Game #3: San Francisco Giants @ Milwaukee Brewers (04/06/2016)

Following a closely-contested victory on Tuesday evening, the San Francisco Giants entered Miller Park on Wednesday afternoon with hopes of completing a rare road sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Taking the hill for the Giants in their third contest of the young season would be another newly acquired pitcher, nine-year-veteran Jeff Samardzija. On the opposite side of the field, 26-year-old Tyler Jungmann prepared to take the mound for the Brewers.

With lead-off hitter Denard Span suffering from the flu, San Francisco would have to put their faith in fifth-year Giant Angel Pagan, who refused to disappoint in his role as the table-setter.

Pagan led off the game with a resounding double, and later scored on a botched play at home plate.

For the first time this season, the Giants had found themselves first on the scoring sheet. 

However, after Jeff Samardzija allowed a walk and two singles to open up the bottom half of the inning, the momentum quickly shifted from San Francisco’s dugout to Milwaukee’s.

Thankfully, Samardzija was able to limit the damage early on, and the teams emerged from the first inning deadlocked with one tally apiece.

Back and forth they went – Giants’ third baseman Matt Duffy blasted a home run to left-center field in the top of the second, followed by a Domingo Santana game-tying RBI in the bottom half of the inning.

In the bottom of the third, Brewers’ first baseman Chris Carter launched a one-out four-bagger to give the Brewers their first lead of the night – Milwaukee had obtained a mere 3-2 edge.

And while Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford both found a way to get themselves on base in the fourth and fifth innings respectively, the Giants’ offense was unable to capitalize on either game-tying opportunity.

Finally, in the top of the sixth inning, San Francisco was able to initiate their game-tying rally.

As starting pitcher Tyler Jungmann’s afternoon came to a conclusion, the Brewers had put their faith in the arm of fourteen-year-veteran Chris Capuano.

Unfortunately for Milwaukee, Capuano’s first pitch of the night was scorched down the right field line for an Angel Pagan triple.

Pagan would later score on a Buster Posey sacrifice fly, as the Giants’ persistent offense evened the score at 3-3.

After a bit of trouble in the bottom of the sixth, Jeff Samardzija would join his counterpart starting pitcher in being replaced by a fresher, bullpen arm. 

Samardzija would finish with a line of 5.1 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 Ks, and 98 pitches thrown.

Jungmann would finish with a line of 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 Ks, and 80 pitches thrown.

The even score of 3-3 seemed to stagnate until the bottom of the seventh inning, when Giants’ reliever Cory Gearrin allowed Scooter Gennett to score on a Chris Carter sacrifice fly, and the Brewers struggled their way to a 4-3 advantage with limited time remaining.

And in the final two innings, Milwaukee’s confident bullpen would allow only a single base-runner, as the tandem of Michael Blazek and Jeremy Jeffress paved their team’s way to a sweep-preventing victory.

San Francisco will return to the Bay Area for their home opener against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers tomorrow afternoon.

FINAL SCORE: Brewers 4, Giants 3.