Casey Schmitt and Logan Webb star in SF Giants 4-1 victory over Nationals
The SF Giants defeated the Washington Nationals 4-1 on Tuesday night, improving to 16-19 on the season and 10-9 at Oracle Park. After Casey Schmitt (Giants #3 prospect) was called up earlier in the day to make his MLB debut, Giants ace Logan Webb turned in an excellent outing that made sure an early rally against Nationals starter Patrick Corbin was enough.
SF Giants ace Logan Webb throws a pitch in the first inning against the Nationals on May 9, 2023.
Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Webb allowed two of the first three hitters to reach in the top of the first inning but induced groundouts from Joey Meneses and Jeimer Candelario to escape the inning unscathed. As it turned out, working around baserunners would be the theme of his performance.
Webb surrendered a lead-off hit in five of his first six innings of work. In the top of the second inning, a throwing error by third baseman J.D. Davis put runners on second and third with nobody out. In a situation where most balls in play would score a run, Webb buckled down and struck out three straight hitters.
The Giants offense did not wait long to give Webb some run support. Austin Slater reached on a throwing error by shortstop C.J. Abrams to lead off the bottom of the first and advanced to third on a single by Thairo Estrada. Both Slater and Estrada scored on a double by right fielder Mitch Haniger.
The Giants were unable to build on their 2-0 lead until the bottom of the fourth inning. Schmitt came to the plate for his second career MLB plate appearance and took a first-pitch fastball from Corbin 420 feet to left-center field for his first-career MLB hit and home run. Schmitt had dozens of family and friends in attendance and finished the day 2-for-4 with a strikeout.
Following the inning, Schmitt was shown on the Oracle Park scoreboard while the Giants fielders were warming up. A loud roar from the Oracle Park crowd ensued, which included more than 50 of Schmitt's friends and family. After a few moments, Schmitt looked up at the video board and realized the cheering was for him. It was easy to see the emotion of the moment wash over him.
A lead-off double by Meneses in the top of the sixth started Washington's first run-scoring rally of the evening. Meneses scored on a bloop single by Dominic Smith, but that was the only run the Nats offense could muster against Webb on Tuesday night. The Giants ace needed 105 pitches to complete seven innings of work. He allowed one run on nine hits and a walk with seven punchouts.
The Giants added another insurance run against Nationals reliever Mason Thompson, who replaced Corbin at the start of the seventh. Estrada beat out a double play ball and stole second base, enabling him to score on an RBI single by Davis. Estrada is now tied for eighth in MLB with 10 stolen bases on the season.
Eduardo Núñez in 2016 was the last Giants player to finish a season ranked among the league's top 10 in steals. However, he was acquired in a midseason deal right before the trade deadline. The last Giants player to finish in the top 10 in stolen bases after a full season with the organization was Barry Bonds back in 1996.
Building off Webb's outing, Giants relievers Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval each turned in a shutout inning of work to secure the victory. Doval picked up his eighth save of the season.
The SF Giants will look to secure a series victory on Wednesday against the Nationals. They will send southpaw Sean Manaea to the hill against young Nationals righty Josiah Gray. First pitch is scheduled for 12:45 PM Pacific.
