This story was originally published by Dead Spin
Fresh off one of their most emotionally draining wins of the season, the San Francisco Giants will seek to avoid a letdown when they open a three-game interleague series against the visiting Chicago White Sox on Monday night.
The Giants survived a tense finish to beat the Oakland Athletics 4-2 on the road Sunday, a 10-inning affair that completed the last edition of the annual Bay Bridge Series.
By virtue of winning the finale of a 2-2 split, the Giants were able to pack the Bridge Trophy for permanent storage with the A’s putting an end to the rivalry series with their pending move to Sacramento next season.
The win Sunday was important for the Giants in that it was just the second in their past seven games. But there was way more significance, current San Francisco and former Oakland manager Bob Melvin assured afterward.
“It almost had to happen like that,” he said of the series finale going extra innings. “It was quite the game. Big pitches, big outs, big hits, big plays … It had it all. I’m glad we came out on top.”
The Giants will begin the week four games out of the final wild-card spot in the National League.
If there’s ever a time to pick up ground, it would figure to occur during the team’s three remaining series against clubs currently with losing records. Chicago is one of those teams.
The White Sox return to the Bay Area, where they ended a historic 21-game losing streak with a 5-1 win at Oakland earlier this month. The South Siders have followed that with seven losses in nine games, including a 2-0 defeat at Houston on Sunday.
Some losses are better than others, interim White Sox manager Grady Sizemore said after the competitive effort with the American League playoff contender.
“I can live with that one,” he said. “We’ve been playing good, but you gotta play sharp. You can’t give away outs. You gotta protect the ball. You gotta stay focused for nine. You have to play clean baseball, or we are not going to have a chance to win.”
The effort came after a pregame tongue-lashing dealt to White Sox players by bench coach Doug Sisson.
“The record is irrelevant. It’s a day-by-day thing,” he said. “If you’re a competitor worth your salt, take great pride in playing smart, clean baseball every day. It’s not negotiable.”
Rookies Jonathan Cannon (2-6, 4.02 ERA) of the White Sox and Kyle Harrison (6-5, 4.14) of the Giants are the scheduled starters in the series opener.
Neither has faced Monday’s opponent.
Cannon was the winning pitcher in the streak-ender 13 days ago in Oakland. The right-hander has since pitched just once, losing 4-1 at home to the New York Yankees on Tuesday after allowing three runs in 4 2/3 innings.
Harrison has yet to win in August. The lefty is 0-1 in his last three starts while allowing 11 runs over 13 1/3 innings, with the Giants going 1-2 in those games.
-Field Level Media
