Giants unable to complete sweep, fall to Brewers 5-3

It’s Father’s Day, a day that Major League Baseball identifies with love, admiration, and some really funky, sky-blue baseball caps that look like something a distressed cloud vomited up.

But you know what else it means? Some really weird plays that made us say, “wait, wtf just happened?” These plays included:

• A baseball channeling its inner Felicia while it escapes literally through the right field fence

• An ump NOT BELIEVING a baseball defied all science by turning from a solid into a liquid in order to escape through said wall
• An outfielder hitting a Texas Leaguer (yee-haw…)
• Jeff Samardzija getting his first RBI since 2017 — exactly two years to the day
• The Giants loading the bases with no outs and getting just one run thanks to a sac fly (I’ll leave it up to you to decide if the wtf moment was the loading the bases with no outs part or the scoring just one run was)

Other than that? Well, it should be noted that the Milwaukee Brewers got on base every single inning, taking advantage of Giants pitching in ways Giants hitting couldn’t do against Brewers pitching. Some of this was because of the talent involved, and some of it was just by design. This was game three of twenty straight the Giants are to play. Bruce Bochy is trying to get us much out of his starters as possible, especially when the game is close in the middle innings.

And, as you can see, it started to weigh on the psyche of the frustrated San Francisco Giants, who managed to come from behind during Saturday’s game to win 8-7 thanks to this spectacular Mike Yastrzemski catch to close the game:

USA TODAY

But, alas, no such entertaining save today.

Jeff Samardzija opened up the game by retiring the Brewers first two batters, before he faced his own version of Voldemort – Ryan Braun (career 11-for-26 with 3 home runs against him heading into today) – who smacked a single and got the ball rolling. Samardzija, still seemingly shook by looking Braun in the eye, walked Mike Moustakas. Yasmani Grandal then took advantage of the situation and hit a single out to right, scoring Braun and giving the Brewers 1-0 lead.

Things didn’t look much better in the second when Gamel managed to hit a Texas Leaguer (where a weakly hit fly ball bloops between an infielder and an outfielder), scoring Travis Shaw and pushing Milwaukee to 2-0.

It was Christian Yelich who managed to turn a ball into liquid form when a hit that should have scored at least another run went through the right field fence, only allowing Yelich a double.

The Giants were able to tie it up in the bottom of the second when Evan Longoria got a lead off triple after bouncing one off of Triples Alley. Kevin Pillar then got an RBI with a double, scoring Longoria. Samardzija, then wanting in on the hitting action, singled and scored Pillar, tying the game.

Defense managed to keep the Brewers off the board until the fourth inning when Samardzija walked Grandal with one out, and Christian Yelich hit him in with a double, bumping the score up 3-2.

Ah yes, and what Father’s Day wouldn’t be complete without a Eric Thames solo homer in the fifth? Actually, we could have all done without that dang homer. However, that wasn’t the ONLY disappointing thing that went down in the fifth.

The Giants managed to set the table, not once, BUT TWICE during the fifth and only got ONE RUN IN. Pablo Sandoval, who came in to pinch hit for Samardzija, singled which was followed by a Joe Panik walk (um, the third straight walk this game). A Yastrzemski bunt caused more trouble than it should have for starting pitcher Chase Anderson, and loaded up the bases for Buster Posey. Matt Albers replaced Anderson on the bump and got the out with Posey on a slider.

Panda ended up scoring on a sacrifice fly from Brandon Belt – but that was all the damage the Giants pulled off in the inning. Albers had walked Longoria, handing yet ANOTHER bases loaded situation to Brandon Crawford, but they weren’t able to milk out any more.

The final run of the game came off of the bat of Jesus Aguilar who immediately hit a solo homer off of Derek Holland in the sixth.

The Giants were, unfortunately, not able to break out the broom during this series, and there was no spectacular diving play to close out Father’s Day at the park.

Good news, though? That little rogue ball that broke free during the second inning is having the time of its life. Little jerk.

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