San Francisco Giants' Brett Wisely (70) is tagged out by Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman (35) on a single by J.D. Davis during the third inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Friday, June 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
SAN FRANCISCO – Streamers were released, and a large banner was unfurled in the centerfield bleachers in the first inning after Lamonte Wade Jr. recorded the 100th splash hit by a San Francisco Giants player in the 23-year history of their ballpark at China Basin.
But the most significant moment of the Giants’ game Friday against the Baltimore Orioles wouldn’t take place until the seventh inning.
Logan Webb gave up a solo home run to Gunnar Henderson, who drove a changeup 410 feet over the right-center field wall for the go-ahead run as the Orioles earned a 3-2 win over the Giants before an announced crowd of 27,873 at Oracle Park.
The Giants managed just six hits as they lost for the fourth time in five games and fell below .500 for the first time since May 24 when they were 24-25.
Casey Schmitt doubled to left with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. But closer Félix Bautista struck out pinch hitter Michael Conforto to end the game, as the Giants went 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left five runners on base.
After he allowed Wade’s solo homer, which came on the first pitch of the bottom of the first inning, Orioles starter Dean Kremer settled down and struck out six over six innings. The Giants struck out 12 times for the game, lifting their season total to 561, the second-highest number in MLB.
Wade’s home run, his eighth of the season, came in the first inning and gave the Giants a 1-0 lead, as he crushed a first-pitch fastball from Kremer over the right field wall and past the walkway before it landed on the fly in McCovey Cove.
The home run was just the third Giants splash hit of the season. Wade had one on April 8 against Kansas City Royals pitcher Brady Singer, and Brandon Crawford hit one on April 22 against David Peterson of the New York Mets.
Of the 99 splash hits by Giants players before Friday, 35 came from Barry Bonds, 10 came from Brandon Belt and eight came from Pablo Sandoval. Of current Giants players, Mike Yastrzemski has hit five, Wade has hit five, Crawford has hit four each and Joc Pederson has hit three.
While the homer had historical significance for the ballpark that opened in 2000, with visions of left-handed batters launching homers into the water, it only counted for one run Friday.
The Orioles took a 2-1 lead in the second inning on RBI singles from Ryan O’Hearn and Jorge Mateo off starter Webb, only to have Mike Yastrzemski tie the game with an RBI double to right in the third inning that scored J.D. Davis.
Webb had six strikeouts and allowed five hits as he lasted seven innings for the fifth time in his last six starts.
Originally published at Curtis Pashelka