SAN FRANCISCO — The late-night magic wouldn’t strike twice.
A day removed from Austin Slater’s walk-off heroics, the Giants mustered just three hits as they fell to the Astros, 3-1, on Tuesday at Oracle Park.
Jordan Hicks, who allowed three runs with five strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings, looked on his way to delivering his first quality start since April 27, needing just 50 pitches to complete the first four innings. In the fifth, Hicks ran into a game-deciding roadblock.
Trey Cabbage led off with a single, then former Giant Mauricio Dubon smashed a double, putting runners on second and third with no outs. Hicks struck out the next two batters, then got Alex Bregman to dribble a potentially inning-ending grounder to the infield’s left side.
Matt Chapman, entering play with the most defensive runs saved of any third baseman, barehanded the ball and fired, but his throw was offline and two runs scored, giving Houston a 3-1 lead. Manager Bob Melvin subsequently ended Hicks’ night at 72 pitches, tied for the fewest he’s thrown in an outing this season.
For the Astros, those three runs proved to be plenty. Houston’s Ronel Blanco tossed six innings of one-run ball, the lone blemish coming on Brett Wisely’s solo home run. From there, Tay Scott, Bryan Abreu and Ryan Pressly each tossed a scoreless inning apiece.
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