© Darren Yamashita | 2021 Sep 19
Hours after runners from around the world paced through the San Francisco Marathon outside Oracle Park, starters Anthony DeSclafani and Max Fried tested their own endurance.
Both pitchers held the opposing offense scoreless through six innings. They were both efficient, getting ahead of hitters and avoiding walks. But Fried outlasted DeSclafani as the latter bent in the seventh inning. Atlanta’s Eddie Rosario hit for the cycle, and the pitcher’s duel went Atlanta’s way in SF’s 3-0 defeat. A day after Alex Wood and the bullpen shut out the Braves, Atlanta returned the favor.
The Giants (97-53) still took two of three against Atlanta, but head into their final road trip of the season on a loss. The loss shaves San Francisco’s division lead over the Dodgers down to one game with 12 remaining.
Neither offense could get anything going on a perfectly sunny afternoon in Oracle Park Sunday. It was better running weather than hitting weather, apparently. Through four innings, both Atlanta and San Francisco tallied two hits. Anthony DeSclafani pitched efficiently, needing only 40 pitches to retire 12 batters. Max Fried worked through SF’s order with ease.
There was hardly any traffic on the base paths. Then DeSclafani ran into some trouble in the fifth. After DeSclafani fanned Adam Duvall on a nasty 3-2 sinker, Eddie Rosario crushed a first-pitch fastball into triples alley. Then Travis d’Arnaud worked a full count and fouled off five pitches.
DeSclafani was in trouble. But his defense stood tall behind him. On the ninth pitch of his at-bat, d’Arnaud topped a chopper toward third base. Evan Longoria, playing on the grass, jumped to make the grab and cut down Rosario at home, his throw beating the speedy outfielder comfortably.
The Giants escaped unscathed, but couldn’t touch Braves ace Max Fried. SF went down in order in the first, fourth and fifth innings.
DeSclafani was just as sharp. He recently changed his delivery, eight-sixing his normal over-the-head motion in favor of a more direct approach. He suggested the change to the coaching staff when the old form felt uncomfortable. They worked with him on implementing it, and the fix has yielded results; Sunday was DeSclafani’s third quality start in his last four outings.
Joc Pederson blasted a double over center fielder Austin Slater’s leap, but DeSclafani retired the next two batters to end the sixth inning. He fell behind 3-1 to Rosario, but came back with two sliders to earn two whiffs and his sixth strikeout.
In the seventh inning, though, DeSclafani’s defense didn’t prop him up and he couldn’t strand another runner in scoring position. Austin Riley started the inning off by drilling a fly ball deep into right center. It hung up long enough for Kris Bryant to range over and make a play, but he squeezed his glove too soon and may have lost it in the wind. All day, outfielders were adjusting late to routine pop flies, indicating the conditions were a factor.
Regardless, Riley stood on second base with no outs. Six pitches later, Adam Duvall blasted an outside slider 421 feet over the Giants’ bullpen in center field. The two-run shot broke the stalemate and knocked DeSclafani out of the game at 84 pitches. Zack Littell replaced him, and his first pitch left the park off Rosario’s bat.
Fried, meanwhile, became the fourth pitcher all season to throw at least seven scoreless innings against the Giants in Oracle Park. He struck out Brandon Crawford — the only lefty in SF’s starting lineup — twice and retired Buster Posey and Darin Ruf all three times he faced them. He finished with five strikeouts, one walk and three hits allowed.
Camilo Doval impressed by entering in the bottom of the eighth inning and stranding two inherited base runners. The rookie has now pitched seven straight scoreless appearances in September. But the Giants offense remained dormant. Even The Captain grounded into a double play in the bottom of the eighth as a pinch-hitter.
When Braves closer Will Smith put out Ruf, Slater and Bryant in order, the Giants were officially shut out for the first time since Aug. 29 at Atlanta. SF’s batters have a chance to get back on time under the hot San Diego sun, and then hitter-friendly Coors Field.