J.D. Davis homers, but SF Giants officially eliminated in 8-4 loss to Diamondbacks
The SF Giants were officially eliminated from postseason contention on Saturday, falling 8-3 to the Diamondbacks and officially falling too far back in the standings to catch the Brewers and Phillies for the final National League Wild Card spot.
The Giants got the scoring started in the bottom of the third inning. Dbacks starter Drey Jameson walked Joey Bart with one out before allowing back-to-back singles to Joc Pederson and LaMonte Wade Jr, which loaded the bases for Thairo Estrada. Estrada, who became the first Giants player since Hunter Pence in 2013 to record 20 steals in a season during the first inning, beat out a potential double-play ball, which allowed Bart to score.
Lefty Scott Alexander started another Giants bullpen game and got the staff off to a good start. Alexander lasted 1.1 innings without allowing a run, hit, or walk before he was replaced by Giants swing man Jakob Junis.
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Junis surrendered a lead-off triple to Dbacks slugger Christian Walker in the fourth inning, which started a three-run inning. Junis retired the next two batters he faced, but rookie Corbin Carroll and Cooper Hummell doubled and walked to extend the inning for Sergio Alcantara. Alcantara hit a flair to medium depth in left field towards the line. Recently recalled Jason Vosler was in left field.
A career infielder, Vosler has struggled in limited opportunities in the outfield but said he felt more comfortable after his most recent Triple-A stint. However, Vosler misread Alcantara's hit and fell just short of making a diving catch. The ball bounced by him and allowed both Carroll and Hummell to score.
The lone bright spot for the Giants came in the bottom of the sixth inning when designated hitter J.D. Davis crushed a 436-foot home run off Jameson in the bottom of the sixth inning. Davis finished 2-for-4 on the day with his eighth homer since joining the Giants in the lopsided Darin Ruf trade earlier this year.
Davis has not only been excellent at the plate since joining San Francisco, he has also shown impressive consistency against both left and right-handed hitters. Entering play on Saturday, he had a nearly equivalent .774 and .763 OPS against lefties and righties, respectively, this season. Davis may be a below-average defender at third base, but he sure seems like at least a viable option at first base and designated hitter beyond this season.
The wheels fell off for the Giants in the seventh inning. Junis was replaced by Jarlín García, who was reinstated from the Paternity List earlier in the day. García allowed three hits and a walk to the first four batters he faced. The Dbacks extended their lead to 6-2 before another defensive shortcoming in left field cost San Francisco two more runs.
Alcantara, once again, hit a fly ball to left field, this time more towards left-center. A defender with average range in left field should have easily been able to cover enough ground to make the catch. Pederson, who had just moved to the outfield, however, chased after it and fell just short of making a diving catch. It turned into Alcantara's second two-RBI double of the day.
Yunior Marte shut out Arizona in the eighth and ninth inning. Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski hit a solo home run against Mark Melancon to bring the score to 8-3. Austin Slater turned a bloop single in the ninth off Reyes Moronta into another run, but that was the closest they came to a comeback.
The SF Giants now fall back to .500, dropping to 79-79 after the loss. They will finish out their series against the Diamondbacks on Sunday, starting their final game of the year at Oracle Park with first pitch scheduled for 1:05 PM Pacific.
