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Pillar’s grand slam wasted as Giants blow five-run lead

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© D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports


SAN FRANCISCO – The year is 2019 and it just so happens that beating the San Diego Padres has proven to be very difficult. After struggling to score a run against San Diego’s up-and-coming team to begin the year, the Giants offense woke up Monday night with Madison Bumgarner on the mound, before immediately blowing a five-run lead.

Giants starting pitchers gave up six runs combined in the first innings of their previous series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Tonight, Bumgarner held the Padres scoreless in the first. The Giants offense went quietly as well, despite a Brandon Belt single against the shift.

Bumgarner was cruising early on. After striking out three through three no-hit innings, Bumgarner recorded a personal achievement along the way.

Newly acquired first baseman Tyler Austin led off the bottom of the fourth with a single up the middle, his first hit with the Giants. Belt would follow with a walk, and all of the sudden, the Giants had two runners on with nobody out. Buster Posey struck out before Brandon Crawford lined a single to left, scoring Austin, and giving the Giants a 1-0 lead.

Evan Longoria would record the second out on a strikeout before Yangervis Solarte drew an intentional walk to load the bases. Kevin Pillar came to the plate with the bases loaded, two outs, and launched a grand slam to left field, giving the Giants a 5-0 lead.

Pillar’s grand slam is exactly what the Giants have been needing. Both Pillar and Austin were acquired to provide some spark and much needed right-handed power to the Giants lineup.

The following inning, Bumgarner would give two of the five runs back. After he surrendered a leadoff walk to Eric Hosmer, the Padres stud rookie, Fernando Tatis Jr., followed with a two-run home run into the left field bleachers, cutting the Giants’ lead to 5-2.

Bumgarner and the Giants’ lead was trimmed to just two runs in the sixth inning after a Wil Myers solo homer to left set the score at 5-3.

While he was dominant early on, Bumgarner’s struggles forced him out of the game in the top of the seventh inning. After he Tatis Jr. for the second time tonight, Francisco Mejia followed with a double high off the right-field wall. Bumgarner exited in the seventh inning with two inherited runners in scoring position with nobody out for Reyes Moronta to deal with.

Moronta, who has had flashes of brilliance early this season, first secured a groundout from Manuel Margot, and kept a 5-4 lead as one run scored. But the very next batter, Franmil Reyes, crushed a two-run homer down the left field line, giving the Padres a 6-5 lead.

Despite his dominant start early on, Bumgarner’s final line ended at 6 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 1 BB and 3 K’s after the Padres sluggers continued to crush his pitching.

The Giants’ bottom of the seventh was nothing short of eventful. Pillar reached on an error by Manny Machado, before both Pablo Sandoval and Steven Duggar were rung up on strikes. A scary scene followed when Gerardo Parra was hit by a pitch in his jaw, dropping to the ground in pain. Parra eventually walked off the field without assistance, covering his face with a towel.

A quiet top of the eighth inning led to more disappointment in the bottom half of the inning. A leadoff double by Posey put the tying run in scoring position with nobody out. Then, Crawford, Longoria, and Solarte would all failed to score Posey from second, as the Giants went quietly in the eighth despite Posey’s booming double.

The Giants could not secure a much-needed win against the Padres Monday night. Bumgarner was brilliant early on before the Padres hitters torched him late in the game. Pillar and the Giants bats put up enough of a fight against Padres lefty Eric Lauer, but failed to come back against the Padres bullpen.

On Tuesday, the Giants send Derek Holland to the mound against Joey Lucchesi as they look to bounce back from blowing a five-run lead to the Padres.