It will certainly be difficult — though not impossible — for the Giants to hit four home runs in a single road game again, especially the day after they just did so, but this is the age of miracles, the age of juiced balls all over the place. Just... baseballs flying everywhere. Yesterday, the Blue Jays had the right pitcher on the mound to hit home runs off of but they could only manage one off of Jeff Samardzija in his 5.1 innings. Rowdy Tellez taking my baseball boyfriend Tony Watson deep for a grand slam was an unfortunate turn of events, but as Kenny noted at the time, Giants inducing the rally-killing grand slam — Kenny Kelly (@KennyKellyWords) April 24, 2019 Today, Toronto has another great home run giving option in Drew Pomeranz. He’s allowed four home runs in four starts and has a 40.4% hard hit rate in his 18.2 innings pitched. On the other hand, he has a 46% ground ball rate. On the fast artificial turf of the Rogers Centre, that might not be such a great thing, but keeping the Blue Jays in the yard will give the Giants a fighting chance to gain a sweep today. Here’s who he’ll be facing off against: Let's close out the series with a W! #LetsGoBlueJays pic.twitter.com/j5a0aok24f — Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) April 24, 2019 Alen Hanson makes an appearance in {record scratch} RIGHT FIELD?! Well, okay then! Clay Buchholz resurrected his career last year in Arizona with a 2.01 ERA (3.47 FIP) in 16 starts (he went 7-2), parlaying that performance into a 1-year $3 million deal with Toronto. In three starts against the Giants, he had a 1.88 ERA and 18:5 strikeouts to walks ratio. He held the Rays to one run in 6 innings back on April 13th, but got hit hard by the Twins in Minnesota on the 18th (3 runs, 6 hits in 4.2 innings pitched). The sample size is way too small right now to pick out any trends, even in terms of the pitcher vs. batter data, though most Giants have had hits off of him. Here’s who will be trying to take him down today:<doc-sep>Share this Story: On Deck: Giants at Blue Jays On Deck: Giants at Blue Jays Article content SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS at TORONTO BLUE JAYS We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or On Deck: Giants at Blue Jays Back to video STARTING PITCHERS TUESDAY, 7:07 p.m. RHP Jeff Samardzija (1-1, 2.91 ERA) vs. RHP Trent Thornton (0-2, 5.40 ERA) Fans can visit Ripley’s Aquarium in the afternoon to observe the sharks there, then go to Rogers Centre to watch the Shark pitch against the Blue Jays, and finally find a TV to watch the San Jose Sharks’ playoff game against Vegas. Samardzija had three stints on the DL last season, limiting him to 10 starts.This season, he has a 1.15 WHIP in four starts. WEDNESDAY, 4:07 p.m. LHP Drew Pomeranz (0-2, 4.82 ERA) vs. RHP Clay Buchholz (0-0, 3.38 ERA) Pomeranz was a member of the World Series champion Red Sox last year. He was 2-6, 6.08 ERA in the regular season, had two stints on the DL with arm trouble, and was not included on the 25-man roster for the ALDS or ALCS. He was on the 25-man roster for the World Series, but did not pitch, even in the 18-inning Game 3. With the Giants as a free agent, he has allowed eight walks in 18.2 IP. “The stuff is really good,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy told the media after Pomeranz’s most recent start, “but the command has been a little erratic.” Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content THREE STORYLINES 1. First things first The Giants are 23 games into the season, and they have yet to score a run in the first inning. Since 1912, only the 1948 White Sox (28 games) have had a longer run of first-inning failure to start a season, according to Stats, LLC. The Giants’ leadoff man, CF Steven Duggar, has an OBP of only .276, and the players typically batting in the heart of the order — 3B Evan Longoria (.220 average), C Buster Posey (.227), SS Brandon Crawford (.208) and 1B Brandon Belt (.213) — aren’t hitting. The two worst first-inning team batting averages in MLB entering play Monday belonged to the Giants (.096) and Blue Jays (.154). 2. Pen isn’t a problem The San Francisco bullpen began play Monday with the lowest ERA in the majors (2.23). LHP Will Smith (1.17 ERA, 5 saves) is the closer. RHP Mark Melancon (0.00 ERA in 10 IP), LHP Tony Watson (1.29 ERA, 6 holds) and RHP Sam Dyson (who gave up Jose Bautista’s bat-flip homer in the 2015 ALDS) are also part of the bullpen. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content 3. Superman Returns OF Kevin Pillar plays at Rogers Centre for the first time since the Blue Jays traded him to the Giants on April 2. In 18 games with the Giants, Pillar is batting.226 with four home runs and 13 RBIs. Also back is INF Yangervis Solarte (205, 0 HR, 3 RBIs), who joined the Giants as a free agent after one season with the Blue Jays. STACKING UP (MLB rankings, yesterday’s games not included) Toronto Stat S.F. 95 (20th) Runs 67 (28th) 24 (T-23rd) HR 16 (T-27th) 7 (T-23rd) SB 8 (T-21st) .232 (22nd) Avg..209 (29th) .300 (24th) OBP .270 (29th) 3.10 (3rd) SP ERA 3.82 (11th) 3.68 (10th) RP ERA 2.23 (1st) PLAYERS TO WATCH 1B Justin Smoak, Blue Jays On Toronto’s seven-game road trip, Smoak batted .444 (12-for-27) with three homers and 10 RBIs. (We won’t mention that he was the second out of that wacky double play in Oakland on Sunday). Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content 3B Pablo Sandoval, Giants Sandoval is being used mostly as a pinch-hitter this year, but with the Giants in an AL park, he’s a strong candidate to DH. For those concerned about whether Vladimir Guerrero Jr. can handle third base with his body type, Sandoval has done just fine since 2008. DUENCH DECLARES Having spent all of his playing and managerial career in the National League, Giants manager Bruce Bochy’s influence hasn’t been felt as much here, but he deserves a salute in his final season. Both teams win one game. WAR BOARD Wins Above Replacement Leaders (yesterday’s games not included) BLUE JAYS 1. Marcus Stroman 1.1 2. Justin Smoak 0.9 3. Freddy Galvis 0.8 4. Thomas Pannone 0.6 5. Matt Shoemaker 0.6 GIANTS 1. Madison Bumgarner 0.6 2. Buster Posey 0.5 3. Jeff Samardzija 0.3 4. Dereck Rodriguez 0.3 5. Reyes Moronta 0.3 MLB LEADERS 1. Cody Bellinger LAD 2.3 2. Christian Yelich MILW 2.1 3. Mike Trout LAA 1.9 4. Paul DeJong STL 1.4 5. Anthony Rendon WSH 1.4 FanGraphs WAR explained: 1-2 season WAR, role player; 2-3 WAR, solid starter; 3-4 WAR, good player; 4-5 WAR, all-star; 5-6 WAR, superstar; 6+ WAR, MVP. Share this article in your social network Latest National Stories Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Toronto Sun Headline News Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Toronto SUN, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address. By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300 Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it please check your junk folder. The next issue of The Toronto Sun Headline News will soon be in your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again Trending<doc-sep>Giants 4 Blue Jays 0 We’ve seen too much of this, decent pitching (though not great today) and lousy hitting. We had just 2 hits. Drew Pomeranz has been pretty good this year, but we should be able to get more than 2 hits against him. And one of the 2 hits, turned into an out at second. I used to think, I’m still not sure it is wrong, that if you get thrown out trying to stretch your single into a double, or double into a triple, it really shouldn’t count as a hit. Anyway, in the fourth inning, with Rowdy Tellez on first after a walk, Teoscar Hernanez lined one to left, up the gap but cut off by left fielder Garardo Parra. Tellez went to third but Teoscar tried for second and was out very easily. Just a stupid play. He could see it all the way, he could have turned back to first when he saw the throw was going to beat him. Just bad baseball. Our other hit came the next inning, After Alen Hanson walked, Eric Sogard singled. We had two on, one-out, but Brandon Drury popped out on the first pitch of his at bat, and Justin Smoak hit a soft play out. On the pitching side, Clay Buchholz looked good early, but he gave up a run in each of the fourth and fifth innings. Then he gave up a single and double (I thought Randal Grichuck should have made a catch on the double) to start the sixth and he was out of the game. Tim Mayza came in and allowed the inherited runners to score. In 5 innings, plus 2 batters, Clay allowed 6 hits, 4 earned, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts and a Pablo Sandoval homer. Clay threw 70 pitches.I’d like Clay to go further before he hits the wall. Mayza pitched 1.2, gave up a hit and 2 walks, getting a k. He settled down after allowing Clay’s runs to score. Ryan Tepera threw a good 1.1 innings. Elvis Luciano pitched the ninth. He gave up a pair of walks, but didn’t allow a run. Richard Urena had the play of the game: I was complaining when he threw the ball because I didn’t think he’d have a play and thought he was likely to throw it away. Tellez make a great pick on it too. No Jays of the Day. Suckage: Buchholtz had the number (-.106) and let’s give one to all the batters. It was a terrible showing on offense. The comment counter seems to have gone offline, so I can’t post the leader board. We swept the A’s and now we get swept by the Giants. Kevin Pillar went 1 for 3, with a double and a walk. It will be long time before we see him at Rogers Centre again. And Freddy Galvis didn’t play, ending his consecutive game streak at 349 games. The A’s come to town for a weekend series starting Friday and, if there is a God, we should see Vlad Guerrero Jr. Friday. Charlie Montoyo announced that he will be up Friday.<doc-sep>TORONTO — The Blue Jays finally decided to promote can’t-miss prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and right in the nick of time — for the Giants to high-tail it to Pearson International Airport and a flight to San Francisco. Vladdy Jr. will be the A’s problem this weekend. The Giants will have their hands full facing the Yankees and Dodgers after beating Toronto 4-0 on Wednesday for their third straight win and second shutout of 2019, a combined two-hitter by Drew Pomeranz, Reyes Moronta and Trevor Gott. The Giants are coming home on a bit of a high. They won their two games at Rogers Centre and finished 4-4 on a trip that began with four losses in five games. That was after a 5-5 homestand, which means the Giants have played .500 ball since their 2-5 trip to start the year. That is not the stuff that dreams are made of, but it means they have won enough games to keep from crashing through the floor despite a lineup featuring a whole lot of ugly batting averages. “It’s not good,” manager Bruce Bochy said of his team’s 9-9 record in the past 18 games. “But without guys finding their timing and rhythm offensively, you’ll take it. You try to hang in there until they do. You saw what happens when they’re clicking a little bit. We’re going to need those hits against the teams we’re playing coming up.” If so, Bochy needs to find a way to get Pablo Sandoval more starts. The Panda is not just clicking. He is jackhammering. He hit his second homer in two days, against Clay Buchholz in the fifth inning, a 112.4-mph laser and the hardest-hit ball by a Giants batter this year. In his next at-bat, hitting from the right side, he smashed the second-hardest at 111.4. Shortstop Richard Ureña somehow speared it to save one or two runs in a rally that already produced two. “He’s pretty locked in right now, especially off the bench,” Pomeranz said after beating Buchholz, his former Boston teammate, for his first Giants win. Sandoval had four hits in the two games as the designated hitter. Therein lies the rub. The Giants will not use a DH again until they reach Baltimore at the end of May, so where can Sandoval find ABs until then? Bochy is not going to platoon third baseman Evan Longoria, who hit one of the Giants’ three RBI doubles Wednesday and has hit safely in 12 of his past 13 games. Bochy also loves what Sandoval brings off the bench. As a pinch-hitter, he is 6-for-17 with five doubles. And face facts: Longoria is entrenched. Sandoval might be gone before Aug. 1. Any team needing an extra bat would be foolish not to consider Sandoval, and the Giants have a shot to get a decent prospect in return because two months of the Panda would cost a team less than $165,000. Bochy could start Sandoval at first base if Brandon Belt needs a day off, or move Belt to left field if Gerardo Parra needs a day. “There’s no good way to do it except to give Longoria the occasional day off,” Bochy said. This is a good problem to have. For most of the first four weeks, the Giants were grasping to find anyone who could supply a big hit. On Wednesday, they had several. Belt hit the first of the three RBI doubles, cashing in a Steven Duggar single in the fourth. Buster Posey’s RBI double in the sixth followed a Parra single. Longoria’s double past third base came against lefty Tim Mayza. Pomeranz laid a good foundation by retiring his first 13 hitters. He had one runner reach third base in six innings and did a good job of throwing strikes with his offspeed pitches while using his fastball strategically, the kind of “less is more” philosophy the Giants had hoped he could adopt. Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images Although he was happy to get the first Giants win out of the way, Pomeranz said, “I was more excited about pitching into the sixth inning today and being more efficient.” Henry Schulman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: hschulman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hankschulman<doc-sep>
TORONTO (AP) -- If the lengthy first-inning video tribute of his Toronto Blue Jays highlights didn't convince the home fans of Kevin Pillar's value, he wasted no time in adding a reminder. Making his first appearance against the team that traded him away on April 2, the San Francisco center fielder opened the scoring in the second inning, hitting an RBI single to left field in the Giants' 7-6 victory on Tuesday night. ''I'm a hopeless romantic,'' Pillar said. ''I was hoping for the stars lining up for a second and to get the opportunity to come up there with runners in scoring position in a tie game and you come up with a big hit.'' Pablo Sandoval went 3-for-4 and homered for the first time this year, one of a season-high four home runs for offensively challenged San Francisco. Joe Panik homered and drove in three runs, and Evan Longoria and Brandon Belt also went deep for the Giants, who came in 29th in the majors in batting and ahead of just one team in home runs. It was San Francisco's first four-homer game since July 4, 2018, against Arizona. ''It's got to do a lot for their confidence,'' manager Bruce Bochy said. ''It starts to weigh on you a little bit when you haven't hit a home run.'' Rowdy Tellez hit his first career grand slam for the Blue Jays, whose four-game winning streak was snapped. Jeff Samardzija (2-1) allowed two earned runs in 5 1/3 innings, improving to 3-0 in four starts against the Blue Jays. He allowed five hits, walked one and struck out four. Will Smith worked a perfect ninth for his sixth save. Samardzija said the Giants were happy to see the attention Pillar got upon his return to Rogers Centre. ''He should be a rock star,'' he said of Pillar. ''Guys like that should be pushed more by this league, guys that play hard.'' The Blue Jays trailed 7-2 before Tellez's one-out, bases-loaded bash in the eighth off Tony Watson, who stayed on and finished the inning. It was also Tellez's first career homer off a lefty. Story continues ''Mentally it's nice to have a good at-bat against a tough lefty out of the bullpen,'' he said. Trent Thornton (0-3) lasted five innings in his fifth major league start, giving up four earned runs on six hits and striking out five. ''You know what I like about this team? We don't quit,'' Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said. ''You never see me smile after a loss but man, this is pretty cool. That's what I was thinking on the bench.'' Belt's home run off Thomas Pannone, which hit the facade of the third deck in right field, was his fifth of the season, and it ended a run of 15 hitless at-bats against left-handed pitching. Panik's solo shot in the fifth inning was his first of the year, and he doubled in two runs in the third. Sandoval slugged one over the center-field fence in the eighth. Samardzija had retired 10 straight batters before Eric Sogard took him deep to lead off the sixth. He was pulled with two runners on after throwing 85 pitches, and Mark Melancon worked out of the jam. FIRST-INNING FAMINE The Giants extended their streak of first innings without scoring a run to begin a season to 24 games on Tuesday, the second-longest such spell in major league history behind the 28 put up by the 1948 Chicago White Sox. Gerardo Parra was thrown out trying to steal home to end the inning. TRAINER'S ROOM Blue Jays: The team announced Tuesday that top prospect Bo Bichette broke a bone in his left hand after being hit by a pitch while batting for Triple-A Buffalo on Monday. The shortstop will visit a hand specialist to determine a course of treatment. ... Montoyo believes RHP Aaron Sanchez will be able to make his scheduled start on Saturday despite the cracked fingernail that forced him out of Sunday's game after four innings. ... LHP Ryan Borucki (left elbow) and RHP John Axford (right elbow) will both be re-evaluated on Friday. ... RHP David Phelps is scheduled to throw his second bullpen session on Saturday as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery last year. ... LHP Clayton Richard (right knee) is continuing his long-toss program and is set to undergo his first bullpen session this weekend.