Sept. 21 – Heliot Ramos went 3-4 with a run and an RBI to help the San Francisco Giants beat the host Kansas City Royals 2-1 on Friday night.
Mason Black pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings to earn his first major league win. Patrick Bailey also homered to help the Giants (75-79) win for the third time in their last four games.
Bobby Witt Jr. had three hits for Kansas City, raising his major league-leading average to .334. The Royals have lost five games in a row and 14 of their last 21 games but still retain the American League’s second wild-card spot.
Kansas City threatened in the ninth inning when Giants closer Camilo Doval retired Yuli Gurriel and Robbie Grossman for eight straight outs in the bottom of the inning.
Adam Frazier struck out before Maikel Garcia hit a grounder to shortstop. Tyler Fitzgerald couldn’t get the ball out of his glove and Grossman threw the ball to second base.
Garrett Hampson hit an inside shot down the third-base line for a blatant foul — which would have at least tied the game — and then Gurriel hit a sacrifice fly to right to score. Dorval then dismissed Tommy Pham for his 23rd save.
Ramos missed a homer and Casey Schmidt had two hits for the Giants.
Black (1-4) struck out four and gave up four hits and a walk. Sean Hazel got the final out in the sixth inning, Eric Miller drove in two runs in the seventh inning and Tyler Rodgers hit around Witt in the eighth inning to put the Royals out of the game.
Kansas City’s Michael Wacha (13-8) allowed two runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings. He had five strikeouts and a walk, his second loss in his last 11 games.
San Francisco’s Mike Yastrzemski started the inning with a single, then Mark Canha came in. Yastrzemski advanced to third on a flyout, then Ramos hit an infield hit to score Yastrzemski.
San Francisco added a run in the sixth inning. Ramos doubled and scored on Patrick Bailey’s groundout single to right to end Wacha’s night.
In the sixth inning Kansas City Witt singled and then Black retired two batters. However, the final hit was Michael Massie’s deep fly to the right warning track, and Giants manager Bob Melvin immediately stepped in to sack Black.
Hazel got Gurriel out on a grounder to end the inning.
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