlier had given up a double that bounced off the top of the padding in left-center.
The Giants don’t see the Orioles often, and in the eighth, they got their first look at Yannier Cano, a right-hander who might be a surprise All-Star selection. Cano entered with 30 strikeouts and just one walk, but Wilmer Flores drew a leadoff walk. The Giants put two on, but Yastrzemski hit into an inning-ending double play.
Splash 100
The Giants hit homers into McCovey Cove on April 8 and 22, but they had to wait more than a month for Splash Hit No. 100. Wade got it out of the way early in Friday’s game, smoking the first pitch of the bottom of the first into the water.
The Splash Hit was Wade’s fifth, making him the seventh Giants player to hit at least five into the Cove. That group includes three current Giants: Wade, Yastrzemski and Joc Pederson. Combined, however, they’re not anywhere close to the 35 that Barry Bonds hit.
If history is any indication, 101 will come soon. Bonds hit the first Splash Hit on May 1, 2000, and then added two more just nine days later. As he delighted in hitting Splash 69 in 2016, Brandon Belt joked that someone would probably knock the number off the board in a few days. Just five days later, Denard Span hit No. 70.
Getting Deep
Despite the late homer, it was another strong night for Webb, who had a 1.68 ERA over his previous seven starts. He allowed three earned on just four hits, striking out six.
Webb now has thrown at least seven innings in six of his last eight starts. At 79 total innings, he’s tied with Houston’s Framber Valdez for the MLB lead. Webb’s ERA ticked up a bit to 2.85, but he still ranks sixth in the NL.
Pace of Play?
With one out in the fifth, the Orioles felt the umpires missed a catcher’s interference on Patrick Bailey. They were right, and after a review, speedy shortstop Jorge Mateo was sent to first.
Mateo immediately took off and was ruled safe on his attempt to steal second, but the Giants countered with a challenge of their own. They were right, too. Mateo’s lead arm got stuck in the dirt and Brandon Crawford put the tag down in time after a strong throw from Bailey.
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It was an odd sequence, with both teams winning a challenge in the span of about three minutes. But it all worked out in the end for the Giants.
The Orioles ended up having a very unusual night in the challenge department. In the eighth, JD Davis took a 95 mph sinker off his left wrist and — as he was checked by a trainer — the Orioles challenged to see if the ball hit the knob of the bat. They were unsuccessful.
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