SHOCKING NEWS : Giants lose even before the game begins.

The San Diego Padres shut out the San Francisco Giants tonight, resulting in a 4-0 loss.

This was one of those games that seemed to end before it had really begun. You essentially missed the entire game if, like me, you missed the top of the first inning live. That may be oversimplifying things, but not significantly.

First inning started with a hit by Xander Bogaerts with Keaton Winn on the mound. Winn retired the next two batters, but he walked Ha-Seong Kim to load the bases after giving Manny Machado a single. Jurickson Profar’s grand slam, which gave the Padres all the runs anyone could score in the game, was made possible by this.

That is hardly the ideal way to start the inning. Nevertheless, Winn would go on to prevent another strike. He pitched six innings in total, giving up three hits, three walks, and four runs allowed. Again, not the finest way to start a game, but he corrected course after that and gave the Giants their best opportunity to remain in it.

Regretfully, Michael King also did likewise on the opposing side. But only he managed it without bothering with a first-inning grand slam. In just seven innings, King gave up just four hits and a walk while exerting tight control over the Giants’ offense. With just four strikeouts under his belt, he depended on soft contact and the defense to prevent the Giants from taking advantage of the few offensive runs they were able to muster.

Almost every inning saw a Giants player reach base, but they never advanced past second base. The closest they came was when Thairo Estrada singled with two outs in the bottom of the seventh and Mike Yastrzemski walked. However, Tom Murphy ended the inning by striking out.

I’m glad I wasn’t present in person for this game; that’s the only positive thing I can say about it. I’ve sat through a lot of games like this, and those are usually the ones where all I remember is the view of the bridge, the ships cruising in the bay, and whatever treat I purchased myself to give my brain the dopamine it so desperately needed in the last innings.