SF Giants lose final spring training game 12-6 as A's blast four homers

The SF Giants final preseason game was nearly all about Sergio Romo, but a few relievers had noteworthy appearances.

The SF Giants did not finish spring training with their best performance, losing the Oakland Athletics in a 12-6 blowout at Oracle Park. While the final results are far from the point of MLB's preseason, the Giants finished the spring 14-15-1. For comparison's sake, the Giants finished 11-12 during the spring preceding the team's 107-win campaign in 2021 and were 8-7 last spring before a disappointing 81-81 season.

Giants manager Gabe Kapler gave Ross Stripling the final start of the spring. The former Dodgers and Blue Jays arm threw 90 pitches across 5+ innings pitched, which was the primary goal, but he was cuffed by A's hitters. Stripling surrendered 9 earned runs on 11 hits and a walk during his outing. Shea Langeliers, Jesús Aguilar, and Esteury Ruiz all teed off for homers off Stripling.

Tyler Rogers relieved Stripling in the top of the sixth inning, but did not fare much better. A's first baseman Seth Brown blasted a rising slider more than 400' over the right-field wall for Oakland's fourth (and final) home run of the night.

Sergio Romo made his final professional appearance in the seventh inning, delivering arguably the most memorable moment in Giants preseason history. Romo was robbed of an out by an extremely questionable call at second base but, nevertheless, was pulled with the bases loaded and nobody out. Despite the tricky situation, Mauricio Llovera struck out two of the next three hitters and did not allow a run to score.

Taylor Rogers and Camilo Doval capped off their springs with quiet innings of work in the eighth and ninth, respectively. Both have been dominant throughout the preseason and seem prepared to be a dominant 1-2 punch at the back of Kapler's bullpen.

The Giants offense was effectively slowed by A's starter James Kaprielan. Infielder Brett Wisely (Giants #22 prospect) recorded the only extra-base hit against Kaprielan, who allowed a pair of runs across 5.1 innings pitched. Joc Pederson was 2-for-2 on the day with an RBI.

Black Sabol (Giants #33 prospect) capped off his excellent preseason by reaching base on a single and walk. However, starting behind the plate, he dropped some frameable pitches and was a notable downgrade from the Giants top options at catcher (Joey Bart and Roberto Pérez). Given his offensive potential, the Giants would love for Sabol to be a viable catcher, but he still has a long way to go.

The Giants built their largest rally of the night in the bottom of the seventh when they scored four runs thanks to six walks during the inning and a bases-clearing double from versatile utility man Ford Proctor. Proctor was 2-for-2 on the night with a pair of doubles.

Now, the SF Giants only have the regular season to worry about. The team will officially announce its 26-man roster in the coming days before they travel to New York to face the Yankees on April 1st.