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Record 18-4-2. Change on 2015: +6
Not exactly a well-pitched contest here, with both starters leaving a little to be desired. It was Robbie Ray who bore the brunt of things early, as the Giants scored two in the second inning, and another pair in the third to take a 4-1 lead. After a quick first inning, the pitch count really started to mount, and that meant Ray's afternoon was done after only four innings - perhaps the first bump he has encountered this spring. It took him 84 pitches to get that far, and he was charged with four runs on five hits and two walks, with five strikeouts. Ray's spring ERA increased to 3.95, though he has now struck out better than a batter per, with 14 K's over 13.2 innings.
The good news is, Matt Cain sucked even harder, also only lasting four innings, but allowing six runs. Chris Owings got that party started early, with his first home-run of spring to lead off the first inning, but the big blow was another long ball, a three-run shot off the bat of Jake Lamb in the fourth inning (below), which have the Diamondbacks a 6-4 lead. It was Lamb's second HR of spring. They then tacked on another three runs the next time up, as Jason Bourgeois legged out an inside-the-park homerun. Sadly, I've not yet been able to find any video of that, which seems like a pity!
A solid day for the offense here, though the best performance at the plate was Brandon Belt's for San Francisco - he homered twice off Ray and added a double his third time up. For Arizona, Owings had a pair of hits and our only walk of the game, while Bourgeois had two hits and three RBI. After Ray, Wesley Wright worked a scoreless frame to boost his case for the final bullpen spot, but Sam LeCure allowed two runs in his inning and Tyler Clippard escaped his with the bases loaded. Matt Stites struxk out a pair in the ninth around a hit and a walk. Owings and Socrates Brito stole bases, but there were errors for Peter O'Brien and Todd Glaesmann.
Tomorrow, it's off to Peoria for the Diamondbacks, with Anthony Banda starting. That's because the game is against divisional rival, San Diego, and Zack Greinke will be getting his work in as part of a minor-league contest at Salt River Fields instead. First pitch is at 1:10pm.