SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants wanted to keep Blake Snell at the trade deadline, but they did leave the door open to teams that had the ability to bowl them over. The Baltimore Orioles were at the top of the list, possessing not just one of the game's best farm systems, but also a real need and an opportunity to make a statement in their bid to win the American League East.
Had the Orioles been willing to go closer to the top of their prospect list, Snell likely would have been on the other side Tuesday night. But he's a Giant, and he continues to dominate.
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Snell allowed one hit and struck out 12 at Camden Yards as the Giants got a long and difficult road trip off on the right foot, winning 10-0.
At some point this week, likely this series, the Giants officially will be eliminated from the postseason race, but they're still hoping to end on a high note and certainly have a chance to play spoiler. Tuesday's game turned into a blowout late and dropped the Orioles 3 1/2 games back of the New York Yankees. They probably have some regrets about the way they handled the deadline (the Giants probably do, too).
Here are the takeaways from the Giants' 73rd win of the season:
Change Of Pace
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With two outs in the fifth, Snell threw five consecutive changeups at Coby Mayo. The rookie had no chance. Mayo swung through three of them to end the inning on a night when Snell leaned heavily on the pitch, even to left-handed hitters. He threw 22 of them and got 19 strikes, including 11 swings-and-misses.
The changeup has been Snell's worst pitch this season, but he had it all working Tuesday. He also got six swinging strikes on his slider and four on a fastball that touched 98 mph, and those three pitches were so dominant that he hardly even needed to dust off his curve, which can often be his best pitch.
All 1️⃣2️⃣ of Snell’s strikeouts 🥊 pic.twitter.com/tuKesTiQ3M
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) September 18, 2024
Snell lowered his ERA to 3.31, a remarkable feat given his first three months. It's 1.33 in his last 13 starts.
Yaz He Did
Mike Yastrzemski got his #RevengeGame going with a bang, hitting a long solo shot on the second pitch of the night. It was the second career homer in Baltimore for Yastrzemski, who was drafted by the Orioles 11 years ago but never got past Triple-A. In the ninth, he worked a 12-pitch walk that helped ignite a huge inning.
Yaz goes deep to lead off the game 💥 pic.twitter.com/MQMzcE9EuM
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) September 17, 2024
The veteran is up to 16 homers and .754 OPS. He has an outside shot at reaching 20 for the first time since 2021, and he certainly is making a strong case to return next year. The Giants have one more year of team control on the right fielder, who should get about $10 million in arbitration.
Hello, Old Friends
Austin Slater is on his third team of the year and the Orioles are using him the same way the Giants did: Having him bat leadoff against lefties. There was no #RevengeGame for Slater, who went 0 for 3 and struck out twice. He has a .677 OPS in Baltimore after a brief stint with the Cincinnati Reds.
Some fans -- or any listener of Giants Talk -- might have noticed that the Orioles' starter was also a former Giant. Albert Suarez made a dozen starts for the Giants in 2016 and pitched out of their bullpen the next year, and he's back after six years in the minors, Japan and Korea. It's an incredible story, and the 34-year-old has a 3.60 ERA, even after giving up four in 3 1/3 innings to a team that has no players left from his time in San Francisco.
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