The San Francisco Giants acquired Matt Moore to help fend off the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West, and on Thursday night the left-hander did just that, coming within one out of a no-hitter in a 4-0 win for San Francisco at Dodger Stadium.
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Moore’s try for a no-hitter ended on his 133rd and final pitch – he missed most of the last two seasons after Tommy John surgery.
Seager’s hit sent the sellout crowd of 53,297 into a raucous celebration.
Angel Pagan saw his 19-game hit streak come to an end on Wednesday. On the 10th pitch of the at-bat and 109th of Moore’s night, Utley swung through a changeup. It’s one of those things where you don’t ever want that to happen.
When Moore returned to the dugout, Bochy pulled him aside. “It was a fun ride all the way up to that point”. It would have tied Carlos Ruiz, who was traded to the Dodgers earlier Thursday, and Jason Varitek for most by a catcher in Major League Baseball history. They learned that the club’s top brass had traded former Albuquerque Isotope A.J. Ellis, their popular yet offensively challenged backup catcher, and also Clayton Kershaw’s best pal.
“I’m happy. It’s a happy room in there”, said Moore of the Giants’ locker room. Seager and Yasmani Grandal both drew walks – Grandal with two – but the usually explosive Dodger offense was silent. Here’s what some of Moore’s nastiness looked like in GIF form. That places the Giants two games back of the Dodgers in the West. His accomplishments were not historic, but they were darn significant as the Giants avoided being swept in the three-game series.
Matt Moore #45 of the San Francisco Giants throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on August 25, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. He was very grateful and said, ‘thanks, I appreciate you giving me a chance, ‘ ” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. Losing two of three and getting swept, there’s a huge difference.
The 37-year-old Ruiz is hitting.261 with three home runs and 12 RBI in 48 games, playing behind Cameron Rupp.
“That’s hard”, Seager said. “You win 1-0, you lose 1-0”. He’s been here a long time. “We got a hit”.
Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager blooped a single into right field with two outs in the ninth inning, ending the no-hit bit and ending Moore’s night at 133 pitches, the most thrown by any pitcher in Major League Baseball in 2016. Moore has limited the Dodgers to an unearned run and five hits in 15 1/3 innings the past two times he faced them. “I was making some good pitches”.
“A comeback, a walk-off hit, something like this can spark you”, Moore said.
“Yesterday there were just things that were available to us that aren’t going to be there every night”, Moore said. He did not revisit it until urged by Posey, who said Friday he “felt like it would be an effective pitch (for Moore) just by catching it”.
The Giants remain tied with the Dodgers for the most consecutive years with a no-hitter. He had thrown 95 pitches and was six outs removed from his first no-hitter since he twirled one for Double-A Montgomery in 2011.
Giants: Jeff Samardzija (10-9, 4.17) starts the series opener at home against the Braves. Having a 1-2-3 death rotation is how they won the whole enchilada in ’10, ’12 and ’14.
The Dodgers won two of three games and didn’t allow the no-hitter, something positive they can take from the game.
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Pirates 3, Brewers 2, 10 innings: Andrew McCutchen hit a home run and a pair of RBI singles, including the tiebreaker in the 10th inning, and Pittsburgh beat Milwaukee to stop a nine-game skid at Miller Park. The MLB’s only 80-game winners come to town for a series, the Chicago Cubs.
