© Joe Nicholson | USA Today
SEATTLE – The Seattle Mariners have a reputation for being one of the best teams in baseball in one-run games. The Giants successfully refuted that reputation on Tuesday, but failed Wednesday, losing 3-2 to the Mariners in the second game of a quick two-game series.
The Giants managed to tie the game in the seventh inning, but allowed the Mariners to continue their success in one-run games in the bottom of the eighth inning. A leadoff walk to Mariners catcher Guillermo Heredia was followed up by a sacrifice bunt from second baseman Dee Gordon. With Heredia on second, the Giants subbed Sam Dyson in for Tony Watson.
With his first batter, Dyson allowed a single to All-Star shortstop Jean Segura. Giants center fielder Steven Duggar attempted to catch Heredia at home, but threw it wildly to the backstop, allowing Segura to advance to second. The bleeding could have been worse had it not been for an outstanding play from right fielder Andrew McCutchen. Right fielder Mitch Haniger ripped a low fly ball toward McCutchen, who came charging in to make a diving catch. Segura ran all the way, allowing McCutchen to double him up at second.
It took the Giants’ offense seven innings to produce any offense. When it did come, it was the result of an error and a pair of doubles.
That offensive production came at a cost. To lead off the seventh inning, Brandon Belt sent a hard hit ball toward first base and hustled down the line to beat the throw.
Gordon threw the ball away into the Giants dugout, allowing Belt to take second base. But Belt could only hobble from first to second. As Belt extended his right leg to get to first, he looked to tweak his knee, and was replaced at second base by Chase d’Arnaud, who took over at third, while Pablo Sandoval shifted to first in the following inning.
The next batter was Brandon Crawford, who doubled to shallow left field, scoring d’Arnaud from second. Next up was Hunter Pence, who homered for the first time of the season Saturday. He doubled to right field to tie the game and ran to second in typical Pence fashion, just reaching the bag on a slide before the throw.
This production came after a similar sixth inning that resulted in nothing. Mariners’ starter Mike Leake had retired 14 straight batters before the Giants were given a breath of life. Shortstop Jean Segura made an uncharacteristic fielding error, allowing Pence to reach base to lead off the inning.
Nick Hundley, who was starting at catcher, singled in the next at-bat. With runners on first and second, Duggar hit a chopper toward second base, with Leake just beating him there for the putout. Then Leake, who had no strikeouts through 5 ⅓ shoutout innings, struck out back-to-back batters in Alen Hanson and McCutchen.
The game was a battle of two pitchers. Derek Holland took the mound for the Giants in place of an injured Jeff Samardzija. In his second straight start, Holland, who hit 1,000 strikeouts for his career in the first inning, failed to receive any run support.
The game was broadcast on Facebook Live, meaning comments were constantly flowing in. This revealed the concern in the Giants’ lack of offensive output by Derek’s brother, Greg.
Greg Holland has a point. In his last outing July 10 against the Cubs, Derek Holland went 6 ⅓ innings, allowing only one earned run. The Giants created no offense in that game, losing 2-0.
In the bottom of the third inning, Holland was called for a balk on a move to first base, after umpires deemed that Holland’s right leg moved towards home plate. Holland was evidently upset, as the move would have resulted in a successful pickoff of Dee Gordon, the leading base stealer in the majors this season.
Gordon also scored the opening run for the Mariners after Holland hit him to lead off the game. He came home from third on a sacrifice fly in the first inning. That 1-0 Mariners lead was doubled in the second, as first baseman Ryon Healy homered deep to center off Derek Holland, who started in place of an injured Jeff Samardzija.
The loss moves the Giants (52-51) back to one game over .500 and 4.5 games back in both the National League West and Wild Card races.