Managers both pass Piniella in DH split
Nats take nightcap on Kendrick slam in 11th
WASHINGTON >> Thunderstorms didn’t allow the Giants to begin their three-game weekend series at rain-soaked Nationals Park until after 10 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday.
By the time the earth completed a full rotational axis, the two teams had wedged 27½ innings into 24 hours. And then, because they couldn’t decide matters in Game 2 of Sunday’s doubleheader, they played some more.
The Nationals claimed a 6-2 victory in Game 2 and a doubleheader split on Sunday when Howie Kendrick hit a grand slam in the 11th inning off Albert Suarez, and we can only hope that Lou Piniella didn’t sit at home and watch both games.
That’s because Bruce Bochy and Dusty Baker both passed Piniella for 14th place on the all-time managerial victory list. Bochy claimed his 1,836th win with the Giants’ 4-2 victory in Game 1, and Baker matched him in Game 2.
Of the 13 managers ahead of them, only Gene Mauch is not in the Hall of Fame.
“Dusty and I have gone against each other quite awhile,” Bochy said before the series opener here. “We enjoy our battles and we’ve been competitive against each other. I have tremendous respect for Dusty, with of course, what he did in San Francisco and Chicago. I enjoy talking to him.”
Even if Baker ends up zooming ahead on the alltime list later this season, there is no catching Bochy in another respect. Although it went unnoticed at the time, the Giants’ third win of the year in April pushed Bochy past Baker’s 840 victories with the Giants and into second place on the all-time franchise list for managerial wins. (Hall of Famer John McGraw is uncatchable with 2,583 victories.)
Strong outing
Bochy passed Piniella in Game 1 after Chris Heston, a quiet right-hander with a basic-training haircut, buzzed through the Nationals lineup while striking out 10 in 6 2/3 shutout innings.
The Giants received enough key contributions in Game 2 to sweep the doubleheader, too: Pablo Sandoval hit his first home run as a Giant in almost three years, and the pitcher with the NL’s most bloated ERA (Matt Moore) matched the Nationals ace (Max Scherzer) who is likely to win the NL Cy Young Award.
Moore pitched well on the road against a threat-filled lineup and little margin for error, holding the Nationals to two runs while striking out nine in seven innings.
It was an odd start at times. Moore didn’t walk a batter, and yet twice he lost curveballs that spun out of his fingertips and soared like an approach wedge to the backstop.
Those were not the two pitches he most wanted back, though. Daniel Murphy hit a home run on a two-strike pitch in the third inning, Ryan Zimmerman pounded a fastball into the stands in the sixth.
“I didn’t overthrow like I was trying to be ‘the guy’ or something,” Moore said. “At times I gripped the ball too tight instead of allowing it to happen. Getting more swings through my fastball was telling me that I’m disguising pitches.”
Moore hung tough with Scherzer, who struck out 10 in seven innings, and Sandoval provided one prodigious equalizer in the seventh when he drove Scherzer’s fastball into the upper deck.
Sandoval’s shot was his first homer as a Giant since Sept. 5, 2014, in an interleague game at Detroit. It was classic Panda, too. Scherzer tried to jam him inside and up with a fastball, and Sandoval turned on it, sending the high drive just inside the right field pole.
“I have to prove a lot to my teammates and the coaching staff, everybody,” Sandoval said. “I just want to have great at-bats. … It’s special. It’s special to tie the game.”
Pablo lobbies
Bochy said Sandoval lobbied to play both ends of the doubleheader.
“Why? I’ve been out a long time,” he said. “I’m fresh. I’m just giving the break to guys who need it. I was ready. I’m healthy. Why not play both games?”
The home run took Moore off the hook for a loss, and the Giants bullpen held serve for a time. Hunter Strickland gave fans two chances to boo him while appearing for the first time at Nationals Park since plunking Bryce Harper with a pitch on May 29 at China Basin. He appeared in both games and struck out Anthony Rendon, who had taken him deep in Game 1. Suarez flashed 96 mph heat in a scoreless 10th inning.
But Suarez gave up con- secutive singles to Murphy and Zimmermann to start the 11th, with Murphy making a great read on a blooper up the middle as he went from first third. After an intentional walk to Rendon set up the force at the plate, Kendrick connected and the powerless and tired Giants outfielders merely trudged in the opposite direction back to the dugout.
“It’s three games in one day,” Bochy said. “I can’t remember the last time we’ve done this. But I’m proud of them. They battled. We’re so close to taking this series.
“These are three long days, and it’s not over. We’ll probably get in Miami at 4 in the morning. So we’ll have to toughen up here and get ready for tomorrow.”
• Joe Panik nearly scored the go-ahead run in the fourth inning of Game 2 but was tagged out while simultaneously getting hit in the helmet by a throw to the plate. Panik, who spent a month on the concussion DL last year, had some lightheadedness but passed diagnostic tests and stayed in the game. Bochy said Panik would get a preplanned day off Monday at Miami.
• Jarrett Parker went 0 for 5 with four strikeouts in Game 1 and then struck out twice more against Scherzer while going 0 for 4 in Game 2.
Parker joined Dave Kingman (in a 1972 doubleheader) and Bobby Bonds (in a 1971 doubleheader) as the only Giants in the San Francisco era to strike out six times in one day.
Kelby Tomlinson, who hit a pinch sacrifice fly in Game 1, had a rough day as well. He went 0 for 4 with four strikeouts in Game 2.