SF 4, MIA 3: Late Rally Not Enough as SF Takes 3 of 4

Sunday’s series finale between the Marlins and Giants was one punctuated by rainfall. A 4:05 Eastern start time, the field conditions were such that the game’s first two innings took an hour to complete.

When the clouds cleared and the excess infield dirt applied mid-game made for the 9 innings to be played in full, Miami would emerge on the wrong side of the 4-3 final, dropping the team’s record to 9-12. With the loss, the Marlins would also lose the season series, dropping 4 of 7.

A bullpen day for Miami after Nick Neidert was optioned to the alternate training site, Ross Detwiler began the day on the bump for the Fish, authoring a scoreless first before being relieved by Paul Campbell.

One of the team’s two Rule 5 picks in the offseason, Campbell allowed a leadoff walk to third baseman Wilmer Flores and single to Tommy La Stella before surrendering three runs at the hands of shortstop Mauricio Dubon’s bunt single and pitcher Logan Webb’s two-run triple.

Webb’s triple was the first by a Giants pitcher since Tim Lincecum did so - coincidentally, against the Marlins - on June 21, 2013.

On the mound, Webb turned in the best outing of his young career thus far, pitching 7 scoreless while matching a career high with 8 strikeouts. Sunday marked just the second time in 23 starts that Webb pitched through the 7th inning.

Campbell would settle in after the rough second inning, striking out 5 over three innings while throwing a career-high 73 pitches in a game where he earns his first big league loss.

A Brandon Belt sacrifice fly in the 5th inning would prove the difference in the outing, though Belt would snap a 31-game on base streak against Miami in the contest.

Offensively, Miami was in danger of being shutout for the 4th time already this season before first baseman Jesús Aguilar’s two-run homer - his third in the series - cut the deficit to 4-2 in the 8th inning.

Lewis Brinson would follow in the 9th with a two-out RBI single - his first of the season - off of Giants’ submarine-closer Tyler Rogers before a Jazz Chisholm groundout would end the afternoon. While his time in Miami has been anything but productive from an on-field perspective, manager Don Mattingly emphasized the importance for Brinson to stay within a game plan.

“He’s made strides....but more than anything, I just think he needs to be himself.”

Miami now heads to Milwaukee where they will have their work cut out for them as they face Corbin Burnes in the first of a three game series against the 13-8 Brewers. Burnes is looking to continue a stretch where he has struck out 40 hitters while not walking a single batter. First pitch Monday night is slated for 7:40 Eastern.

Baseball-Savant