SF Giants climb back into it, but are swept away in Toronto
Too little, too late.
That’s how it went for the Giants Sunday in absorbing a three-game sweep at the hands of the A.L. East leader Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Center.
Trailing 7-2, the Giants (52-48) climbed within a run with a four-run sixth inning but ultimately fell 8-6 in losing their fifth straight game including two losses to the Dodgers heading into the All-Star break.
The last two wins for the Blue Jays came against two Giants All-Star starting pitchers, Robbie Ray and Logan Webb. Toronto, in command in their division at 58-41, has won 10 straight at home.
Ray fought with his command and didn’t get out of the fifth inning, alling to 9-4. Jose Berrios (6-4) was the winning pitcher, getting help from four relievers. Yariel Rodriguez pitched the ninth for the save.
Toronto got home runs from Vladimir Guerrero (No. 13), George Springer (No. 17) and Addison Barger (No. 14). Matt Chapman homered for the Giants in the sixth, his 13th of the season.
Chapman knocked out Berrios in the sixth with an opposite-field two-run home run to right, his 13th of the season, to bring the Giants within 7-4. Chapman’s blow drove in Rafael Devers, who hit a single off the fence in right at 106 miles per hour.
Brett Wisely hit a run-scoring single against Braydon Fisher to get the Giants within 7-5. Fisher was removed in favor of Justin Bruihl, with Jung Hoo Lee hitting a single to center to bring home Wisely to make it 7-6. Lee, attempting to take second on a throw to the plate, was called out on appeal at second base after over-sliding the bag.
A two-out rally by Toronto in the sixth resulted in an RBI single by Guerrero against Tyler Rogers to put the Blue Jays up 8-6.
The Giants scratched out a run against Berrios in the fifth on Andrew Knizner’s run-scoring single to get within 3-2, an inning in which there was a chance for more.
Chapman singled to deep short to open the inning, and Dominic Smith walked — the first walk drawn by the Giants 22 innings in the series. Brett Wisely was ruled out in a nine-pitch at-bat that resulted in an infield fly for an automatic out on a play in which Leo Jimenez lost in the sun.
Knizner singled in a run, but Berrios finished a 29-pitch inning without giving up another run., getting Jung Hoo Lee to hit into a force play and striking out Heliot Ramos.
Toronto wasted no time in getting that run back and then some, with Springer unloading a home run to left field. Two batters later, after a double by Bo Bichette, Ray was done in favor of Spencer Bivins after 4 1/3 innings. Ray gave up five hits, five earned runs and walked five with three strikeouts. He threw 95 pitches, 51 of them strikes.
Alejandro Kirk reached Bivins for a single on a pitch outside the strike that drove home Bichette, with Barger breaking it open with a two-run home run into the right field second deck for a 7-2 lead.
With Ray struggling to find the strike zone and his pitch count climbing, Toronto got two runs in the third inning on a line double to left with two out by Bo Bichette.
Ernie Clement was aboard with a one-out hustle double to left, with Guerrero joining him on the bases after drawing a walk with two outs. Bichette then hit a 98 miles per hour liner that temporarily froze Ramos. Ramos then took a step in before the ball sailed over his head, with Clement and Guerrero both scoring.
By the end of the third, Ray had thrown 66 pitches with just over half of them (34) going for strikes.
With the roof open for the 12th time this season and the third straight day, the Giants capitalized right away. Lee, batting leadoff, hit a lazy fly to left that David Schneider lost in the sun. Lee wound up on second base with gift double, and Heliot Ramos singled to left to drive him in.
That snapped an 0-for-10 streak by the Giants in the series with runners on base. Rafael Devers was next, and he smoked a Berrios pitch at 106.5 miles per hour directly at shortsto Bichette, with Ramos making it back to first. Willy Adames followed by grounding into a double play.
The Blue Jays evened things up with one out in the first when Guerrero hit a 420-foot blast to center field at 105.4 miles per hour. It came on an outside curve that Ray elevated and put in harm’s way.
BRAVES UP NEXT
Hayden Birdsong, who was skipped over for his last start before the All-Star game to squeeze in another for Ray against the Dodgers, starts against Atlanta in his first outing since July 6. Birdsong is 4-3 with a 4.11 earned run average and went five innings in a win over the A’s, so he’s had plenty of rest. He’ll be opposed by Bryce Elder (3-6, 5.65) at 4:15 p.m. (PDT).
Landon Roupp (6-6, 3.27) opposes Davis Daniel (0-0, 1.80) on Tuesday at 4:15 p.m. with Justin Verlander (0-8, 4.99) taking another run at his first win as a Giant in a Wednesday matinee (9:15 a.m.) against Spencer Strider (4-7, 3.59.
The Giants return home on July 25 for three games against the Mets and three against the Pirates.