San Francisco Giants snap four-game skid with win over Mariners

Jul 6, 2023, 10:31 AM | Updated: 10:39 am

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 5: Alex Cobb #38 of the San Francisco Giants pitching against the ...

(Photo by Suzanna Mitchell/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images)

Sacramento Kings Beat Writer

Teams will run into hot-and-cold streaks throughout a 162-game Major League Baseball season, and the San Francisco Giants are weathering a rough patch as we close in on the All-Star break.

After winning 12 of 13 games from June 11th through June 24th, the Giants sat 11 games over the .500 mark as they crept closer to the top of the National League West division.

Entering play on July 5th, San Francisco had lost seven of its past nine games–including four-straight–as they attempted to avoid being swept at the hands of the Seattle Mariners.

Thanks to a dominant performance from Alex Cobb and the Giants’ pitching staff, San Francisco blanked the Mariners by a final of 2-0 at Oracle Park on Wednesday night.

Another hit taken away from CornCobb TV pic.twitter.com/G5f0VWCtbL

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) July 6, 2023

Cobb struck out seven batters and allowed six hits (no walks) over six innings of work before handing the ball to Taylor and Tyler Rogers before All-Star closer Camilo Doval came in to lock down the save.

In his second appearance since returning from the injured list, Cobb looked like his early-season self as the veteran right-hander lowered his ERA to 2.91 on the year.

“It was great for him to come out and just pound the strike zone, use all his pitches, mix them well, hit spots,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said of Cobb postgame. “I’m not sure his stuff was like A-plus. It was solid, but plenty to get us through those six innings. We think he’s going to be critical for us down the stretch.”

Doval delivered a 1-2-3 ninth inning while striking out a batter in the 26-year-old’s league-leading 25th save of the season.

9⃣9⃣ pic.twitter.com/WZ0IMTl7cq

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) July 6, 2023

LaMonte Wade Jr. drove in the Giants’ lone run of the night on a sacrifice fly during the third inning, while another run scored on Julio Rodriguez’s fielding error in the bottom of the fifth inning.

San Francisco’s pitching staff was the story in this one, as the shutout effort was a welcome sight following a four-game stretch that saw the Giants post a 6.09 ERA in four losses.

The recent rough stretch for San Francisco comes on the heels of some recent injury news that will affect the lineup for the foreseeable future.

Thairo Estrada, one of the Giants’ best hitters this season, will miss four-to-six weeks with a left-hand fracture. Starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani was placed on the 15-day injured list with shoulder fatigue. Mitch Haniger (fractured forearm) was moved to the 60-day injured list last week, meaning he cannot return before mid-August.

While San Francisco weathers its injury issues, they will hope to keep their heads above water and remain in the mix for the National League West crown. As of Thursday, the Giants sit just three games back of the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Giants will enjoy an off-day on Thursday before playing its final first-half series against the Colorado Rockies at Oracle Park. San Francisco will start a three-game set against its NL West foe before heading into a five-day All-Star break.