TORONTO — Brandon Belt said before the start of this series that he hoped to beat Logan Webb and joked, “I just want to embarrass his whole family.” The former Giants first baseman certainly did his best and batted at his 739 total feet of flyballs in their first two appearances, but Toronto didn’t have to leave the stadium to beat Webb harder than any other team this season.

The Blue Jays brought nine men to the plate and tagged Webb for five runs in the first inning, putting the Giants in a rare hole that proved too deep to climb out. The Giants lost the middlegame of their series 6-1 and lost away at Oracle Park for the first time since Memorial Day weekend. They broke a San Francisco-era record of 10 consecutive away wins.

A night after the Giants defeated the Blue Jays’ top starter Kevin Gausman with a game of bullpen, Toronto dosed San Francisco with the same medicine. A quartet of Blue Jays relievers limited the Giants to one run on six hits — three by LaMonte Wade Jr. — or the number Toronto hit in the first inning alone.

Austin Slater, coming on for Michael Conforto (left hamstring strain) early in the second half, made the Giants’ only run with a 402-foot solo shot over Tim Horton’s shield in right midfield. The Giants only got two other runners into goal position, Wade with a wild pitch after his leadoff single in the first and Patrick Bailey with a scoring double in the seventh inning.

The Blue Jays’ five earned runs in the first inning was the most Webb had ever conceded in a single inning and represented their worst season for a single game.

Belt entered the box at the bottom of the first pass, a run was already on the board and a man was on first base. At first it looked like he’d executed his intentions and blasted a ball deep into left center field, but had to settle for an RBI double as the ball landed a few yards from the wall. He fell just short again on his second attack, sending Luis Matos onto the runway in midfield for the lowest point of the game.

As Belt returned to the dugout, he appeared to exchange a few words with his former teammate up the hill.

While the Blue Jays marked Webb for six hits — four doubles — in the first inning, Belt’s 98.8 mph two-bagger was their hardest-hit ball of the inning until a 109-mph line-drive single from Danny Jansen won the last run. According to Statcast, George Springer’s double to lead from the inning and Daulton Varshos, driving in Belt, each had a 16% or less chance of hitting. It was only the fourth time in the Statcast era (since 2015) that a pitcher had allowed four doubles in an inning and neither registered an exit speed of 100 mph or more.

After the big first inning, Webb managed to give up 11 of the last 13 batters he faced but left Ross Stripling to start the sixth inning. Stripling, recurring for the first time since May 17 (low back strain), won the last three innings but conceded a run on three hits and had three strikeouts.

The first inning cost the Giants more than the game. Conforto was sent off for a pinch hitter early in the second period after chasing several balls down right field, including a foul by Matt Chapman that catapulted Conforto into foul territory and eventually into the waist-high wall while he was recorded the second of the inning.

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Copyright 2023 Tribune Content Agency.

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A five-run second inning gave the Cincinnati Reds a 5-4 win over the Kansas City Royals in front of a crowd of 16,931 at Kauffman Stadium.

After Cincinnati scored five runs in the second half to take a 5-1 lead, Cincinnati’s offense largely sat still for the remainder of the game. But the pitching team took control, with the bullpen knocking out the home side in the last four innings to secure a one-run win.

? Fourth win in a row
? Series winner in 5 of the last 6
? 22. Comeback W (also most in MLB)#ATOBTTR pic.twitter.com/5j8Nlz9zDi

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 14, 2023

It was also the Reds’ ninth win in their last 11 away games. The Reds are aiming for the three-game win on Wednesday.

As this final article goes online, the Reds are now just a game and a half behind second-seeded Milwaukee, who blew a ninth-inning lead tonight in a 7-5 loss to Minnesota. Cincinnati is currently three games behind first-seeded Pittsburgh, who tied the sixth inning with the Cubs in Chicago at 10:45 p.m. ET. Also, Cincinnati is just two games behind San Francisco for third and final spot in the National League wildcard playoffs.

The offensive

Elly De La Cruz took the lead in the second inning with a walk, stole second, and ended up in third with a bad throw. Spencer Steer then hit a left to equalize 1-1. An RBI double from Kevin Newman made it 2-1, Stuart Fairchild followed with a single to make it 3-1. TJ Friedl then hit a single to the right to give Newman a 4-1 lead. Fairchild and Friedl then double stole third and second place respectively. Then Matt McLain went to load the bases with an out. Jonathan India emerged as number two into right field. As De La Cruz led for the second time in the inning, a wild pitch from Jordan scored Lyle’s run number five.

India and De La Cruz, the last two outs of the second inning, were the first of 14 straight Reds Lyles pulled back in five runs in the second inning after the Cincinnati riot.

Royals substitute Jackson Kowar extended that streak to 16 before dishing out a two-out walk to Friedl in the seventh set. India’s eighth-inning walk was Cincinnati’s only other baserunner of the night.

Friedl’s two goals got the Reds batsmen on their toes.

“This team is full of grinders. We will find a way to win.”

TJ Friedl commended the Bullpen and his teammates for tonight’s win.

He feels more comfortable after coming back from his injury.
Friedl had two hits, an RBI and a stolen base. @Tj Friedl1 | @JimDayTV pic.twitter.com/L63K4Hw8B0

— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) June 14, 2023

The pitching

Brandon Williamson gave up an unearned run in the first half, largely due to a tapper from Bobby Witt Jr. to Williamson’s right, which he hurried to throw first. The toss bounced in first place, resulting in the runners finishing in first and third place and each having an out. RJ Melendez then hit a deep, sacrificial flight to the right that would have been the third out had it not been for Williamson’s miss.

Second-inning doubles from Edward Olivares and Matt Duffy scored KC’s second run and left the Reds 5-2 after two. A two-run home run by Witt brought KC to 5:4 in the third round.

Williamson went through the first five innings, allowing seven hits and three earned runs. Significantly, he gave no walks.

Right-back Daniel Duarte, who was called back from Louisville earlier in the day, was eliminated from the team in play six after seven pitches in his first major league appearance since April 2022.

Ian Gibaut came on at the end of the seventh, and three of the first four batters he faced entered the game with two walks and a hit batsman. That prompted manager David Bell to call in Lucas Sims, who responded by punching Nick Pratto and swinging Salvador Perez.

This is Lukie Tickets, folks. ????@LSims_ pic.twitter.com/7Wc4RzK829

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 14, 2023

Sims then only allowed a two-out single in the eighth game against the heart of the KC ranks. Sims was definitely the Reds’ pitching star of the game.

Alexis Diaz came on ninth and was eliminated by the Royals with his 16th save.

What’s new?

Elly made his @IntentionalTalk debut while working on his English ?@ellylacooa18 pic.twitter.com/NpUy4YOX3d

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 13, 2023

Next up are the Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds at Kansas City Royals

Wednesday, June 14 at 8:10 p.m. ET

Ben Lively (3-4, 4.21 ERA) vs. Daniel Lynch (0-2, 4.41 ERA)

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IAN HARRISON
Associated Press

TORONTO — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk each had three hits, Whit Merrifield reached twice and drove in two runs and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-2 Tuesday night.

Brandon Belt and Cavan Biggio each reached base three times and drove in a run as the Blue Jays snapped a four-game home losing streak.

On this episode of Rewind: Your Week in Review, Emilee and JR discuss how Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred sent a serious message that the repairs to American Family Field will require public funding to extend the Milwaukee Brewers lease and said he’s confident lawmakers will figure out a plan to provide the needed funding. Manfred’s visit came on the same day the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors issued a rare unanimous vote against putting any more county money toward renovating the ballpark.

Watch: https://wiseye.org/2023/05/26/rewind-your-week-in-review-for-may-20-26

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“Today was a perfect example of doing things that we’re good at,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “It was good starting pitching, it was clean defense and really good at-bats.”

William Contreras hit a two-run home run, his second homer in two games, as the Brewers lost for the fourth time in five games.

Yusei Kikuchi (6-2) allowed two runs and three hits in five innings, snapping a three-start winless streak. Kikuchi walked a season-high five and struck out four.

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Nate Pearson pitched two innings, Adam Cimber got two outs in the eighth and Tim Mayza retired Rowdy Tellez to strand a pair. Yimi Garcia finished for Toronto.

Contreras gave Milwaukee an early lead when he connected for his sixth homer in the first, but Toronto answered with four runs in the bottom half against Adrian Houser (1-1). Guerrero and Matt Chapman had RBI singles and two runs scored on Merrifield’s double.

“Any four-run inning in a nine-inning game is going to be tough to come back from,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said.

Houser came in having pitched 11¹/³ scoreless innings over his previous two outings. He gave up seven runs, six earned, and a career-worst 11 hits in 4¹/³ innings.

“I just wasn’t executing as good as I have been the last few games,” Houser said.

Kirk reached base to begin the second when Houser couldn’t find first base with his foot after taking a feed from first baseman Mike Brosseau.

“I didn’t get quite far enough over there to the line,” Houser said.

Two more batters reached before Bo Bichette drove in a run with a fielder’s choice and Belt added an RBI single.

The Brewers played north of the border for the first time since sweeping a two-game series in Toronto to start the 2017 season.

Winker goes on IL

Designated hitter/outfielder Jesse Winker was put on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a cervical strain. The move was made retroactive to Sunday.

Winker, 29, is batting .204 with a .315 on-base percentage and .231 slugging percentage in 39 games this season.

Although Winker hit 24 home runs with Cincinnati as recently as 2021, when he made an All-Star Game appearance, he hasn’t homered at all this season. He has only three extra-base hits — all doubles — in 127 plate appearances.

Milwaukee acquired Winker and infielder Abraham Toro from the Seattle Mariners last December for second baseman Kolten Wong and $1.75 million. Winker underwent disk replacement surgery on his neck and meniscus repair in his left knee during the offseason.

The Brewers filled Winker’s spot on the roster by recalling Toro from Triple-A Nashville. Toro was hitting .258 with a .344 on-base percentage, one homer, 18 RBIs and four steals in 43 games with Nashville while playing third base and second base.

Big day

Brewers shortstop Andruw Monasterio celebrated his 26th birthday by picking up his first big league hit, a single in the second.

Monasterio said he planned to give the ball to his father.

“That’s my first coach,” he said. “He taught me everything I knew before I signed.”

Up next

Right-hander Alek Manoah (1-5, 5.53) starts for the Blue Jays on Wednesday against Brewers right-hander Julio Teheran (0-1, 1.80).

5 greatest Milwaukee Brewers pitchers of all time

5 greatest Milwaukee Brewers pitchers of all time

Milwaukee Brewers’ Corbin Burnes thorws during a spring training baseball workout Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Morry Gash

Pitching has always been a vital component of success in major league baseball. 

Having a reliable ace is a treasured asset for franchises and the Milwaukee Brewers have been blessed with some of the top arms. 

Spring training is complete and Opening Day is Thursday for the Brewers and the rest of the league. Last season, the Brewers registered 1,530 strikeouts (third in the MLB) while giving up 1,238 hits (fifth fewest) as well as ranking 12th in ERA (3.83).

As the Brewers’ No. 1 pitcher, right-hander Corbin Burnes (12-8) racked up the second-most strikeouts in the majors (243) while finishing eighth in WHIP (0.97) along with an ERA of 2.94 last season. Burnes amassed at least 10 strikeouts in nine contests, with the highest amount being 14 when he allowed one run and three hits vs. the San Francisco Giants on Sept. 8. 

Yet, even with Burnes’ lofty numbers, the Brewers didn’t reach the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Still, Burnes has collected 670 strikeouts with a 35-19 record since beginning his career with the Brewers in 2018. This has resulted in Burnes making the All-Star Game twice, in addition to capturing the Cy Young Award in 2021. 

Leading up to the March 30 season opener at the Chicago Cubs, here’s a look at the five greatest pitchers in Brewers history. 

LHP Teddy Higuera (1985-94)

Baseball commissioner and former Milwaukee Brewers owner Bud Selig hugs former pitcher Teddy Higuera during a Brewers Wall of Honor ceremony June 13, 2014, before a game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Cincinnati Reds in Milwaukee. 

MORRY GASH, ASSOCIATED PRESS

During his prime, Higuera was perhaps the most elite lefty in the AL. 

Higuera posted a 15-8 record during his rookie season in 1985. In his second season, Higuera announced his dominance to the baseball world. 

In 1986, Higuera (20-11) became the second Mexican in MLB history with at least 20 wins, while also recording 207 strikeouts with a 2.79 ERA. Higuera was runner-up to Roger Clemens for the AL CY Young Award. 

Higuera followed up in 1987 with an 18-10 record and career-high 240 strikeouts to finish sixth in CY Young voting. In 1988, Higuera went 16-9 with 192 strikeouts and a career-low 2.45 ERA. 

A rotator cuff injury five appearances into the 1991 season resulted in Higuera missing almost three seasons before closing out his career with modest numbers in 1993 and 1994. 

Higuera is rated by Baseball Reference as the No. 5 Brewers player of all time with a WAR of 30.3. For career figures, Higuera is third in wins (94) and strikeouts (1,081), and fifth in ERA (3.61) in Brewers history. 

Higuera was inducted into the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011 and also included in the Brewers’ Wall of Honor and the American Family Field Walk of Fame. 

RHP Ben Sheets (2001-08)

Sheets fought through ailments to produce four All-Star Game appearances (2001, 2004, 2007, 2008) during his time with the Brewers. 

The first trip to the All-Star Game came during a rookie season in which he finished with an 11-10 record and 94 strikeouts. In Sheets’ ninth career start, he pitched a five-hit shutout vs. the St. Louis Cardinals. 

A bulging disc caused Sheets to regress in 2002 and 2003 before bouncing back with a career-best campaign in 2004. 

During that season, Sheets made the All-Star Game for the second time as he set a franchise record for strikeouts (264). Sheets recorded a Brewers-best 18 strikeouts vs. the Atlanta Braves on May 16, 2004. Sheets also had an immaculate inning (three strikeouts on nine pitches) in a loss to the Houston Astros on June 13, 2004. 

After 2004, Sheets suffered a string of more injuries but capped off his time with the Brewers with his last two All-Star appearances in 2007 and 2008. 

On Opening Day in 2007, Sheets tossed a complete-game two-hitter in a win vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2008, Sheets became the first pitcher in franchise history to start in the All-Star Game. 

In franchise history, Sheets ranks second in strikeouts (1,206), sixth in wins (86) and eighth in ERA (3.72). Baseball Reference regards Sheets as the eighth-best Brewers player ever (22.8 WAR). Sheets is a part of the Brewers’ Wall of Honor. 

RHP Yovani Gallardo (2007-14)

Brewers’ Yovani Gallardo delivers a pitch during the first inning Saturday night at Dodger Stadium.

MARK J. TERRILL — Associated Press

Gallardo followed in the footsteps of Higuera as another dominant Mexican pitcher for the Brewers. 

Gallardo began his career with a 9-5 record and 101 strikeouts in 2007. A knee injury cost Gallardo to practically miss the entire next season. However, once that cleared up, Gallardo’s career took off. 

Gallardo produced five consecutive winning seasons from 2009-13, which included an All-Star Game appearance in 2010. Gallardo had at least 200 strikeouts every season from 2009-12. 

In 2010, Gallardo posted a 14-7 record, 3.84 ERA, 200 strikeouts and two shutouts. Gallardo also flashed his versatility as the NL’s Silver Slugger recipient for pitchers that season. He hit .254 with four home runs and 10 RBIs and a .508 slugging percentage. For his career, Gallardo hit 12 home runs, including one off Randy Johnson in a 1-0 victory vs. the Giants. 

Gallardo (17-10, 3.52 ERA, 207 strikeouts) finished seventh in CY Young voting in 2011. In 2012, Gallardo (16-9, 3.66 ERA, 204 strikeouts) led NL pitchers with 33 starts and set a career high with 14 strikeouts vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

Gallardo is the franchise leader in strikeouts (1,226), fifth in wins (89), and seventh in ERA (3.69). Gallardo is deemed by Baseball Reference as the No. 18 Brewers player of all time (18.3 WAR). Gallardo is on the Brewers’ Wall of Honor. 

RHP Corbin Burnes (2018-present)

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Corbin Burnes throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets Monday, Sept. 19, 2022, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Morry Gash

It might seem early for this coronation, but in the past three seasons, Burnes has asserted himself as one of the top arms in the NL. 

Burnes’ rise was preceded by a rocky start to his career. Burnes went 7-0 with a 2.61 ERA as a reliever in his 2018 rookie campaign. However, when thrust into the rotation the next season, Burnes went 1-5 with an 8.82 ERA. 

Burnes was demoted to Class AAA and he floundered in the minors until reinventing his game in 2020. Burnes developed a vicious cut fastball and posted a 4-1 mark with a 2.11 ERA during the pandemic-shortened campaign. Burnes finished sixth in NL CY Young voting. 

That set the tone for the comeback story’s apex in 2021. Burnes won the NL CY Young Award and was an All-Star behind an 11-5 record, 2.43 ERA, and 234 strikeouts. Burnes became the third Brewers pitcher to win the award. His masterful control was on full display, as he got his first 58 strikeouts with zero walks to set an MLB record.

Last season, Burnes was a pitching finalist for the NL Golden Glove Award. 

During the past two seasons, Burnes failed to earn victories in 17 games in which he threw a quality start, which consists of six-plus innings while allowing three or fewer earned runs. 

Burnes holds the franchise single-season record for strikeouts per nine innings (12.6 in 2021) as well as second in ERA (2021) and sixth in WAR (5.6 in 2021). Burns also tied an MLB record with 10 consecutive strikeouts vs. the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 12, 2021.

RHP Rollie Fingers (1981-85)

Brewers closer Rollie Fingers shown in 1982.

CAPITAL TIMES ARCHIVES

The legendary reliever with perhaps the most famous mustache in MLB history graced the Brewers with the final four seasons in his 17-year career. 

With the arrival of Fingers, one of the game’s trailblazing relievers, the Brewers qualified for the postseason for the first time in franchise history in 1981. Fingers won both MVP and the CY Young Award for the AL as he recorded 28 saves and 61 strikeouts with a 1.04 ERA. 

Then the following season, the Brewers captured the AL pennant before falling to the St. Louis Cardinals in a seven-game World Series. In 1982, Fingers had 29 saves, 71 strikeouts and a 2.60 ERA to earn an All-Star selection.

However, Fingers missed the World Series and the entire 1983 season due to injury.

Fingers surpassed Sparky Lyle’s AL record for career saves (232) in a road victory vs. the Minnesota Twins on Sept. 4, 1985. 

The Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher had 97 saves during his stint with the Brewers and is the lone pitcher to have his number retired by the franchise. Fingers’ number also is retired by the Oakland Athletics, making him one of only 10 players with the multiple-team distinction. 

Honorable mention: LHP Mike Caldwell (1977-84)

Milwaukee Brewers’ pitcher Mike Caldwell raises his arms in victory as he watches a popout for the last out of the game in the World Series opener Oct. 13, 1982, in St. Louis.

ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES

Caldwell began his career with the San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, and Cincinnati Reds, but the best stretch of his career came with the Brewers. 

The trade of minor leaguers Dick O’Keefe and Garry Pyka to the Reds for Caldwell goes down as one of the most significant in the history of the franchise. 

Caldwell shook off a slow start with the Brewers in 1977 to set a single-season franchise record for wins (22) in 1978. 

During that campaign in which he finished second in AL Cy Young voting, Caldwell registered a 2.36 ERA, an AL-best 23 complete games and three shutouts vs. the eventual World Series champion New York Yankees. Caldwell earned the moniker “Yankee killer” for his 12-5 record and 2.66 ERA vs. the Yankees from 1977-82. 

In 1982, Caldwell (12 complete games) registered 17 wins, including two in the World Series vs. the Cardinals as the Brewers captured the AL pennant. 

Caldwell earned double-figure victories for six straight seasons with the Brewers (1978-83). 

He retired as the winningest lefty pitcher in Brewers history (102), which also ranks second for the franchise. Caldwell also is the franchise leader in complete games (81) and second in shutouts (18). 

Caldwell (17.3 WAR) is the 21st best Brewers player according to Baseball Reference. Caldwell is recognized on the Brewers’ Wall of Honor. 

Honorable mention: LHP CC Sabathia (2008)

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher CC Sabathia throws a pitch during the 2008 season. After Milwaukee announced the acquisition of Sabathia on July 7, 2008, he carried the Brewers to their first postseason appearance since 1982.

ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES

It was a glorious lone season in Milwaukee for Sabathia.

The lefty arrived with the Brewers in 2008 via a midseason trade from the then-Cleveland Indians. Sabathia registered an 11-2 mark with a 1.65 ERA, 1.003 WHIP, 128 strikeouts and only 25 walks. 

Sabathia tossed a complete-game, four-hit shutout in the regular-season finale vs. the Chicago Cubs, which coupled with a loss by the New York Mets, clinched a wild card berth for the Brewers. 

Sabathia finished fifth in Cy Young voting and sixth in the MVP race in the NL despite not spending a full season in the league. Sabathia additionally captured his second consecutive Warren Spahn Award. 

Sabathia spent the final 11 seasons of his career with the New York Yankees. 

Honorable mention: RHP Jim Slaton (1971-77, 1979-83)

Slaton spent the majority of his career in Milwaukee and is the franchise leader in wins (117), shutouts (19), games started (268), and innings pitched (2,025.1). 

Slaton is also second in complete games (69) and fourth in strikeouts (929) in Brewers history. In 1977, Slaton was selected to the All-Star Game and finished with 104 strikeouts and a 3.58 ERA. 

Slaton was the Brewers’ winning pitcher in Game 4 of the 1982 World Series vs. the St. Louis Cardinals, throwing two scoreless innings in replacement of Moose Haas. 

In a dozen seasons with the Brewers, Slaton averaged a 3.86 ERA. Slaton is recognized on the Brewers’ Wall of Honor. 

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MINNEAPOLIS — Bailey Ober missed early. The Twins’ coaching staff also made some seemingly questionable decisions early on. And the Twins hitters? Well, they never got going.

The combination led to a homestand opening debacle Monday as the Twins lost 4-1 to the San Francisco Giants in front of a crowd of 16,627 at Target Field. Ober allowed four runs in the first inning, including a three-run home run, and the Twins were no match for the previously beatable Sean Manaea, who hit eight strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings. The Twins finished with just four goals in an uninspiring loss, their fifth in seven games.

“Crashing so early when we’re not really making a lot of runs can be tough,” said Twins manager Rocco Baldelli. “But you shouldn’t let that influence you in the future. On the mental side, to keep playing nine innings and giving yourself a chance to get back in the game, we still have work to do in that regard. We can say yes, a hit (here) or there and suddenly we have two or three runs on the board. That’s actually true. But talking about it is one thing. We need to go out there and do it. We just need more good bats. We get some, but just not enough.”

Although San Francisco only defeated the Twins 5-4, it was more than enough.

Ober started averaging just 2.1 walks per nine innings, a very good stat. He had four times as many strikeouts (28) as walks (seven) in 30 1/3 innings this season.

Still, Ober had little to no sense of the zone early on, running LaMonte Wade Jr. and Mike Yastrzemski on 13 squares early in the game. The San Francisco offense was not long in coming, as JD Davis hit a one-run double and followed Michael Conforto into the bullpen with a stunning three-run home run.

Just like that, the Twins were four runs behind.

Ober followed by leading Blake Sabol on 11 pitches, putting him in danger of being knocked out in the first inning. The right-hander managed to pull back the next three batsmen to end the inning, but not before throwing 39 pitches.

“Obviously, it’s definitely a bit of a drag,” Ober said. “I didn’t know how many pitches I was throwing until I was done with that inning. I looked at the scoreboard and realized how many I had thrown. But during the innings you’re just trying to run and pitch, get these guys out and limit as much damage as possible. … If I could do it again I’d re-run the first two guys and definitely try to get in the zone a lot better than I did.”

Ober recovered and knocked out 13 of the last 16 batsmen he faced, but the damage was done. Especially given the way the Twins hit.

Giants opener John Brebbia batted twice in a scoreless first inning and passed the baton to Manaea, who started with a 7.81 ERA in 27 2/3 innings. Manaea didn’t look like a 16-walk pitcher but effectively hit his pitches and overpowered the Twins.

While Baldelli hoped his team would slowly and surely erode San Francisco’s early lead, he never quite succeeded. The Twins had two players on board, with two outs to Byron Buxton in the third and fifth innings. But Buxton flew into the middle and landed in third to end those rallies.

The Twins had made the leadoff man in the second and fourth innings, but Manaea crushed those as well.

He limited the Twins to three hits and three walks in an 83-pitch attempt that his opponents weren’t sure they’d see after Manaea participated in a pregame bullpen.

“It’s not the way you’d ever want to start a ballgame, either from a (Ober’s) perspective or from a team perspective,” Baldelli said. “Again: It’s not like we’ve been going through every inning in silence and stuff like that. … (Kyle) Garlick hit the home run, but otherwise there wasn’t much going on with runners in goal position and things like that.”

While there wasn’t much action overall, Baldelli heated up the fanbase with a series of early moves that drastically changed the lineup. San Francisco uses several bulk pitchers including Manaea, Jakob Junis and Tristan Beck. As Brebbia Manaea gave way, Baldelli turned to his right-handers, resulting in newcomer Edouard Julien being removed before he could even strike.

Donovan Solano fought for Julien early in the second inning and Garlick scored for Alex Kirilloff in the third inning.

“When you start the game down 4-0 it really affects a lot of things,” said Baldelli. “But if you go down 4-0 and they bring in manaea, that tells you he’s going to pitch. Could they have knocked him out after an inning? Yes, but we didn’t think that would be the case if he made the game, and he made the game. After they took the lead, we had to get our guys in there.

“So it was definitely an unorthodox kind of play with the moves that we were doing, but Solano and Garlick pulled into that and did a pretty good job. Yes, it’s unusual, but our boys were prepared for what was to come. They knew it was an opening game and they knew it could be a strange game.”

As much anger as social media movements, Solano singled and walked twice in four trips, while Garlick hit a solo home run in the eighth inning for the only run and walked in three trips. The two represented five of the team’s eight players who reached the base.

• Before the game, the Twins saw Manaea go outfield for a pregame bullpen session. Initial reports indicated that the Giants’ left-hander threw up to 30 pitches during the practice session, which is the number pitchers typically throw between starts during their practice sessions. But after the game, Baldelli said Manaea only managed a “light bullpen” session and the Twins knew that didn’t eliminate him as San Francisco’s main option. From the Giants clubhouse, Manaea only threw eight to 10 pitches in a touch-and-feel session.

The Twins originally expected Manaea to pitch, so they released a lineup that had Solano starting before Joey Gallo. After Manaea’s session, the Twins revised their lineup, substituting Gallo for Solano and dropping Julien to fourth place (he was originally scheduled for the leadoff).

“We knew that (Manaea) would probably be an option,” Baldelli said. “If he throws the bullpen, don’t you think maybe? Secure. You might not think so, but you also look at who they have available and he’s certainly their best pick to pitch a lot of innings, basically. Is it also Beck? We knew he could throw a few innings too. But arrived at the end of the game? We knew it probably had something to do with Manaea.”

• Despite early moves, including the removal of one of the team’s hottest hitters (Kirilloff), several Twins said there had been no player complaints in the dugout and blamed the lack of questions on the coaching staff, who discussed their plan in the thoroughly communicated in the batsmen’s briefing on Monday. Several players were informed that despite starts, they might not sniff the plate depending on how San Francisco used its pitching team. One player said the squad had been conditioned by staff to anticipate substitutions due to the way the team’s strategy involves game-related decisions.

• Twins pitcher Tyler Mahle had successful surgery from Tommy John in Dallas, the team said.

(Photo by Bailey Ober: Jesse Johnson / USA Today)

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06/23/2021; Anaheim, California, USA; San Francisco Giants right fielder Mike Yastrzemski (5) follows on a swing for a solo home run in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Tauchman’s three-run homerun crowned a 13th seven-run inning that led the San Francisco Giants to a 9-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday afternoon in Anaheim, California.

The Giants used four walks in the inning, including a deliberate walk, through the Angels Bullpen to complete a two-game series sweep, winning for the eighth time in nine games. The Angels dropped three in a row.

For a few moments in the 12th inning, the Angels thought they had won the game. Juan Lagares scored in a close game on the plate that would have given the Los Angeles a 3-2 win, but the call was lifted after a retest.

The Giants took a 2-1 lead in the top of the 12th inning with Steven Duggar’s RBI doubles and scored runner-designate Donovan Solano from second base.

The Angels had to play for much of the 12th inning, with pitcher Griffin Canning moving in left field and Taylor Ward moving from left field to catcher, a position he hadn’t played since 2017 when he was in the miners.

The shuffling of the defense was the result of catcher Kurt Suzuki taking a foul ball off his face mask and forcing him out of the game. The Angels’ other catcher, Max Stassi, was used as a pinch hitter earlier in the game.

Canning played a key role with the Angels, who finalized the game in 12th place and dropped a successful victim to get designated runner Jose Iglesias from second to third.

Lagares’ infield single scored Iglesias for a tie. Lagares went all the way from first to third on David Fletcher’s High Chopper, who went for an infield single.

Luis Rengifo followed up with a grounder to First Baseman Darin Ruf, who threw home to catch Lagares. After the replay reversal, Rengifo was called out. Dylan Bundy, a pitcher who appeared as a pinch hitter, then knocked out and sent the game to the 13th inning.

Brandon Crawford’s base-laden walk in the top of the 13th put the Giants on top. A wild pitch from Junior Guerra brought another run, and Steven Duggar’s single with two runs increased the lead to 6-2. Two strokes later, Tauchman broke up the game.

Jared Walsh’s grounder scored the last run of the game in the bottom 13.

Giants Reliever Dominic Leone (1-0) won over Angels Reliever Alex Claudio (1-2).

Angels starter Shohei Ohtani and Giants starter Kevin Gausman both did well but were not involved in the decision. Everyone gave up a run on a solo homer in the fifth inning, and everyone hit nine thugs. Ohtani held out six innings while Gausman completed seven innings.

Mike Yastrzemski of San Francisco scored his tenth home run of the season in the top of the fifth and Rengifo responded with his second of the year in the bottom half of the inning.

–Field-level media

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