OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Nick Hundley hit a grand slam and the San Francisco Giants made it a sweep of their Bay Bridge Series, beating the Oakland Athletics 6-3 on Saturday to conclude spring training for both teams.
Matt Joyce hit a two-run double for Oakland, a positive first impression on his new fan base.
Justin Ruggiano hit a two-run homer for San Francisco.
The Giants headed straight to the nearby Oakland airport to open the season Sunday afternoon at Arizona. The Giants just departed spring training in the desert last Tuesday.
“This is the program we’ve got, try to make the best of it,” right fielder Hunter Pence said, “So we’ll go get after it.”
Khris Davis played for the second straight day after nursing a quad injury, this time back in his left field spot for Oakland after being designated hitter in Friday’s 2-1 defeat.
A’s starter Andrew Triggs took the loss as Oakland dropped its final six exhibition games. Manager Bob Melvin used nearly his planned lineup for opening day Monday against the Angels.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy removed most of his regulars by the fourth as they backed starter Tyler Beede.
OAKLAND ROSTER
The A’s are keeping eight relievers, so outfielder Jaff Decker is headed to Triple-A Nashville after batting .313 this spring as the club opted against a fifth outfielder.
“That was the hardest one,” Melvin said. “He did everything he could do to make a team. Had we not gone with eight relievers he would have been on the team, and I told him that.”
Mark Canha is the extra outfielder, while relievers Frankie Montas and Daniel Coulombe made the team.
Yet Melvin wasn’t ready to name his closer – noting he might initially go based on matchups. He met with the group of relievers before Saturday’s spring finale to discuss the “dynamic.”
“We’ll play it by ear,” Melvin said. “I’m not going to say, `This is the guy that’s going to close.’ We’ll see coming opening day who’s out there for the ninth.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Giants: C Buster Posey and SS Brandon Crawford, both of whom played for the winning Americans in the World Baseball Classic, each were off ahead of Sunday’s opener. Regular 2B Eduardo Nunez played shortstop.
Athletics: RHP Sonny Gray threw off flat ground to test a strained lat muscle that is expected to sideline him until late this month. Melvin was unsure when the ace will throw off a mound, but it could be this week. … 3B Trevor Plouffe, who also was nursing an injured quad, played DH after he was in the field a night earlier.
UP NEXT
Lefty Giants ace Madison Bumgarner makes his fourth straight start on opening day, opposing Zack Greinke at Chase Field. The Giants are 29-9 in the Diamondbacks’ ballpark the past four years, 9-1 in 2016.
The A’s will host the Angels on Monday night to begin the season, with Kendall Graveman starting opposite fellow right-hander Ricky Nolasco.
