SAN FRANCISCO — Despite their team’s sinking playoff hopes, just one win to show for the first five games of their home stand and the season’s two lowest attendance figures the past two days, almost 28,000 Giants fans showed up Thursday to watch the reigning August pitcher of the month take the ball in his first start of September.
They’d better hope there will be more chances next year.
Blake Snell labored through 42 pitches to complete the first inning and didn’t emerge from the dugout again, but the Giants were still able to avoid being swept by the Diamondbacks, 3-2, thanks to the relief work of Landen Roupp and the clutch hitting of Patrick Bailey.
Bailey laced a two-strike fastball from Diamondbacks closer Kevin Ginkel into left-center field, allowing Tyler Fitzgerald to race home from second to score the winning run on the catcher’s second RBI knock of the afternoon, overcoming Blake Snell’s shortest outing in a Giants uniform.
Surrendering two runs in the fourth-shortest start of his career, Snell wasn’t aided by his defense or his inability to find the strike zone. He issued a pair of walks, which both advanced into scoring position thanks to mistakes by Giants defenders. Fitzgerald airmailed a throw to first base, and Bailey dropped a strike three that would have ended the inning.
With his pitch count in an uncomfortable spot, the bullpen door opened to begin the top of the second, and Roupp mowed through the next four innings in the longest and most effective outing of his young big-league career. The 25-year-old rookie limited Arizona to one hit and a pair of walks while striking out five and not allowing a run.
The Diamondbacks didn’t advance another runner into scoring position until Christian Walker led off the eighth with a double off Camilo Doval, and Ryan Walker stranded him on third base with a strikeout of Jake McCarthy after Bob Melvin called on his new closer to record the final out of the inning.
Snell’s agent, Scott Boras, was one of those in the house for the cloud-free, 70-degree matinee.
But he was on hand to help announce the Giants’ six-year, $151 million extension with another one of his clients, third baseman Matt Chapman, who doubled Michael Conforto into scoring position and crossed the plate on Bailey’s two-out, two-RBI poke into left field for the Giants’ only runs in seven innings against Arizona starter Merrill Kelly.
Like Chapman, Snell has the ability to opt out after this season and is expected to exercise it in hopes of cashing in on a long-term deal. Even lasting only a single inning Thursday, Snell’s ERA in 11 starts since returning from a groin strain on July 9 sits at a sparkling 1.42, the lowest mark in the majors by half a run.
Boras prefers his clients to set their price on the open market, and Snell isn’t expected to be a similar exception as Chapman, who lobbied publicly and privately to get a deal done. He recently pushed back on Jordan Montgomery’s criticism of how Boras handled their free agencies last winter, when neither got the long-term deal they were seeking.
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At the conclusion of Chapman’s news conference, Zaidi and Boras were asked about the progress on an extension for Snell. The Giants’ baseball boss chuckled and deflected the question without offering a meaningful response. Snell’s representative said as much in a few more words.
“I’m sure that in any of these things, every organization wants to do what’s best for them. Much like with Matt, when teams reach out we respond,” Boras said. “The biggest and most important thing is when players play well somewhere, you have to pay attention to it. I do. Because we want players to play well, do well. I think those are very attractive dynamics about why you would want players in certain situations.”
Up next
The Giants head to San Diego, where they will continue their stretch of divisional foes with three games against the Padres. While neither team has announced its probable pitchers, beware that the first game of the series — 6:40 p.m. Friday night — is available only to Apple TV+ subscribers.
