Barry Zito lost some of the mojo that led him to a near flawless to start the season, and despite a furious late rally by the Giants, the Miami Marlins pulled out a 3-2 victory in 10 innings on Wednesday.
Trailing 2-0 in the ninth inning against Marlins closer Heath Bell, Brandon Belt led off with a double and scored on a single by Joaquin Arias. Buster Posey, who did not start the game, kept the rally moving with a single, chasing Bell from the game.
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Matt Cain found himself matched up with another pitcher who has a history of pitching well at AT&T Park on Tuesday, but this time ended up on the losing end of a 2-1 Giants loss to the Miami Marlins.
The Giants’ offense had some pop in the game, with four extra-base hits, including Pablo Sandoval’s fifth homer of the year, but left runners stranded on third in four different innings as they went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
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Ryan Vogelsong made a strong season debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, but one bad inning left him on the losing end of a 4-1 game.
Vogelsong retired the first three hitters he faced, but all four hits he surrendered came in the second inning — when the Pirates rallied for two runs before he settled down, finishing with seven strikeouts, three walks and one hit batter in 6¹⁄³ innings.
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For National League fans, this will be the last season of watching the 19th-century version of baseball. Next year, the NL has to adopt the designated hitter.
The change will come because, with the move of the Houston Astros to the American League, both leagues will have 15 teams, meaning there will be an interleague game every day of the season.
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The Giants open the 2012 season today, and the schedule makers wasted no time in giving them a shot at revenge on the team that overtook them for the National League West crown in 2011.
San Francisco opens the season on the road against the Arizona Diamondbacks, who won last year with an explosive offense and two aces in Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson. They also added Trevor Cahill in a trade with the A’s to give them an upgraded starting rotation.
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By:
Mike Tulumello
03/25/12 11:34 PM
PHOENIX — In putting together a bench for the 2012 season, the Giants have one option with this heavy résumé:
- He’s a guy who knows the National League inside out, having played with three other NL teams since 2005.
- A player with plenty of postseason experience (60 plate appearances).
- Somebody with a reputation as a clutch hitter.
- And, oh, yes, a guy who started just last season for the World Series champs.
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Jemile Weeks represented himself well during the traditional Japanese ceremonial first pitch. Then he showed why the A’s are excited to have the young second baseman in the leadoff role.
Weeks had a pair of hits and drove in two runs as the A’s blanked the Yomiuri Giants 5-0 on Sunday in Tokyo. The game is part of the exhibitions against Japanese teams before the A’s and Seattle Mariners play a two-game set to open the regular season Wednesday and Thursday.
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By:
Tom Gibbons
03/09/12 12:15 AM
PEORIA, Ariz. — Call it baptism by fire — or fireballer.
Giants star Buster Posey is scheduled to start at catcher today in an exhibition game in Scottsdale, Ariz., against the Cincinnati Reds.
And in his first at-bat since he was injured early last season, Posey will likely face one of the hardest throwers in the majors. The Reds’ probable starter is Aroldis Chapman, whose fastball has been clocked at more than 100 mph.
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Issue: Closing time
Analysis: With All-Star closer Andrew Bailey gone, the most compelling competition at camp — and, with apologies to both infield corners, most likely Oakland’s most difficult decision — revolves around the ninth inning.
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Brandon Allen certainly sent a message that he’s up for the challenge of competing for the A’s first baseman job this spring by belting a grand slam and driving in seven runs in a 12-10 victory against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.
Allen went deep in the fourth, added a two-run double in the fifth and drove in the go-ahead run in the ninth with a groundout. In 41 games with the A’s last year, Allen hit .205 with three home runs and 11 RBIs.
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