Nate Schierholtz is doing his best to make the Giants rethink their outfield platoon plan.
With Randy Winn on the bench because of his struggles against left-handed pitchers, Schierholtz made a rare start against a left-hander Wednesday night and responded with two more hits, including a two-run home run, in the Giants' 6-3 victory over the A's.
Randy Johnson did his part after working out of a potentially disastrous first-inning jam, allowing one run in seven solid innings to earn career victory No. 302.
It was a big night for the Giants' East Bay products. Schierholtz, who grew up in Danville, gave Livermore native Johnson (7-5) a huge lift by blasting a two-run homer in the bottom of the second inning, turning a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 Giants lead.
"Nate has really opened some eyes,'' Johnson said.
So have the Giants, who concluded this year's interleague edition of the Battle of the Bay with a 5-1 record. Even more encouraging, the Giants now own the second-best winning percentage in the National League.
"Everything is clicking right now,'' said Johnson, 45, who matched his longest stint of the season and got stronger as the game progressed, allowing just one baserunner in his final three innings. "You want to keep things rolling.''
Schierholtz's bid for more playing time gained momentum at the Oakland Coliseum, where he attended games as a kid. He was 2 for 4 and scored twice one night after going 3 for 4, strengthening the argument that he should play more than Andres Torres, Fred Lewis (and perhaps the slumping Winn) in the Giants' crowded corner outfield rotation. "It felt good to get on the board early, help Randy out and get him a win,'' Schierholtz said. "I'm just trying to do my part. The more I play, the more comfortable I feel, which is natural. It's just good to go out there and get more at-bats.'' Wednesday was just Schierholtz's 19th start of the season, but it was his third in a row. He is batting .433 (13 for 30) since June 12 and has been a regular contributor defensively all season. He provided another solid play in the third inning, making a running catch at the wall and then nearly doubling a runner off first base with a strong two-hop throw in the third inning. "He's earned playing time with what he's doing out there,'' Manager Bruce Bochy said. "You have to like the things Nate's doing for us right now.'' Much of Schierholtz's recent hot streak at the plate came at the expense of the A's. On June 12-14 at AT&T Park he was 4 for 8, including an inside-the-park home run. His homer Wednesday cleared the right-field wall and validated Manager Bruce Bochy's decision to play Schierholtz instead of Winn against left-hander Gio Gonzalez. Winn, who is mired in a 9-for-47 (.191) slump, is batting .102 (6 for 59) against left-handers this season. With hits in his first two at-bats, the left-handed-swinging Schierholtz is 9 for 17 against left-handers. Both of his home runs have come against left-handed pitchers. "I treat lefties just like lefties,'' Schierholtz said. "Luckily, I've seen Gio a couple times before (in the minor leagues), so I was a little more familiar with what he throws.'' Johnson, who beat the A's 5-2 on June 13, ran into immediate trouble Wednesday when Schierholtz made a long run but was unable to track down leadoff hitter Adam Kennedy's hooking line drive in the first inning that went for a triple. Johnson compounded the problem when he left a 2-0 slider up and over the plate that Kurt Suzuki lined to left for an RBI single. One out later, Johnson allowed a ringing double by Matt Holliday. Then the veteran regrouped. Johnson struck out consecutive batters to escape the jam in the first. An inning later, Schierholtz's homer sparked a three-run rally. "When he hit that home run, I felt I had a little bit more leeway,'' said Johnson, who left runners in scoring position in the second and fourth before hitting his stride and turning a 6-1 lead over to the bullpen in the eighth inning. Bochy had to call on closer Brian Wilson with two out in the ninth and the A's threatening, but he recorded a three-pitch strikeout to convert his 11th straight save opportunity and notch save No. 20 of the season. From: MLB.com
 San Francisco (39-32) Won 2 | San Francisco 6, Oakland 3 |  Oakland (31-40) Lost 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Standings thru 6/24/09 | Recap: SF | OAK | Wrap | Gameday |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No comments:
Post a Comment