SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – It means so much to Curt Casali that he can provide Buster Posey a much-needed break behind the plate, and Giants pitchers don’t miss a beat with the backup. On Thursday night, Casali caught his fifth consecutive shutout, guiding Aaron Sanchez and four relievers in San Francisco’s 3-0 win over the Miami Marlins.
“Five in a row, it’s pretty sweet,” a grinning Casali said.
Casali – for a resting Posey – is the fifth catcher since at least 1900 to backstop a shutout in five straight starts. He joins Francisco Cervelli (2015), Chris Hoiles (1995), Alan Ashby (1986), and Ed Phelps (six straight in 1903), per Elias Sports. Casali is the first to do it with five different starting pitchers.
The 32-year-old’s pride in that feat “is probably more than I can describe.”
“Catchers are like offensive linemen in baseball,” said Casali, a former quarterback who has long marveled at O-linemen. “Buster and I have worked hard behind the scenes. It feels like, finally, it comes to the forefront. I’m pretty proud. I’m not the one throwing the pitches.”
The Giants capitalized in the first with two outs against lefty Daniel Castano (0-1); when Darin Ruf hit an RBI double, Casali followed with a two-run single. Sanchez (1-1) gave up two hits, struck out two, and didn’t walk a batter over five impressive innings for his first victory with the Giants. However, he was not feeling his best physically following shoulder surgery in September 2019.
He was happy to have Casali backing his cause.step ahead of the game plan,” Sanchez said.
Like Sanchez, Jake McGee, a new member of San Francisco’s pitching staff this season, finished the two-hit shutout in 2 hours, 26 minutes for his seventh save.
The Giants are 6-1 after losses, dropping back-to-back contests once this season. They lost the series finale to the Phillies on Wednesday before their trip home.
Castano allowed three runs and five hits over five innings for short-handed Miami following a cross-country trip after Wednesday’s home game with Baltimore.
“We had chances to get back in the game and couldn’t get anything going,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said.
LOVE FOR SAN FRANCISCO
Mattingly compares playing in San Francisco to the vibe of East Coast ballparks, with the electricity of the fans – and he missed not making this trip last year.
“The atmosphere here is perfect,” Mattingly said. “Their fan base is energetic and rowdy. It’s a fun place to play. It’s closer to the East Coast than any of the West Coast cities we play in, so San Francisco has always been a fun place to come to.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Marlins: 3B Brian Anderson went on the 10-day injured list with a strained left oblique to give him an extended break to recover fully. … 1B-OF Garrett Cooper (groin) sat out again. Mattingly said he would likely return Friday. … RHP Jorge Guzman (elbow) had a setback in his rehab. … RHP Elieser Hernandez (biceps inflammation) is throwing out to 90 feet while RHP Sixto Sánchez, delayed this spring, is throwing at 60 feet in Jupiter, Florida. Giants: 3B Evan Longoria exited with a tight left hamstring
Will be further evaluated Friday, manager Gabe Kapler said. … 1B Brandon Belt had an MRI on his sore right quadriceps and sat out a second straight game. … SS Brandon Crawford could pinch-hit despite tightness in the upper part of his right rib cage that forced him out of the series finale at Philadelphia on Wednesday. … INF Donovan Solano was placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained right calf, revealed from an MRI exam. … RHP Gregory Santos was called up from the Sacramento alternate training site and pitched a scoreless inning in his major league debut, striking out two.
UP NEXT
RHP Sandy Alcantara (0-1, 3.28 ERA) pitches Friday night for the Marlins opposite Giants LHP Alex Wood (1-0, 0.00), who beat Miami last week in his first outing since undergoing an ablation procedure in his lower back March 16.
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