Holland too good for old team
“Spoiler” is a pejorative word around AT&T Park. No team that has three World Series wins in its recent past can feel comfortable playing the role of fly in the ointment for playoff contenders.
So, for the moment, the Giants are not going there mentally, even if Sunday’s 3-1 victory in their series decider against the Rangers moved them no closer to the National League West lead or a wild-card spot.
At 65-67, they are eight games back of Arizona, seven behind Colorado and 5½ behind Los Angeles. They also stand eight games out for the second wildcard berth.
If the Giants are in denial, it’s a benign one, and the Dodgers and Rockies might be pleased to learn that the Giants believe they still have their sights on October.
The Giants can help Los Angeles by beating the firstplace Diamondbacks during a three-game series that opens Monday night.
“Until we’re eliminated, we’re going to believe we’re in there. That’s just the way we carry ourselves,” pitcher Derek Holland said after he beat his origi-
nal team, which he admitted he enjoyed. They gave up on him after 2016, then clocked him in two starts with the White Sox last year.
Holland held the Rangers to a run on three hits over 61⁄3 innings Sunday before what he calls his “seventh-inning curse” got him. He hasn’t had a seveninning start since May 2017.
“Obviously, a win is great,” Holland said. “To go against my former teammates, it is a little bit better because now maybe I can say some stuff to them.”
Two loud swings pushed Holland to his seventh win.
Evan Longoria hit a firstinning triple against former Milwaukee right-hander Yovani Gallardo and scored on a passed ball. Steven Duggar, who looks increasingly comfortable at the plate, broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth with a two-run triple.
Duggar’s drive was just left of Triples Alley. One of these days, if he hits one 421 feet, he might sprint home with his first inside-the-park homer since high school.
“I wish I had that kind of speed,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “It’s a gift. He’s a gifted defender and his bat is only going to get better. He’s a guy we talked about quite a bit before he came up. He should have a great career here.”
Tony Watson, Reyes Moronta and Mark Melancon finished, with Melancon earning his second save in two days. Will Smith was off limits after pitching in three consecutive games, and will be Monday as well.
Holland pitched for the first time since his racially insensitive skit on MLB Network on Wednesday, for which he has apologized multiple times. He reiterated it was wrong and said he was touched that the fans gave him an ovation when he walked off the mound in the seventh inning.
“That meant a lot to me,” he said. “For the fans who have my back and understand, and hopefully with my apology to them, they (know) those were not my intentions. To have that ovation felt really good. I appreciate them for doing that.”
The Rangers were impressed by their former mate, who has held his past three opponents to two runs over 16 innings.
“He got ahead a lot and was being aggressive,” said Elvis Andrus, who hit an RBI double on his 30th birthday for Texas’ run. “It was much more like he was in 2012 and 2013, and his changeup was much better. There is some deception to it now. Before, there really wasn’t anything to it.”
The Giants’ schedule gets a little tougher, and more critical, at least for their opponents.
They play 21 of their final 30 games against contenders.