Birdsong pitches the Giants past the Royals 3-2 in his 1st start of the season
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Hayden Birdsong threw five sharp innings in his first start of the season and the San Francisco Giants beat the Kansas City Royals 3-2 on Tuesday night.
Birdsong (2-0) was moved from the bullpen to the rotation in place of Jordan Hicks and provided just what manager Bob Melvin hoped he would deliver when he made the move.
Birdsong allowed one unearned run, five hits and no walks to give the Giants their fourth win in the last five games.
Ryan Walker pitched the ninth for his ninth save in 11 chances.
Willy Adames hit an RBI triple in the fourth inning against Michael Lorenzen (3-5) and scored on a single by Casey Schmitt to give San Francisco a 2-1 lead.
Lorenzen allowed three runs — two earned — and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings in his shortest start of the season for Kansas City.
Kyle Isbel hit a sacrifice fly in the third and Bobby Witt Jr. had a run-scoring infield single in the eighth for the Royals, who have been held to four runs or fewer in 42 of 50 games.
Key moment
The Giants added an insurance run in the fifth after Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino threw wildly to second when he tried to get a force on a grounder by Wilmer Flores. Jung Hoo Lee followed with an RBI single to make it 3-1.
Key stat
San Francisco improved to 25-9 this season against right-handed starters.
Up next
RHP Logan Webb (5-3, 2.42 ERA) pitches the series finale for the Giants. Webb is 3-0 with a 0.64 ERA in four starts at home. The Royals are undecided on their starter.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
36 minutes ago
- CBS News
Kikuchi carries shutout into 8th and Angels beat A's 7-4 despite Clarke's amazing catch
Yusei Kikuchi took a one-hit shutout into the eighth inning and Jo Adell homered and drove in three runs to help the Los Angeles Angels beat the Athletics 7-4 on Monday night. Mike Trout had two RBIs for the Angels, who shook off the latest incredible catch by Athletics rookie Denzel Clarke in center field. Kikuchi (2-5) yielded just a one-out single to Max Muncy in the fifth and exited after striking out Nick Kurtz with his 104th pitch to begin the eighth. The left-hander struck out five and walked one in a brilliant outing. Muncy and pinch-hitter JJ Bleday homered late for the Athletics. Clarke continued to dazzle with his glove, climbing the wall and hanging from the top to rob Nolan Schanuel of a solo homer in the first. Clarke ran full speed into the fence to make a courageous catch against the Orioles last week. Zach Neto, Schanuel and Trout provided three straight RBI singles off Jeffrey Springs (5-5) to give the Angels a 3-0 lead in the third. Springs entered after Grant Holman opened with a scoreless inning. Adell hit his 12th home run — a solo shot off Springs in the fourth for a 4-0 lead — and followed a sacrifice fly by Trout in the eighth with a two-run single for a 7-2 advantage. Muncy hit his fourth home run — a two-run shot off Shaun Anderson in the ninth. Connor Brogdon gave up a single to Luis Urías after replacing Kikuchi, and Bleday followed with his seventh homer to make it 4-2. Ryan Zeferjahn got the final two outs in the eighth. Jacob Wilson went 0 for 4 for the Athletics, ending his run of five straight games with multiple hits. Key moment The three straight singles by Neto, Schanuel and Trout off Springs came after Holman retired them in order in the first. Key stat The Angels outscored the Athletics 31-18 in winning all four games May 19-22 at Sutter Health Park — the A's temporary home. Up next RHP José Soriano (4-5, 4.11 ERA) starts for Los Angeles on Tuesday. The Athletics hadn't announced a scheduled starter.
CBS News
36 minutes ago
- CBS News
Andy Pages delivers in 10th, Dodgers edge Padres 8-7 in rivals' first meeting of the season
Andy Pages led off the 10th inning with an RBI double before scoring on Tommy Edman's single, and the Los Angeles Dodgers hung on to open their season series against the San Diego Padres with an 8-7 victory Monday night. Will Smith homered and drove in three runs in the first of seven meetings in 11 days between the Southern California rivals. It's also a rematch of their NL Division Series last October, when the Dodgers rallied from a 2-1 deficit to eliminate San Diego with back-to-back shutouts in what proved to be their toughest playoff test on the way to a World Series championship. After Pages delivered yet another clutch hit off Wandy Peralta (3-1), Edman brought him home with a fortunate bouncer that ricocheted off second base. Jackson Merrill slugged a one-out RBI double in the 10th for San Diego, but Tanner Scott finished for his 12th save. Kirby Yates (4-2) struck out two in a hitless ninth. Tyler Wade had a three-run triple for the Padres, who have lost four of six. Nick Pivetta yielded five runs and eight hits over just four innings in his second straight rough start for the Padres, while Dustin May gave up six hits and four walks over five innings for LA. Shohei Ohtani led off with a 111-mph double and scored on a double by Freddie Freeman, who had three hits. Manny Machado had an RBI double for San Diego in the first. Smith put the Dodgers up 5-3 in the third with a two-run homer, his sixth. Wade cleared the bases for the Padres later in the third with a two-out drive that Teoscar Hernández couldn't catch while sliding in right field. Key moment Hyeseong Kim had a tying double in the fifth for the Dodgers, and neither team scored again until Pages drove in Max Muncy. Key stat In front of Petco Park's usual lively bipartisan crowd for this rivalry, both starting pitchers were battered by these powerhouse lineups for 11 combined runs in the first three innings. Up next Dylan Cease (1-5, 4.72 ERA) pitches Tuesday for San Diego. The Dodgers hadn't announced the next patch on their injury-riddled rotation.
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump travel ban could impact Afghan cricket players traveling to Major League matches
The Brief Five Afghan players are awaiting visa approvals to enter the U.S. after President Trump's travel ban went into effect on Monday. The players are expected to compete in a series of cricket matches held at the Oakland Coliseum this week. The SF Unicorns will be playing their opening match Thursday. OAKLAND, Calif. - A travel ban barring citizens from 12 countries from coming into the United States took effect on Monday. The plan, put in place by President Donald Trump, could have a big impact on a set of Major League Cricket matches held at the Oakland Coliseum this week. The SF Unicorns' opening match will be played at the Coliseum on Thursday, the first in a series of matches hosted in Oakland this week. Organizers hope to draw thousands of fans, but President Trump's new travel ban could keep some of the world's top cricket players out of the country and off the pitch. "There are some big names who will pull crowd whose visa is in doubt at this point," Hemant Buch, head of the California Cricket Academy in Santa Clara told KTVU. Buch has been training young cricket players in the Bay Area for 20 years, and he says these players need the best coaches and competitors to thrive. "We need players who have gone through the grind for years and years, who have that persona and passion, to pass on their knowledge, and that will only come from the international community at this point," Buch said. The travel ban is aimed at 12 countries, primarily in Africa and the Middle East, including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Afghanistan is on that list, and five major league cricket players from the country may not be permitted to enter the U.S. For this week's tournament. Shakaib Rahimi is an ambassador for Afghan cricket players, and has been assisting teams in getting visas processed. He says barring Afghan players will leave a mark on the sport at a critical time of growth. "Afghanistan cricket is on the rise, and not having Rashid Khan or any other Afghanistan national player participate will definitely have a negative impact," Rahimi told KTVU. Of the seven Afghan players contracted with the MLC, only two are currently in the U.S. ahead of this week's matches. The other five players are awaiting visa approval. Rahimi says those players are not currently in Afghanistan, which could have complicated their ability to travel. Dig deeper Cricket is growing in the U.S., and the international community is an important part of the game. Folks we spoke to say losing out on big names could affect the sport's future success in the states. "Now every city wants cricket. We will need international coaches," Buch said. And it's not just coaches — American cricket players also need the chance to compete with the best in their age group, including international players. "In India the boys are playing… seven days a week, here the boys are playing twice a week," said Biml Jadej, a coach with CCA. The travel ban currently allows athletes from banned countries to enter the U.S. for "major sporting events". Organizers say they are awaiting the Department of State's decision on whether this tournament will fall into that category. KTVU reached out to the Department of State for the status of those visas, but the department did not make anyone available in time for this report. Officials with the MLC say they are hopeful the Afghan players will be able to get to the U.S., but they will be ready for this week's matches, no matter what. "We're pretty fluid and there is backup… The bulk of our international players are in already, and they've come in very smoothly. It's out of our hands, to a degree, we've done what we can to mitigate it," Justin Geale, Chief Operating Officer for Major League Cricket. If you're interested in attending any of the matches at the Coliseum this week, ticket information can be found at the MLC website.
