The San Francisco Giants will try to convert more hits into runs on Saturday afternoon when they continue their series with the host Toronto Blue Jays.
San Francisco outhit Toronto 11-10 on Friday night but lost the opener of the three-game set 4-0 as the teams returned to action after the All-Star break.
The primary culprit? The Giants went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position while the Blue Jays, who scored all their runs in the second inning against Justin Verlander, were 3-for-9.
“They got three big hits, we didn’t get any,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “We’ve got to move on from it.”
It was the first time the Giants had 11 or more hits and scored zero runs in a game since Aug. 24, 1959, against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Giants had two hits each from Heliot Ramos, Rafael Devers and Patrick Bailey. Toronto starter Chris Bassitt allowed two singles in the first and two more in the second, but he worked out of the jams with a double-play grounder in each inning.
The victory gave the Blue Jays a three-game lead in the American League East over the New York Yankees, who lost 7-3 to the Atlanta Braves. The Yankees visit the Blue Jays for a three-game series starting on Monday.
The Giants are scheduled to send out right-hander Logan Webb (9-6, 2.94 ERA) when they try to square the series on Saturday. They hope Webb reverses the results of his previous two career starts against the Blue Jays. He is 0-2 with a 10.80 ERA against them.
Toronto is slated to go with left-hander Eric Lauer (4-2, 2.78), who was one of Toronto’s pleasant surprises in the first half. Lauer is 3-0 with a 3.28 ERA against San Francisco in nine career outings (eight starts). He has not faced the Giants since 2022.
All but one of Toronto’s hits on Friday came in 2 2/3 innings against Verlander, who dropped to 0-8 on the season — and many were somewhat soft. The other hit came against Tristan Beck, who helped save the rest of the bullpen with 4 1/3 innings. Matt Gage, promoted from Triple-A Sacramento on Friday, pitched the final inning.
The Blue Jays continue to get contributions from a variety of sources. Will Wagner had a two-run double, his first RBIs since he was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo on June 28.
“It’s always good to help the team out,” Wagner said. “It’s been a long time coming.”
George Springer had three hits and a stolen base to end a 0-for-12 drought.
The Blue Jays did receive some bad news. Yimi Garica, who is on the injured list with a sprained ankle, is now dealing with an ulnar nerve issue in his right elbow, making his return date uncertain.
Getting some help before the trade deadline is a real possibility, of course, and Garcia’s problems might be the impetus for a possible acquisition.
“We’ve got to continue to do our part the next couple of weeks to hopefully make that push,” Toronto manager John Schneider said. “I don’t want to say rely on it, but you can kind of factor that into the equation as long as we’re continuing to play the way we’re playing, that there will be some additions from outside.”
–Field Level Media
