Loud cheers but no magic in Pablo Sandoval’s likely last cameo

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SAN FRANCISCO — There was no magical finish for Pablo Sandoval on Sunday, just as it appears there won’t be one for the Giants this season.

Sandoval, three days before he’s scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery and a month before he enters free agency, got one final at-bat on a sunny afternoon at Oracle Park.

The popular third baseman and one of the team’s final connections to their World Series glory days was sent to the plate to pinch hit in the seventh inning against the San Diego Padres. Sandoval collected a standing ovation as his name was announced on the PA.

A pair of ovations for the Panda #SFGiantshttps://t.co/7sBXChaDUr

— KNBR (@KNBR) September 1, 2019

Needing one more hit to break the Giants’ single-season record for pinch hits, he grounded out softly to shortstop. The crowd of 38,701 didn’t care, standing once more to cheer Sandoval as he trotted back across the diamond to the dugout.

Things went no better for the Giants, who lost 8-4, their third defeat in four days to the hardly imposing the Padres on the day before they hit leave town for a seven-game road trip against the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers.

At 66-70, the Giants are seven games back of the Chicago Cubs, currently second in the National League wild-card race. And there remain four teams between the Giants and Cubs.

Giants starter Jeff Samardzija (9-11), who had a 1.52 earned run average in his previous seven starts, was hit hard early, surrendering two home runs and two doubles to the Padres’ first eight hitters.

The Giants stayed close, thanks to a first-inning two-run homer by Kevin Pillar, his 20th of the season. Pillar became the first Giants player with at least 20 homers in a season since Brandon Crawford did it in 2015.

After retiring seven straight batters entering the sixth, the wheels came off for Samardzija. Eric Hosmer doubled to center as Pillar crashed into the wall in pursuit of the ball.

One batter later, Will Myers dribbled a slow grounder toward third base. Evan Longoria, convinced it would curl foul, leaped over the ball, which stayed fair and rolled into left field, allowing Hosmer to score from second for a 4-2 Padres lead.

Austin Allen then worked a walk, pushing Samardzija’s pitch count to 109 and prompting Bruce Bochy to replace him with left-hander Fernando Abad. Ty France, who entered the game with two homers this season, blasted his second one of the afternoon — a shot onto the right-field promenade — that made it 7-2.

Longoria got two runs back with a two-run homer in the sixth, his 18th.