Oakland – Blake Snell had a stellar performance in the finale of the Bay Bridge Series on Sunday in Oakland, delivering seven strong innings. Despite his efforts, the San Francisco Giants lineup struggled to produce runs until Jemar Encarnacion’s clutch performance in the 10th inning.
Encarnacion provided the game’s heroics, blasting a two-run home run to center field on the first pitch of the 10th inning. Michael Conforto added another homer, taking A’s reliever Danny Jimenez deep to right field. San Francisco secured a 4-2 victory with these key hits, splitting the series with the A’s.
After the game, Giants manager Bob Melvin said, “Don’t you expect a game like this to end this way? It almost had to happen like that.”
Oakland made things tense in the bottom of the 10th. San Francisco rallied three go-ahead runs in the top half of the inning, but closer Ryan Walker struggled. He allowed a single to Max Schuemann, which scored ghost-runner Lawrence Butler from second. Walker then walked Dan Cameron and allowed Brent Rooker’s single to load the bases.
Melvin confirmed that Walker would stay in for the 10th inning.
“He hasn’t been out there for a second inning,” he explained. “So that’s the hard part; you pitch the ninth and usually you’re done. Now, all of a sudden, you’ve got to go back out for the 10th with a runner on second base. It took a while to settle in that last inning, but he punched out the next three, and that was huge.”
Walker responded by striking out JJ Bleday, Miguel Andujar, and Shea Langeliers to end the game.
Snell allowed one run on six hits with 10 strikeouts and two walks. He had his fourth double-digit strikeout game of the season. His seven innings pitched was his longest outing since his no-hitter on August 2.
Snell encountered his most significant trouble in the seventh, he loaded the bases with one out but ultimately escaped the jam by striking out Schuemann and getting Cameron to ground out to second.
“He’s got such a way of being able to get out of jams,” Melvin noted. “It’s kind of what he does.”
“I’m just happy we were able to get out of that inning,” said Snell.
The Giants’ only run in regulation came from a solo home run by Helios Ramos in the seventh inning, tying the game at one after the A’s scored on the opening run the inning prior on an RBI single by Miguel Andujar with two outs.
“[Ramos] smashed that,” Snell remarked. “That was a good feeling.”
With the win, San Francisco evened their record 63-63 and will travel back across the Bay Bridge to start a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox on Monday night.
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