By Morris Phillips

Five days ago, Giants’ manager Gabe Kapler said this:

“The main issue for us is we haven’t been as good in the (strike) zone. I think earlier in the season, we were much better at driving balls in the zone.”

Don’t recall that quote that Kapler issued after his team dropped a third straight to the Padres on Wednesday?

Probably not. But apparently his team did. Seven home runs, eight doubles and a triple in the last four games suggest the Giants got the message. And four, straight wins, including Monday’s eye-opener, a 7-4 win at Dodger Stadium may also suggest they haven’t closed the book on the 2022 season.

Or foreshadowing other areas to shore up.

“The home runs were big,” Kapler said. “I think we at least equally won the game with some defense.”

After Freddie Freeman homered to give the Dodgers a 2-0 first inning lead, the Giants were left to check the weather (95 degrees at first pitch) and see what they could glean from the scouting report on opposing pitcher Andrew Heaney (only seven home runs allowed, but six of those in his most recent three starts).

A plan of attack emerged (rake!) and the Giants followed it intently.

In the third and fourth innings, Lewis Brinson, J.D. Davis, Thairo Estrada and David Villar went deep to give the Giants a commanding 6-2 lead. In the ninth, with the Giants nursing a 6-4 lead, Brinson went deep again. If you know this quartet, you’ve exhaustingly followed a rough season. If not–Brinson’s arrival came on Thursday after the slugger languished in the Astros’ farm system all season–here’s help: we’ll call them the next generation of Giants’ sluggers.

Monday’s haul was just the third time the Giants have hit five homers in a game at Dodger Stadium with the feat previously achieved in 1999 and 2004. The win broke a seven-game losing streak to the Dodgers and provided hope. That’s not easily achieved when you trail your rival by 26 1/2 games in September.

“It’s fun when you win, especially here in LA,” Villar said. “As a team, it just feels like we’re gelling.”

Defensively, Brandon Crawford and Evan Longoria provided gems with Longo’s leaping catch of Freeman’s smash ending the fifth inning and preventing the Dodgers from scoring what would have been a big run.

Logan Webb was extremely honest regarding Freeman’s homer (“The Freeman pitch was not a great pitch. I can’t throw that guy anything.”) but he also was a winner. Webb settled in, didn’t give the Dodgers anything else, and earned his 12th win in his 28th start (both career bests).

The Giants look for an improbable, fifth, consecutive win on Tuesday with Tyler Anderson on the mound for the Dodgers. The Giants have not yet announced a starter for Tuesday.