Moore Narrowly Misses No-Hitter

Matt Moore walked out to the pitchers' mound of Dodger Stadium in the time during the interlude between the top and bottom halves of the ninth inning with an opportunity which went beyond the scope of a game against a divisional rival in the midst of a playoff push.

No one who has paid any attention to the San Francisco Giants doubts that the team has been beaten down in every shape and form over the past month a half.

Whether it be the loss of Matt Duffy, the nagging injuries, or the inadequate performance of the team as a whole, baseball's best first-half team has been struggling to find any light at the end of the tunnel in the seemingly endless abyss that is the dog days of summer.

But for 8 2/3 innings, the newest Giant in Moore captured the imagination of coaches, players, and fans alike.

The young lefty's beautiful performance allowed all to forget all the pain and travesties that have occurred during the past month and a half, slowly pushing out the negativity as Dodger after Dodger failed to register a hit.

Although Moore fell just short of finishing the job and forever etching his name in the history books, the newest pitcher to don the orange and black, even for just a night, gave the Giants a glimmer of hope.

Matt Moore, in just his fifth start as a San Francisco Giant, came within one out of recording a no-hitter, but a Corey Seager, on his bobblehead night no less, broke up the bid on a bloop single into right field, ending the lefty's chance at history.

Moore's 133rd and final pitch of the night, 13 more than his previous career-high, couldn't have been a better one, a middle-in fastball which would have just grazed the inside part of the plate, but the All-Star Seager kept his hands in and mustered just enough power to drop it into right.

Bruce Bochy immediately pulled Moore from the game after the single, to which the lefty, understanding the circumstances, walked back to the dugout and tipped his cap right before walking down the steps.

Santiago Casilla finished the game by retiring his one and only batter, securing a 4-0 victory which stood to be Moore's first win as a member of the Giants.

The lefty may not have had his date with destiny, but Moore's contribution, historical or not, were of the utmost importance as the Giants avoided being swept by the Dodgers and falling further down in the standings.

While there is a little more than a month left in the season, the Giants desperately needed to take one of the three games in this series.

With the win, the Giants stay only two games behind the Dodgers in the National League West, and 1.5 games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals for the top spot in the Wild Card.

Bochy faced a decision similar to that of Dave Roberts, who, back in April, pulled rookie Ross Stripling in the middle of a no-hit bid to ensure his arm wasn't to undergo unnecessary strain. Coincidentally, Stripling started tonight's game for Los Angeles against Moore.

Instead of calling upon a pinch-hitter in the top of the ninth inning to hit for Moore, Bochy allowed the pitcher to hit for himself, a clear signal that he was giving his starter the opportunity to control his fate.

The lefty could have lost the no-hitter at various points if it had not been for a pair of defensive gems from Denard Span, one of which was a sliding catch to rob Enrique Hernandez of a hit to register the first out in the bottom of the ninth.

Span wasn't the only contributor on defense, as Crawford made a backhanded play in the six-hole, then fired a bullet to first base to register an out.

Moore did not have to fret about run support once his attempt to no-hit the Dodgers began to pick up steam, as Joe Panik hit a two-run shot and Brandon Belt and Span drove in a run each with singles.

While Dodgers fans were full of cheers following Seager's single to break up the no-hitter, keeping the Giants from throwing a no-hitter in their fifth straight season, there was plenty of sorrow before the game as the Dodgers traded A.J. Ellis to the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Giants shared similar sentiments with the loss of Duffy in exchange for Moore and know all too well what can happen by tampering with chemistry mid-way through the season, particularly as a first-place team.

Nevertheless, Moore once again showed what he is capable of on the mound, recording his third quality start out of five outings.

One of the lingering problems for Moore has been walks, having now allowed 20 walks in 31.2 total innings for the Giants, good for a BB/9 of 8.24.

A trio of walks throughout his start, as well as a pair of long at-bats at crucial moments in the game, led to Moore's high pitch count and the lefty having to pitch out of the stretch against six of the 30 total batters he faced.

Moore didn't have to wait too long to run into a battle with a Dodger when he and Justin Turner fought in an eleven pitch at-bat, which included five foul balls before Moore retired Turner on a groundout to third.

The Dodger third baseman certainly was a pest at the plate, fouling off four foul balls in a row before Moore finally got the best of him.

Moore's first walk of the night came in the same inning as his encounter with Turner, walking Yasmani Grandal on a payoff fastball which missed the zone low.

No Dodger reached base until Moore walked Seager with one out in the bottom of the seventh after getting ahead in the count 1-2, but the Dodgers didn't make any noise with Seager on base.

The San Francisco lefty would have to face Turner yet again following the walk to Seager, but Moore set him down on six pitches, striking Turner out on a 2-2 changeup.

Moore also walked Grandal again to kick off the bottom of the eighth inning and had to endure another long at-bat, this time, a ten pitch affair with Chase Utley, but Moore got the better of the second baseman by striking him out on a changeup.

Although the Giants had to part ways with Duffy to acquire Moore, the lefty has been what San Francisco was looking for in a pitcher, a lefty who can hit the mid-90s with a couple of solid breaking pitches.

The Dodgers are also subpar against left-handed pitching, hitting a major-league worst .227 against lefties.

If the Giants and Dodgers meet up in the playoffs, Moore and staff ace Madison Bumgarner could be the Dodgers' kryptonite, as well as the also newly acquired Will Smith out of the bullpen.

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