Following Crawford’s closing effort, Giants set for series in St. Louis

Jun 12, 2023, 9:47 AM | Updated: 10:00 am

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 11: Closing pitcher Brandon Crawford #35 of the San Francisco Gian...

(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

Editor & Kings Beat Writer

Following two underwhelming offensive displays against the Chicago Cubs, the San Francisco Giants bats brought some serious thump during Sunday’s series finale.

The Giants racked up 13 runs on 15 hits while hitting four home runs as San Francisco (33-32) pulled itself back over the .500 mark after a brief two-game skid.

After recently returning from the injured list, both Thairo Estrada and Joc Pederson (twice) mashed home runs during the win, while the latter finished the game four-for-four with four RBI.

“I’ve been grinding a lot in the cage just trying to find that rhythm,” said Pederson, who has missed 30 games this season due to right-hand injuries. “It’s hard to miss time and get back into it. It’s paying off right now.”

Home run No. 2️⃣ on the day for Joc 💣 pic.twitter.com/sHv7qmIgvN

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 11, 2023

While the Giants’ offense carried San Francisco on Sunday, the main storyline from the blowout win over the Cubs was the way the game ended in the ninth inning.

During a storied 13-year career that has included three All-Star appearances, four Gold Gloves, and two World Series championships, shortstop Brandon Crawford had always wanted to take the mound and pitch in a Major League game.

At long last, Crawford got that chance as the 36-year-old closed out the win over Chicago with a scoreless ninth inning.

“It’s always been something I’ve wanted to do,” Crawford said postgame. “I pitched in high school, and I pitched in college a little bit. And I’ve always thrown flat grounds and stuff like that, just messing around.”

Crawford tossed nine of his 20 pitches for strikes, and got one swing-and-miss from Cubs outfielder Christopher Morel.

Craw the closer 😤 pic.twitter.com/XHF7OP6e5P

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 11, 2023

“It’s obviously a really cool moment for everybody in the stadium, including the dugout and all of us in the organization,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said when asked of Crawford’s appearance on the mound.

“It’s fun to see him get that opportunity. We weren’t in a position where we absolutely had to do it, but it felt like the right time.”

As San Francisco turns the page on a series loss to Chicago, they will set their sights on a three-game set against the St. Louis Cardinals that will open up on Monday at Busch Stadium.

Here are the probables for the Giants and Cards’ three-game series:

Monday, June 12th – Logan Webb (4-6, 3.09 ERA) vs. Matthew Liberatore (1-2, 6.00 ERA) – 4:45 PM PST

Tuesday, June 13th – Alex Cobb (5-2, 3.01 ERA) vs. Jack Flaherty (3-4, 4.15 ERA) – 4:45 PM PST

Wednesday, June 14th – Anthony DeSclafani (4-6, 3.89 ERA) vs. Jordan Montgomery (3-7, 3.88 ERA) – 10:15 AM PST

"I always give pitchers a hard time about it not being that hard. I think I proved today that it's not."

B-Craw's got jokes 🤣 pic.twitter.com/Hanh44b8H1

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 12, 2023