Giants Fall Short In 2-1 Loss To Rangers

In spoiling Cole Hamels’ Texas debut on Saturday, the Giants scored three runs in the eighth inning to tie the game after their first two batters were retired.

“Just getting some outs, really”, Bumgarner said on the difference between his outing early and late. “All the way up and down….” He issued eight runs in the 21-5 laugher. And the Rangers were one late realization that Tanner Scheppers should not be pitching innings of any leverage at all away from sweeping them into a five game win streak.

Pence grew up in Arlington and went to the University of Texas-Arlington, a campus only a few blocks from the Rangers’ ballpark.

“I thought (Hamels) was on the top of his game”.

San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy played the incident off. He’s been throwing the ball well, good athlete. Perez threw 8⅓ innings, putting out six and strolling none. More important, he pitched three consecutive scoreless innings in the middle of the game as the Rangers rallied from a 3-2 deficit to take a 7-4 lead.

The teams traded zeros until the 11th, when Sam Dyson, in his second inning of work, allowed near twin homers to Pence and Belt to provide the Giants with a 9-7 final tally.

Starting pitcher Christopher Heston allowed seven hits and three runs while striking out two lasting just 4.1 innings to not get a decision as Hunter Strickland got the win and Santiago Casilla his 27th save.

Hamels started with two no-hit innings before Belt’s homer just beyond the reach of the glove of leaping center fielder Delino DeShields, who an inning earlier caught Buster Posey’s towering flyball against the wall.

Perez credited those two tweaks for helping make him much sharper and more aggressive on the mound Sunday five days after he could not hold a five-run first inning lead.

Joe Panik’s lower back flared up during Saturday’s game and the second baseman was discouraged that it didn’t improve with rest and treatment Sunday. Hamels had thrown 97 pitches and 61 strikes to that point on a night when the starting-time temperature was 94 degrees, so Banister removed him.

In Baltimore, Caleb Joseph homered and drove in three runs and Kevin Gausman allowed four hits over seven innings as the surging Orioles beat Detroit.

“It was definitely unfortunate” said Scheppers.

Did the Phillies get enough in return for pitcher Cole Hamels?

“I’m excited to start the next chapter of my baseball life”, Hamels said.

The Rangers completed an eight-player deal Friday that brought Hamels, who is signed through 2018 with a club option for 2019, and reliever Jake Diekman from Philadelphia for Matt Harrison and a package of prospects. A small gathering of fans took some photos of the Rangers’ new ace with their phones, but you got the feeling if the roles were reversed and a big-time acquisition had arrived in Philadelphia there would have been a lot more hoopla and colorful chatter above the bullpen.

To make room on the roster for Hamels and Dyson, Texas optioned rookie right-hander Keone Kela to Double-A Frisco and placed catcher Robinson Chirinos on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to Friday with a strained left shoulder. Mike Leake (9-5, 3.56 ERA) will toe the rubber for the visitors, his first start for the Giants since coming over at the trade deadline.