Ross Stripling, the Dodgers afterthought of a fifth starter, starting his first MLB game, dazzled the Giants. He had a no-hitter going in the 8th. But he was showing signs of wildness and after he walked Pagan on his 100th pitch, new Dodgers manager Dave Roberts took him out, reportedly on front office instruction.
The next batter was second string catcher Trevor Brown, brought up in late summer for a look last year, and who won the backup job in spring training. He had never hit a major league home run.
But if you've noticed, the 8th inning is home run inning for the Giants this year. And Brown lofted one off reliever Chris Hatcher. When you're being no-hit, a 2-0 score against you looks huge. One swing and the game was tied.
Shortly afterwards Roberts went nuts and got thrown out of the game. The Dodgers had chances but couldn't score. First batter in the bottom of the 10th was Brian Crawford, who smoked an opposite field line drive over the left field fence. Game over.
Roberts' decision was the butt of jokes on the Internet even before then. In baseball terms he was trying to save the arm of a young pitcher who had never even approached 100 pitches before. But imagine the noise in LA this weekend.
Lost in the fireworks (and there were scheduled fireworks at the Giants yard) was a strong start by Matt Cain. He kept the Giants in the game through 6.
This game was played in the mist and rain. The Pirates played in frigid Cinncy. They fell behind but were powered to the win by Sterling Marte's first grand slam. His swing on this was beautiful. Wearing a black face mask against the cold, he looked like Batman or maybe the Lone Ranger rounding the bases.
Tomorrow the Giants go for the sweep with Madison Bumgarner against Kershaw. More good news for the Giants--agreement on a long-term contract for first baseman Brandon Belt.
In the NBA, the SA Spurs played their subs in Denver and almost but not quite pulled off the win. But the loss coupled with the loss at Golden State in their previous game means that the Warriors are the only team not to lose two in a row so far this year.
The Warriors play in Memphis Saturday and in San Antonio Sunday. This is their second game in San Antonio this year, and the second time it is the second of road back-to-back games. When the Spurs went to Golden State in January, they had two days off after their game a few hundred miles away in LA. They had a day off before the Warriors came to San Antonio--the Warriors played in Dallas the night before. They had a day off between road games when they came to Golden State on April 7. And they will have a day off between a road game and their home game against the Warriors on Sunday. Don't seem fair, do it?
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