SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Catcher Tom Murphy ripped a two-out double to left field that scored Wade Meckler from second base, and the Giants walked off the White Sox, 5-4, in the home half of their spring split-squad games Sunday afternoon.
“Coming through, hitting the ball hard, it’s a win,” said bench coach Ryan Christenson, who served as manager with Bob Melvin on the road in Peoria.
Michael Conforto also recorded hits in all three of his at-bats, raising his spring batting average to .400, and Joey Bart contributed a pair of base knocks and a sacrifice fly that scored the Giants’ first run of the game. Making his first start in the outfield, Austin Slater also drove in a run on a deep sacrifice fly.
Spencer Howard continued to make his case for the fifth spot in the rotation, rebounding from walking three batters in the first inning to complete 2⅔ scoreless innings, and Ryan Walker retired the side in order in his first appearance since being shut down with elbow soreness.
A longtime bench coach of Melvin’s, Christenson is no stranger to split-squad managerial duties. This will be his seventh season with Melvin and their third team together, after stops in Oakland and San Diego.
“We’re very like-minded in a lot of ways. I think that helps our relationship,” Christenson said. “We kind of hit it off right away seven years ago (in Oakland). I understand what he wants from me during the games and prepare accordingly so I can get him quick answers whenever he asks them. It’s been a good working relationship.”
It was Christenson in charge in Scottsdale because Melvin opted to make the trip to Peoria for the Giants’ road game against the Mariners, though the primary objective took place before first pitch, introducing Jung Hoo Lee to his childhood idol, Ichiro Suzuki.
Mariners 8, Giants (SS) 3
A day after he snapped his five-game hitting streak to open spring, Lee got right back to it, lining a single to center field in his final at-bat of the Giants’ loss to Seattle.
Most of the Giants’ offense, however, came on a two-RBI single from Casey Schmitt, driving home Luis Matos and David Villar, whose back-to-back doubles amounted to the Giants’ only extra-base hits. The single was Schmitt’s first hit of the spring in 11 at-bats.
The Mariners did most of their damage against Tommy Romero, a non-roster reliever, who got the start and allowed six runs over 1⅔ innings. After walking consecutive batters to load the bases, Romero served up a grand slam to Jorge Polanco that put Seattle ahead for good.