Ramos exits with quad tightness as Giants lose opener to Athletics
Heliot Ramos left with right quad tightness, and the Giants had to finish the opener with Casey Schmitt in left field. Nick Kurtz’s three-run homer sent San Francisco to another road loss.
Heliot Ramos’ right quad tightness turned a 5-2 loss into a bigger concern for a Giants club already fighting to steady its season. Ramos left Friday night’s opener against the Athletics in the sixth inning at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento after going 1-for-3 with a strikeout, and San Francisco had to finish with infielder Casey Schmitt in left field, his first career appearance at the position.
The injury matters because Ramos has been one of San Francisco’s most important everyday players in left field, and his role has carried extra weight this year. He became the first Giants player since Barry Bonds to start consecutive Opening Days in left field, a marker that showed how central he had become to the lineup. If the club does have to navigate even a short absence, the Giants will need a quick answer in a spot that already shifted once Friday when Schmitt moved from the infield into the outfield.
The Athletics seized control in the fifth inning, when Nick Kurtz launched a go-ahead three-run home run. Kurtz homered for a third straight game, and Oakland held on from there to beat San Francisco 5-2 in the series opener. For a Giants team trying to keep momentum alive in a season that has been uneven from the start, the margin for error only got thinner once Ramos left the game.
San Francisco fell to 18-27 overall and 8-15 on the road, while Oakland improved to 23-21 and 10-10 at home. The A’s also moved ahead 78-77 in the regular-season rivalry series after the Giants won five of six last season to pull even. For Bay Area fans, the result added a fresh edge to a rivalry that had briefly swung back San Francisco’s way.
Giants manager Tony Vitello spoke after the loss, and the club was likely to send Ramos for imaging to determine the severity of the injury. That next step now looms as the biggest immediate issue for a team that cannot afford many more lineup disruptions, especially with left field suddenly uncertain and the road record already lagging.
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