Nationals halt Giants’ three-game win streak

SAN FRANCISCO (TNS) – With Buster Posey, Evan Longoria and the Giants’ newest revelation, Mac Williamson, out of the lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Nationals, San Francisco started the day with an uphill battle.

By the time Washington aided back-to-back Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer with a 6-1 lead in the fourth inning, the Giants might as well have been climbing Mount Everest.

As three of the Giants’ best right-handed hitters watched from the bench, the Nationals roughed up Giants starter Jeff Samardzija who lasted just 32/3 innings in an ugly 15-2 loss.

“It’s one of those games that started off rough and gradually got worse,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “In six innings we gave up crooked numbers.”

The 15 runs the Giants allowed Wednesday are the most the franchise has given up in a nine-inning game since Colorado defeated San Francisco 17-7 on May 5, 2016 at AT&T Park. The 13run margin of defeat was the worst for the Giants since they lost 17-0 to the Dodgers on September 13, 2014.

Williamson was scratched with neck stiffness a day after he tumbled into the wall near the Giants’ bullpen while chasing after a foul ball. Williamson stayed in the game on Tuesday night and slugged a solo home run to lift San Francisco to a 4-3 win, but was pulled from Wednesday’s lineup 45 minutes before game time due.

Rangers 4, A’s 2 ARLINGTON, Texas – The A’s finally saw what they wanted to see out of No. 1 starter Kendall Graveman, but the end result still left them disappointed.

Graveman grinded out his first quality start of the season, allowing three runs on six hits with four walks and seven strikeouts over six innings of work in a loss to the Rangers, snapping the A’s four-game win streak. It was the first time this season Graveman has completed six innings.

The lead was given up by Graveman in the fifth as he allowed two runs to score after allowing three hits and a walk to four consecutive batters with two outs.

Khris Davis got the A’s on the board first in the third inning by blasting a 1-1 fastball from Doug Fister well beyond the wall in right field for an oppositefield two-run home run. It was his seventh homer of the season and 19th career home run and 43rd RBI against the Rangers, both his most against any team.