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CHICAGO -- The White Sox on Tuesday placed outfielder Avisail Garcia on the 10-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring and recalled outfielder Daniel Palka from Triple-A Charlotte.

Palka, 26, is batting .286 (18-63) with three doubles, three home runs, seven RBI and 11 runs scored in 17 games this season, his first in the White Sox organization after being claimed off waivers from Minnesota on November 4, 2017. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Palka, who bats and throws left-handed, is tied for the International League lead in homers and tied for second in runs scored and walks (10).

García, 26, suffered the injury in the second inning of last night's victory against the Mariners. He is hitting .233 (17-73) with one home run, four RBI and five runs scored in 18 games this season. García was an American League All-Star in 2017.

Long before Louis Eljaua rose to special assistant to the president and general manager of the Cubs, he was the young and energetic top international scout for the Marlins. Back then, his boss was Al Avila, now the general manager for the Tigers.

Eljaua vividly recalls a conversation with Avila in 1998 like it happened yesterday. Each time he tells the story of that famous call, he puts his right thumb to his ear and talks into his right pinkie like it's the old hotel phone he used.

• Top 30 International Prospects list

"I found the guy, Al! I found the guy our owner was looking for. He's 15. Come to Venezuela," Eljaua shrieked through the phone.

Avila, who was in Miami at the time, was not pleased to hear the news. The Marlins had never spent more than $30,000 on an international teen.

Top International Prospects

"Are you crazy, Louis? [Owner] John Henry gives us money and you are going to spend it all on your first trip and the first kid you see? Are you trying to get us all fired? What is wrong with you?"

"I know, I know," Eljaua answered. "Just come see the kid. He's good. You won't be sorry."

That kid was Miguel Cabrera. And less than a year later, the teenager signed with the Marlins for $1.8 million to launch his future Hall of Fame career and forever set the standard for international teenage prospects.

The hunt for the next Cabrera continues, and each year an increasing number of prospects sign when the international signing period begins on July 2; hundreds more will join Major League organizations later this summer.

Led by catcher Diego Cartaya -- who like Cabrera is from Maracay, Venezuela -- the players on MLB Pipeline's 2018 Top 30 International Prospects list represent the greatest young talent from across the globe eligible to sign on July 2.

The ultimate goal is nabbing a baseball unicorn like Cabrera. But signing a horse like Cartaya, a hard-hitting catcher with advanced skills, or other emerging international prospects also offer teams options.

Video: Top International Prospects: Diego Cartaya, C

Remember, the Cubs traded top teen Gleyber Torres of Venezuela to the Yankees as part of a deal for Aroldis Chapman in 2016, and the rest is World Series history. Last year, they traded the Dominican Republic's Eloy Jimenez to the White Sox in a deal for Jose Quintana. Both are the top prospects in their organizations. Back in '16, the Red Sox traded Yoan Moncada in a package to the White Sox for pitcher Chris Sale. The A's acquired Franklin Barreto from the Blue Jays in a deal for third baseman Josh Donaldson in '14.

"If you are not investing time and money and effort to sign international players, you are missing out on making your organization one of the best in the game," Eljaua said. "Why would you ignore a market and just focus on one or two ways to acquire talent when these guys are going to play in your system, hopefully in the big leagues, or be a part of a package that helps you fill a missing piece? And it's not all about the money and paying the most money. It's about scouting and working and finding out about makeup and helping your entire system."

Who is signing whom
More than 950 prospects have signed during the international signing period that started July 2, 2017, and that number could increase during the 2018-19 period, because there are thousands who have registered to become eligible.

In addition to prospects from traditional baseball hot spots like the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil and the Bahamas, there are also prospects from places like Europe, the Caribbean islands and Asia who have also registered.

Video: Top International Prospects: Marco Luciano, OF

As far as the list is concerned, the Dodgers are the favorites to sign Cartaya. Marco Luciano, a power-hitting outfielder from the Dominican Republic, a close second behind Cartaya in the rankings, is linked to the Giants. Outfielder Misael Urbina of Venezuela, who is ranked No. 3, is an advanced hitter expected to have an above-average hit tool and plus speed. He is linked to the Twins. Rounding out the top five is Venezuelan right-handed pitcher Richard Gallardo, linked to the Cubs, and Orelvis Martinez, a power-hitting shortstop from the D.R. sometimes compared to a young Adrian Beltre. The Blue Jays are the favorite to sign Martinez.

Video: Richard Gallardo named top int'l pitching prospect

Breakdown
This year's Top 30 International Prospects list includes 10 players from Venezuela, 16 from the Dominican Republic, three from Cuba and one from Colombia. The positions break down like this: 11 outfielders, eight infielders, seven pitchers and four catchers.

The best athletes at premium positions are the most appealing to international scouts. Three of the top 13 are catchers and three of the top 10 are pitchers. Shortstops and center fielders are also highly coveted in this year's class.

International signing rules, spending
There are specific guidelines for signing prospects like Cartaya: An international player is eligible to sign with a Major League team between July 2 through June 15 of the next year if he is 17 or will turn 17 by the end of the first season of his contract.

Video: Cartaya tops MLB's international prospects list

The rules for signing international prospects are these: Clubs that receive a Competitive Balance Pick in Round B of the Rule 4 Draft receive a pool of $6,025,400, while clubs that receive a Competitive Balance Pick in Round A of the Rule 4 Draft receive $5,504,500. All other clubs receive $4,983,500.

• International amateur free agency & bonus pool money explained

Teams are allowed to trade as much of their international pool money as they would like, but can only acquire 75 percent of a team's initial pool amount. Additionally, signing bonuses of $10,000 or less do not count toward a club's bonus pool, and foreign professional players who are at least 25 years of age and have played in a foreign league for at least six seasons are also exempt.

In terms of spending, the Blue Jays, Brewers, D-backs, Mariners, Phillies, Rangers, Red Sox, Rockies, Tigers, Twins and Yankees are expected to be aggressive in the upcoming signing period. The Cubs, Dodgers, Giants and Royals -- teams that will no longer be in the penalty for exceeding their past international bonus pool spending -- are also expected to be very active.

The A's, Astros, Braves, Cardinals, Nationals, Padres, Reds and White Sox are in the maximum penalty, so they cannot sign players for more than $300,000 during the upcoming period.

"We are all looking for the next Miguel Cabrera, but I think it's unfair to compare anybody to him because he was just on another level," Eljaua said. "But the reality is, my old team already paid me for that sign. I'm getting paid to find another one. That's what the job is."

HOUSTON -- Having just shuffled through a tough six-game stretch that produced only one win, the Angels knew they were in for a test against the Astros this week.

They passed the first one with high marks, topping the Astros, 2-0, to take the opener on Monday night at Minute Maid Park before they send Shohei Ohtani to the mound for the second game of the series.

In advance of Ohtani's start, they received a stellar outing from lefty Tyler Skaggs, who has been nearly unhittable on the road this season. The left-hander lowered his road ERA even more with seven scoreless frames, walking one batter and striking out three. For the year, he has allowed only one earned run on the road, spanning 18 1/3 innings. That's a 0.49 road ERA.

Video: LAA@HOU: Skaggs K's three over seven scoreless frames

"That's what Tyler can do," manager Mike Scioscia said. "A lot of ground balls, controlled counts, had the good two-seamer pitch, good changeup, his breaking ball was there again. In contrast to some of the games he's struggled, he was commanding counts very well. A lot of weak contact. It was a strong seven innings."

The game ended on a bit of a surprising note, as an Astros ninth-inning rally was cut short when a safe call on Yuli Gurriel's slide into third was overturned for the final out. With runners on first and second, Gurriel tried to advance to third when the ball briefly got away from catcher Martin Maldonado on a pitch in the dirt.

"It's a tough way to end the game, but I can't fault Yuli for trying to be aggressive," Astros manager AJ Hinch said.

The Angels, who will face the top three ERA leaders in the American League during their series in Houston, managed two runs off Gerrit Cole, whose 0.96 ERA entering this start was the second lowest in the AL. Cole took a perfect game into the fifth before the Angels squeezed out a run on Kole Calhoun's base hit to right, and they added one more in the sixth behind Justin Upton's double, which scored Mike Trout from third.

Video: LAA@HOU: Upton belts an RBI double to left-center

Cole was good, but Skaggs was better. With a somewhat taxed bullpen and the losses piling up, Skaggs gave the Angels exactly what they needed. His outing was a massive improvement over his prior start, against the Red Sox, in which he allowed six runs over 4 1/3 innings.

He acknowledged that an abundance of changeups helped temper his pitch count, which has been an issue lately. In two of his prior three outings, he exceeded 100 pitches while not lasting past the fifth inning.

"I got a lot of one-pitch outs," Skaggs said. "I think the changeup and the two-seamer were very apparent.

"It was working. I was throwing it early and often. I think it's a huge pitch going forward."

In the next week, the Angels will play the two teams that met in the AL Championship Series in 2017 -- the Astros, who they're playing in Houston this week, and the Yankees, who they'll host this weekend. Monday's win helped the Angels further distance themselves from a 1-5 homestand that included a sweep by the Red Sox and a series loss to the Giants.

"Every day brings a tough game," Scioscia said. "Whether we're at home or on the road, we need to do things better than we've been doing this last week. And what was really encouraging was being able to come in to a park like this, with a team that obviously has a terrific offense, and to be able to make big pitches and get outs."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Right-hander Justin Anderson, a graduate of St. Pius X High School and an avid Astros fan as a youngster growing up in Houston, made his big league debut in the very ballpark where he spent so much time watching the game as a fan.

With approximately 50 friends, family and former teammates from the University of Texas-San Antonio watching from the stands, Anderson was called upon in the eighth inning, tasked with protecting the Angels' slim two-run lead. He recorded quick outs on Max Stassi and Josh Reddick, both pinch-hitting, before yielding back-to-back hits to George Springer and Jose Altuve. The inning ended when Anderson struck out Houston's No. 3 hitter, Carlos Correa.

• Anderson has homecoming to remember

"Working with [Maldonado], he did a really good job working with me back there," Anderson said. "That whole game plan was to listen to him, trust my stuff. I heard the crowd [during Correa's at-bat] and … I told myself, 'Hush them. Get them to be quiet.' And that's what I did."

Video: LAA@HOU: Anderson makes MLB debut in his hometown

SOUND SMART
Skaggs has thrown 15 scoreless innings at Minute Maid Park over three starts dating back to Aug. 26 of last season.

HE SAID IT
"We know that that team over there is a really good team. They're standing in front of us. They're in our way. They are the defending champs, and we know that. We had to send a message. I feel like we did that tonight." -- Keynan Middleton, who fanned two in the ninth en route to his sixth save of the season

Video: LAA@HOU: Maldonado's throw helps Middleton earn save

MITEL REPLAY OF THE DAY
The Astros' bid for a comeback in the ninth was thwarted abruptly on a tag play at third base that ended the game. Middleton threw an 0-2 pitch in the dirt, forcing Maldonado to scamper to his left to retrieve it. Gurriel attempted to advance to third and was originally called safe by third-base umpire Cory Blaser. A replay showed that Luis Valbuena got his glove down just ahead of Gurriel's hand.

UP NEXT
Ohtani will take the mound for his first career start against the Astros on Tuesday at 5:10 p.m. PT. With another win this month, Ohtani can become the first player in Major League history with three wins and three home runs in April. Charlie Morton starts for Houston.

LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers top prospect Walker Buehler showed off all of his tools in his first MLB start Monday night, including his confidence.

He fired off five scoreless innings, dazzling at times, in a game the Dodgers pulled out late, 2-1, over the Marlins on Cody Bellinger's eighth-inning sacrifice fly. Officially, it was a no-decision for Buehler, although the decision in the Dodgers' clubhouse was unanimous.

"Walker was electric," said former Marlin Kiké Hernandez, who was the offensive and defensive star, subbing at shortstop for Corey Seager with a home run, two singles and a pair of Gold Glove-caliber gems. "We expect that and more from him. We expect a lot from him.

"Not too often you get drafted in the first round when you need Tommy John surgery. So, this kid must be a stud. He's pretty confident, pretty cocky. Fastball looked like it was 120 [mph] from playing shortstop. The slider looked like 100 as well. It's pretty fun watching, playing behind him. He's got special talent and hopefully we'll see that for a very long time."

• Hernandez shows why he's Roberts' go-to sub

Video: Must C Combo: Hernandez's flashy pair of plays at SS

The Dodgers have won seven of their last eight games, while the Marlins have lost 15 of 18. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was non-committal after the game, but earlier indications were that Buehler will start again on Saturday in the doubleheader in San Francisco.

Recalled to sub for the injured Rich Hill against Miami, Buehler needed a professional-career-high 89 pitches to get through the five innings. Roberts said Buehler will learn to be more efficient, but he had nothing but praise for the 23-year-old.

"You look at the heartbeat, and there's no panic," Roberts said. "He steps up and makes pitches when he needs to. We talked about the confidence earlier, and I think it's real. I know it's real. He just feels he can make a pitch when he needs to make a pitch, and he doesn't scare off. There's a learning curve that's happening before our eyes."

Video: MIA@LAD: Roberts talks win over Marlins, Buehler

Buehler, ranked as the game's No. 12 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline, flashed a fastball that peaked at 99.5 mph in the first inning and peaked at 96.4 mph in the fifth.

"We had guys out there early, but he's obviously a guy with a tremendous arm and probably will just keep getting better," said Marlins manager Don Mattingly.

Buehler has been handled with kid gloves since signing with a damaged elbow that needed surgery. He opened this season in the Minor Leagues so management can throttle back his innings early, intending to keep him fresh for late in the season after throwing only 98 innings last year.

Buehler said his pitches Monday night weren't really good or bad, and after struggling to command his four-seam fastball in the early innings, he switched to a two-seamer the last two.

"It would be great to go and dominate, but to put up zeros and come out of the thing unscathed is the biggest thing," Buehler said. "The more comfortable I get here, the fastball command will come. I don't think I've thrown 89 pitches since the College World Series, so that was a wake-up for me."

The Dodgers held on in the ninth. With closer Kenley Jansen and Tony Cingrani unavailable after pitching the previous two games, Ross Stripling pitched two scoreless innings after Buehler and Josh Fields pitched the ninth for the save.

Video: MIA@LAD: Fields induces fly out to record the save

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
A bunt, not just a blast: Hernandez provided the first hit and run with his homer, but a bunt single during the game-winning eighth-inning rally was key. After Chris Taylor's leadoff double, Hernandez dropped a perfect bunt and Miami pitcher Kyle Barraclough grabbed the ball but didn't make a throw. Bellinger followed with his screaming sacrifice liner that scored Taylor with the decisive run.

Video: MIA@LAD: Bellinger hits a go-ahead sacrifice fly

Landing a big punchout: The Marlins worked Buehler in the first, loading the bases and making him throw 26 pitches. The last was a foul tip that struck out J.B. Shuck, catcher Yasmani Grandal holding onto the ball to end the inning.

Video: MIA@LAD: Buehler K's Shuck to escape bases-loaded jam

YOU GOTTA SEE THIS
Super sub: Hernandez was making only his second start of the year in place of Seager at shortstop, but he looked like a Gold Glove candidate twice. With two outs and a runner on first in the second inning, Hernandez went into the hole and with his power arm threw out Miguel Rojas at first base. The next play was even tougher, with one out in the third inning ranging up the middle for a diving stop of Starlin Castro's bouncer, spinning to his feet and cutting down Castro at first.

Video: MIA@LAD: Hernandez displays incredible defense

HE SAID IT
"Yeah, homers are fun." -- Hernandez

Video: MIA@LAD: Hernandez rips a solo homer to left-center

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
The Dodgers (11-10) climbed above .500 for the first time this season.

MITEL REPLAY OF THE DAY
The Marlins challenged a foul-ball call on J.T. Realmuto's flare down the right-field line in the first inning. The call was confirmed. Realmuto's at-bat continued and he singled to left field.

Video: MIA@LAD: Realmuto foul ball gets challenged

UP NEXT
Seager is expected to return to the starting lineup on Tuesday night when Kenta Maeda makes the 7:10 p.m. PT start against the Marlins and lefty Dillon Peters. Seager did not start Monday night against Garcia, but entered as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning. Maeda has tried to be more aggressive early in the count, and the results are mixed. Strikeouts are up (24 in 14 1/3 innings), but so are hits (20) and walks (five).

BALTIMORE -- Kevin Gausman had his best start of the season on Monday night at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

The righty, working with a tweaked delivery he started using during his last outing in Detroit, worked in and out of the zone. He held Cleveland to four hits over eight brilliant innings. He even recorded an immaculate seventh inning, needing nine pitches to strike out Yonder Alonso, Yan Gomes and Bradley Zimmer.

But it didn't matter. Gausman's effort went for naught as the Orioles' offense continues to struggle at historic proportions. Baltimore was flummoxed by Tribe starter Carlos Carrasco, falling 2-1 to mark its 11th loss in 13 games. After winning the opener on Friday, the Orioles -- held to three or fewer runs for the 16th time in 23 games -- lost three of four to the Indians.

"If we consider ourselves a playoff team, then we've got to compete with those teams, whether it's early in the season, late in the season, whenever," Orioles first baseman Chris Davis said of a tough stretch in the schedule that included 2017 postseason teams like Cleveland.

"We've got to find a way to push a runner across. I hate to try to take anything positive away from a loss, but we're in these games all the way to the end. We've just got to find a way to scratch [across] a few more runs."

Video: CLE@BAL: Showalter talks loss to Indians, Gausman

Ten times already this season the Orioles have scored two or fewer runs. They entered the day with the worst batting average and on-base percentage in the Majors. And Gausman suffered the same fate as his rotation brethren the past two weeks, the hard-luck loser despite an outing that he should be proud of.

Gausman has made three consecutive quality starts and, like Dylan Bundy and Andrew Cashner, is pitching well enough to win games. On Monday, he got better as things went along, ending things emphatically with an eighth-inning strikeout of Jason Kipnis.

"When you get kind of hot like that, as a starter, it makes it a lot easier," Gausman said. "You get quick outs and are able to get some strikeouts in there on really good pitches. I threw too many pitches early in the game, but I was able to come back and get some big outs."

Video: CLE@BAL: Gausman tosses eight outstanding innings

But as Baltimore falls further and further back in the standings, it is becoming tougher and tougher to see the positive in each defeat.

The Orioles are frustrated, as evidenced by center fielder Adam Jones slamming down his helmet after stranding two runners in the eighth. They aren't getting the breaks or the bounces, and they're squandering some really good starting pitching.

"There's things that we gained from them pitching well in the bullpen. You're talking about W's and L's. Yeah, when you get that type of pitching performance, you feel like you need to win the game," O's manager Buck Showalter said. "But they got a good pitching performance, and that's why they're as successful as they are. You're sitting there looking at Carrasco and you're looking at [Andrew] Miller and [Cody] Allen. It's pretty tough going. So, when you get a chance to cash something in, you better do it."

The only two runs allowed by Gausman came on Alonso's homer in the second inning. He retired 21 of the next 23 batters after that, striking out seven and walking just one.

Video: CLE@BAL: Alonso crushes a two-run shot to center

But those two runs were all Carrasco would need. The righty, who threw just 49 pitches to get through five innings, held the O's to one run over 7 1/3 frames to improve to 4-0 and run his consecutive win streak to 10.

The Orioles looked poised to have a big inning in the second after a pair of singles by Jones and Davis put runners on the corners and, one out later, Chance Sisco's single brought the O's within a run. But Carrasco snagged Anthony Santander's screaming liner back up the middle and fired to first base to easily double up Davis.

Video: CLE@BAL: Sisco drives in Jones with an RBI single

Carrasco pitched around a one-out double in the seventh by Danny Valencia, striking out Sisco and getting Santander to fly out.

"We had a couple hard-hit balls that … I thought the double play with Santander was tough because that ball's probably headed up the middle," Showalter said of the second-inning liner. "When you're having your struggles offensively, those are the type of things that seem to happen."

Video: CLE@BAL: Carrasco catches quick liner, turns DP

MOMENT THAT MATTERED
For the second consecutive game, the Orioles chased a Tribe starter only to deal with Miller. After a one-out single by Tim Beckham ended Carrasco's night, Miller struck out pinch-hitter Trey Mancini. Manny Machado -- named the co-American League Player of the Week -- found a hole at short to give the O's two baserunners, but Jones grounded out to quash the rally.

Video: CLE@BAL: Miller induces forceout to end the inning

MANCINI BACK, BECKHAM HURT
Mancini, who left Friday's game after slamming his right knee into the unpadded part of the outfield wall, pinch-hit for Pedro Alvarez and struck out in the eighth inning.

Beckham, who singled before Mancini hit, was removed for pinch-hitter Luis Sardinas. The infielder is dealing with groin and Achilles soreness.

"I'll know a lot more tomorrow and after tonight, but it's a concern," Showalter said of Beckham, who was examined by head athletic trainer Brian Ebel after his one-out single. "I'm a little more concerned about the groin right now. Really, both of them." More >

Video: CLE@BAL: Beckham singles, later exits in the 8th

SOUND SMART
Gausman is the first Orioles pitcher to record an immaculate inning since 1988.

HE SAID IT
"I didn't realize it until I got in the dugout. [My teammates] were a little more pumped up than they'd normally be. Told me I tied Major League history or something. I did it in college once before. But to do it in the big leagues is obviously a little different." -- Gausman, on the immaculate inning

UP NEXT
Alex Cobb will face his former team at 7:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday as Tampa Bay comes to town. Cobb took the loss after surrendering seven runs (five earned) on 10 hits in 3 1/3 innings on Thursday against Detroit. Cobb's Orioles tenure is off to a rocky start, as he has allowed 15 runs (12 earned) through just seven innings in his first two starts. He'll be opposed by righty Jake Faria.

SAN FRANCISCO -- The legend of Mac Williamson continued to grow with San Francisco's 4-2 victory Monday night over the Washington Nationals, just like the reputations of previous Giants capable of prodigious feats.

From recent years, think of Tim Lincecum throwing unhittable pitches with his impossibly long stride or Madison Bumgarner pitching as well as hitting his way to victory. From previous eras, ponder Barry Bonds and Willie McCovey hitting balls literally out of sight, Juan Marichal creating shutout masterpieces with his leg kick as well as his arm action or Willie Mays doing just about anything.

Sheer power is Williamson's stock-in-trade. In Monday's sixth inning, he drove a two-run homer to right-center field at AT&T Park, an area rarely reached by right-handed batters such as him.

Tweet from @_dadler: Mac Williamson's 464-foot HR in San Francisco tonight is the farthest by a right-handed hitter to the opposite side of the field (i.e. right of dead center) since #Statcast™ started tracking in 2015. #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/3VtYk7kGO7

The numbers proved that Williamson's clout was as impressive as it looked. According to Statcast™, it traveled a projected 464 feet.That ranked second among Giants only to Brandon Belt's 475-foot drive on May 22, 2015 -- the year of Statcast™'s inception. It also tied for the fourth-longest homer in the Major Leagues this season.

Williamson's round-tripper was the fifth-hardest tracked by Statcast™ from a Giant, complementing his all-time, hardest-hit ball just last Friday at Anaheim (114.2 mph).

Giants manager Bruce Bochy insisted that he had never seen a right-handed batter deposit a ball into that area -- not even in batting practice. "It shows you how strong the guy is," Bochy said of Williamson, who connected off Nationals reliever Shawn Kelley's first pitch.

Having divided his previous three seasons between Triple-A and the Majors, Williamson refused to get too excited.

"I'm encouraged, but this is a game of adjustments," he said. "So I'm not complacent with where I am right now. I know that it's always going to be a game of adjustments. As you have success, they're going to adjust to how you're doing and you're going to adjust back to what they're doing. It's a constant chess game."

On this night, the Giants' grandmaster was starter Chris Stratton (2-1), who worked 6 2/3 innings, yielding two runs and four hits while walking three and striking out five. The right-hander paced the Giants to their third victory in four games, while Washington lost its third in a row.

The Giants have emerged victorious in Stratton's last four starts. In that span, he's personally 2-0 with a 1.05 ERA. He also improved to 4-0 with a 2.02 ERA in six career starts at AT&T Park.

Video: WSH@SF: Stratton strikes out five over 6 2/3 innings

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Stratton steps up: Stratton proved that he deserved to determine his own fate in the sixth inning, with the Giants holding a 2-1 lead. That advantage was threatened with one out when third baseman Evan Longoria misplayed a foul popup from Bryce Harper, who walked on the next pitch. Harper then went to third base as right fielder Andrew McCutchen muffed Ryan Zimmerman's catchable line drive for a two-base error. But Stratton recovered by striking out Matt Adams and retiring Matt Wieters on a harmless fly to center.

Video: WSH@SF: Stratton retires Wieters to stand two runners

HE SAID IT
"More or less, I added a leg kick and lowered the hands and [made] a few other tweaks to be balanced in my swing throughout from start to finish and be shorter and more direct to the ball." -- Williamson, explaining the changes he made in his swing during the offseason

UP NEXT
Giants left-hander Ty Blach will make his first career appearance against Washington in Tuesday's rematch beginning at 7:15 p.m. PT at AT&T Park. Left-handed-hitting Gregor Blanco could get a spot in the Giants' lineup with right-hander Tanner Roark scheduled to pitch for the Nationals. Blanco is batting .345 (10-for-29) when he starts.