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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The San Francisco Giants were an out away from a perfect game and a strike away from a no-hitter before they were broken up by the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday in a spring training game.
Giants reliever Gregory Santos walked Cooper Pratt with two outs in the ninth. The next batter, Blake Burke, delivered a run-scoring double with two strikes. Santos struck out José Anderson to end the game.
So close.
Lefty Robbie Ray combined with four relievers to strike out 11 in a 7-1 win over the Brewers. Ray threw five innings and struck out eight. He has a 1.23 ERA with 15 strikeouts over five starts this spring.
Spring training no-hitters aren't all that common. The Baltimore Orioles threw a no-hitter last March against Pittsburgh.
The pitching gem for the Giants comes on a day when multiple media outlets reported that pitcher Hayden Birdsong's MRI revealed a Grade 2 strained right forearm strain along with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament. He's weighing his options, according to MLB.com.
"It's certainly not best-case scenario, but hopefully we get best-case scenario of the unfortunate circumstances," manager Tony Vitello said Sunday morning, according to NBC Sports Bay Area.
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