Storm suspends Giants-Reds in 8th; game will resume Tuesday afternoon
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CINCINNATI — Ah, the joys of summer in the NL Central, where heat and high humidity can suddenly morph into a thunderstorm.
For the second time on this trip, the San Francisco Giants got into a weather-related delay, this time in the eighth inning at Great American Ball Park on Monday, with the teams tied 2-2. With the rain continuing for more than 45 minutes and the radar showing more en route, the game was suspended and will resume Tuesday.
With the Giants' Joc Pederson at third, Wilmer Flores at second and J.D. Davis at the plate with one out, the game will restart at 2:40 p.m.
Between San Francisco’s burgeoning rally and Logan Webb’s low pitch count — plus a nearly two-hour wait before the game was suspended — the Giants were a little on the grumpy side.
“It’s tough because obviously Logan was pitching really well and I think if we’re able to continue that game, Logan has a chance to go out there for the eighth inning,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “Under the circumstances, obviously we’re not going to allow Logan to pitch in (Tuesday’s) game. Additionally, we’re in a pretty good spot there with second and third and one out and J.D. Davis coming up to the plate. So it’s a little disappointing that we didn’t get to continue that momentum.”
Kapler did not have specifics about the Giants' potential pitching plans for the game’s resumption.
Lightning flashes made it a near certainty the game would be halted, and minutes later — after the grounds crew had a comically difficult time covering the infield in high winds, with one grounds keeper barreled over and then briefly lost under the tarp — rain began streaming down in earnest.
In Pittsburgh on Saturday, the start of the game was delayed 30 minutes, but the rain never materialized.
All the runs in the game at the time of Monday’s delay were via homers, with Webb giving up solo shots to Matt McClain and Jonathan India, and Austin Slater and Flores went deep for San Francisco.
Webb was at 86 pitches when play was stopped so it’s likely he would have been able to pitch the eighth and maybe the ninth, as he did a week ago.
Webb was less than happy about allowing the two homers, and he said the suspension was “more frustrating because I wanted to make up for the previous inning” when India homered, Webb said.
Of the smaller dimensions, Webb noted he’s pitched plenty at Colorado, which is even homer-happier. “If you make your pitches, you give yourself a chance,” he said.
A week from Monday, the Giants must play a makeup game at Detroit — for a game called despite next to no rain all day.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
