Field Level Media
Apr 13, 2018
Right-handers Chris Stratton and Derek Law combined on a one-hitter and San Francisco took advantage of walks and poor defense Thursday night as the visiting Giants opened a four-game series with a 7-0 win over the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.
The Padres' lone hit was a third-inning single to right off Stratton by pitcher Clayton Richard, who was pinch-hitting hitting for Padres starter Bryan Mitchell.
It marked the first time since 1935 (Pittsburgh's Mace Brown) that a team's only hit was by a pitcher who did not start the game. It also marked the first time in Padres history that their only hit in a game was by a pitcher.
Stratton (1-1) allowed only four baserunners over seven innings and faced only one threat when he issued back-to-back walks with one out in the fifth. He had four strikeouts. The Padres hit only four flies to the outfield.
Law retired the six Padres he faced in the eighth and ninth to finish the one-hit shutout. Stratton and Law retired the final 14 Padres in order.
Meanwhile, the Giants scored three runs in the first with the help of three walks by Mitchell. They added four unearned runs in the top of the sixth against right-hander Colten Brewer, who was making his Major League debut.
Mitchell walked Joe Panik to open the game and the Giants second baseman moved to third on Andrew McCutchen's one-out single. After Buster Posey drew a walk to load the bases, Panik scored on Evan Longoria's grounder to short, Longoria just beating the relay to avert an inning-ending double play.
After Brandon Crawford walked to reload the bases, Hunter Pence hit a two-run single.
Mitchell (0-2) allowed three runs on four hits and five walks with two strikeouts in three innings to take the loss.
The Giants loaded the bases on singles by Pence and Panik around a walk to Gregor Blanco with two out in the sixth. McCutchen hit a two-out grounder to Padres' third baseman Christian Villanueva, who threw wildly across the infield for a two-run error. Posey followed with a two-run double.
--Field Level Media