San Francisco Giants defeat the San Diego Padres 3-2
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Matt Chapman played a pivotal role in the San Francisco Giants' 3-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday, securing their first series win of the season. Chapman contributed two RBIs, including a crucial go-ahead single in the eighth inning.
"I'm just focused on showing up every day and playing to win," Chapman remarked. "I aim to do whatever I can to support the team and maintain a positive atmosphere. It's about staying upbeat and executing my role."
The Giants had trailed 2-0 until Chapman's RBI groundout in the sixth inning put an end to their 14-inning scoreless streak.
In the eighth inning, with one out, Wilmer Flores singled off Jhony Brito, followed by a single from Jorge Soler. Michael Conforto then hit a potential inning-ending double-play grounder to Jake Cronenworth. Cronenworth stepped on first base, initiating the play, and threw to second. However, the ball bounced off the glove of shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, who had moved in front of the bag, resulting in an error charged against him.
Padres manager Mike Shildt expressed confidence in Kim, who won a Gold Glove last year as a utilityman, despite the dropped ball.
"Sometimes you have to show you're human," Shildt remarked. "I have full trust in Ha-Seong Kim any day of the week."
Chapman then followed with an opposite-field single to right, easily scoring Soler.
Despite Chapman's .195 batting average, he continues to showcase his Gold Glove-caliber defense at third base while injecting energy into the Giants' dugout.
"The most underrated aspect of Chappy is his leadership and his impact inside the clubhouse and on the field," commented Giants starter Logan Webb. "There are moments when we might be trailing early, and he's in the dugout rallying the team, saying, 'Let's go, guys!' and firing everyone up. I think that's something we might have been lacking a bit in the last couple of years. He brings that energy, and as a teammate, you can feel it."
Brito (0-2) surrendered a pair of unearned runs, marking his second decision since joining San Diego from the New York Yankees in the Juan Soto trade.
Camilo Doval, after allowing a two-out single to Jackson Merrill, sealed the victory with his first save of the season. Last year, Doval tied for the NL lead with 39 saves.
In the first inning, Cronenworth smashed an RBI double high off the center-field wall, just beyond the reach of Jung Hoo Lee, who collided with the wall in an attempt to make a play. Kim later added a run-scoring single in the sixth inning.
Lee, still acclimating to Oracle Park after playing the past seven seasons in South Korea, had difficulty with a ball in the sun during Saturday's game.
"These things can happen," Lee expressed through translator Justin Han.
Ryan Walker (1-0) delivered a hitless inning in relief of Webb, who conceded two runs over seven innings.
"Still some things I got to clean up, but as long as the team wins, I'm all good," remarked Webb, who finished second in NL Cy Young Award voting last year.
San Francisco attracted 40,149 fans for its third consecutive sellout, matching its total from 2023.