What we learned as Adrian Houser gives up eight runs in Giants’ loss to Marlins originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
BOX SCORE
SAN FRANCISCO – So much for keeping the positive momentum going.
After taking two out of three games against their dreaded NL West rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Giants were hoping to build off that against a Miami Marlins team that is struggling to get to .500.
Instead, starting pitcher Adrian Houser and the Black and Orange were manhandled by Miami to the tune of a 9-4 loss for the Giants on Friday.
Houser was rocked for 11 hits and eight earned runs in four innings. He walked one, struck out just three and saw his ERA jump to 7.36 this season.
It was the sixth consecutive time that the Marlins (13-13) have stormed into San Francisco and won a game at Oracle Park, a streak that extends back to 2024.
It happened on a night when the Oracle Park crowd was in no mood to watch the team that got shut out by the Dodgers on Thursday come out with the same attitude against the Marlins.
Yet that’s the way it was for much of the game, as the Giants (11-15) essentially were sleepwalking for much of the game while the Marlins came out swinging from the jump, then held on for the win, which upped Miami’s record to 13-13.
Here are the takeaways from Friday:
One day after being shut out for the second time in four games and fourth time overall this season, the Giants’ offense once again had trouble mounting much of an attack.
After giving up hits to two of San Francisco’s first three batters, Miami starter Sandy Alcantara settled in to one of his best grooves of the season.
The Giants broke through against Miami’s big right-hander with three consecutive one-out hits and a pair of two-out singles that combined to push three runs across.
Jung Hoo Lee’s two-out home run in the eighth, his second of the season, provided another highlight but they were few and far between.
In the midst of the disastrous fourth inning, fans at Oracle Park couldn’t contain their frustrations any longer.
Boos cascaded down from the crowd, with much of the criticism aimed directly at first-year Giants manager Tony Vitello.
Vitello has shouldered much of the blame for the team’s poor start this season, so the fans are aiming any and all angry banter toward the young skipper.
The booing was somewhat reminiscent of the Gabe Kapler days, and we all remember how that all ended.
It didn’t take long at all before Miami got its offense rolling.
The Marlins, who have had varied success getting off to an early lead this season, jumped on Houser for three runs before many fans had found their seats at Oracle Park.
The frustrating part was that the majority of it came with two outs.
After leadoff batter Jakob Marsee doubled leading off the game, Houser struck out Kyle Stowers on an 86 mph change-up, then got Otto Lopez to whiff on an 88 mph slider before Xavier Edwards two-run double and Liam Hicks’ two-run home run.
The Giants got two of their first three batters on base in the bottom of the frame but failed to score.
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