Washington’s Trea Turner led off the last of the first with an infield single as second baseman Panik couldn’t make the play on a two-bouncer.
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Roark keeps rolling: Roark has now tossed seven or more shutout innings in seven starts this season, more than any other Major League Baseball pitcher.
“He’s not awesome us anymore”, manager Dusty Baker said. “We’ve come to expect it”. Sunday was his seventh start of the season of at least seven innings and no earned runs, most in the majors this season. The Giants came close to taking the lead but Washington center fielder Ben Revere made a fine running catch on the warning track to rob Posey of extra bases for the third out in the first.
Bumgarner and Roark went about this duel in different ways.
“I’ve seen some insane things happen in this game when you’re down and out”, Huff said. “I was fortunate enough to get that pitch in the zone and was able to connect on it”. After Nez’s triple in the fifth, Belt dunked a ball in shallow left field that fell for a double.
I generally like the pitching here, but I like Roark a little more right now.
“Tanner, he pitched one heck of a game”, Revere said. Opponents are hitting just.211 against him. They seem to have good games at times against the best pitchers and save their worst for pitchers nobody has heard of.
ASTROS 5, RANGERS 0 (at Houston) – Dallas Keuchel pitched a three-hitter and Houston beat Texas for just the second time in 11 tries this season. Revere has not been the hitter the Nationals hoped this season, lost the leadoff spot, then playing time in center field. He did his best Willie Mays impression – against Mays’ former team – and saved two runs along the way. “Boy, that was big”.
Melancon – acquired last week in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates for reliever Felipe Rivero and Single-A left-hander Taylor Hearn – picked up where Roark and Kelley left off.
Roark escaped multiple jams, working around five hits and three walks, striking out five. Over the final two months of this season, with Kershaw on the Dodgers 60-day disabled list, Bumgarner could emerge from a smallish pack and lay claim to being the league s best pitcher. “Eight innings, zero or one run, and give your team a chance to win easy”.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy liked how his offense, which has been struggling lately, performed against Strasburg. What a terrific job. “To have that game, I have my confidence back”. The Giants’ ace is winless in five starts since the All-Star break.
“It just didn’t feel very good”, he said. “It hasn’t since the break, but that’s just the way it goes. I can’t worry about that, or it digs a deeper hole”.
Both starters completed four scoreless, Roark on 59 pitches, Bumgarner on 57, and the Giants’ lefty held the Nationals hitless through 3 ⅔ before Anthony Rendon broke up a nascent no-hit bid with a two-out double to right.
Nationals: Jayson Werth has reached in 36 straight games.
Strasburg had a long trip around the bases in the third.
The Giants were fortunate when Pence appeared to avoid serious injury in the second inning despite fouling a ball off his face. Pence underwent a CT scan after Saturday’s game, which showed no fracture to the orbital socket. LHP Josh Osich (left forearm strain) threw in the bullpen Friday and could start his rehab assignment Monday.
Nunez got four hits, including two triples and a double against Strasburg, and the San Francisco Giants beat Washington 7-1 in a matchup of NL division leaders.
Washington will turn to Chris Heisey to fill the void in right field until Harper returns, according to Rotoworld.
This will be game three of the set. The Giants will face RHP Jose Fernandez (12-6), who is 26-2 lifetime at Marlins Park.
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“I’ve been having it for a couple days now”, Harper said of the neck stiffness.
