The Giants' three-game winning streak was snapped in a 2-1 loss to the crosstown rival Oakland Athletics Saturday at the Oakland Coliseum.
San Francisco sent right-handed pitcher Ross Stripling (ND, 5 1/3 IP, 3 H, ER, 7 K) to the mound against A's righty Paul Blackburn (ND, 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K) in the third game of the annual Bay Bridge Series.
Stripling held Oakland scoreless until A's third baseman Jordan Diaz broke the tie with a solo home run in the top of the fifth inning, giving the A's a 1-0 lead.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
The Giants' offense was ice-cold and could not scratch across a run against Blackburn and the A's bullpen. That is, until the top of the eighth inning.
Thairo Estrada, who was activated off the injured list Saturday, walked with one out in the top of the inning and advanced to third on Wilmer Flores' single to left field. Joc Pederson's sacrifice fly to center field scored Estrada from third and tied the game at one run apiece.
San Francisco ran into trouble in the bottom of the eighth after Ryan Walker surrendered a leadoff single to Aledmys Díaz and a walk to Tony Kemp. A sacrifice bunt by Esteury Ruiz advanced both runners to second and third with one out before Scott Alexander got Jonah Bride to line out and intentionally walked Zack Gelof to load the bases.
News
Seth Brown roped a base hit to right field that scored Díaz from third and gave Oakland a 2-1 lead before Kemp was thrown at home for the third out of the inning.
The Giants' offense went down in order in the top of the ninth to cap off the loss. Both teams will battle it out in the Bay Bridge Series finale Sunday for the right to take home the 2023 Tom Pellack Memorial Bridge Trophy.
