San Francisco Giant Michael Conforto is caught in a run down with Kansas City Royals catcher Freddy Fermin throwing to third baseman Maikel Garcia (11) after Conforto tried to score on a fielders choice hit by Grant McCray in the top of the sixth inning at Kaufman Stadium in Kansas City (AP News photo)

Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024

Kauffman Stadium

Kansas City, Missouri

San Francisco Giants 9 (76-79)

Kansas City Royals 0 (82-73)

Win: Landen Roupp (1-1)

Loss: Brady Singer (9-12)

Time: 2:14

Attendance: 24,189

By Stephen Ruderman

LaMonte Wade and Matt Chapman both hit two home runs, as the Giants’ offense exploded in a 9-0 win over the Royals on a hauntingly-beautiful late Saturday afternoon in Kansas City.

After an exciting and tense 2-1 win last night, the Giants looked to keep playing spoiler against the struggling Royals. With severe weather moving into Kansas City, this game was moved up two hours. It was a warm and humid afternoon at Kauffman Stadium. It was partly cloudy, and the sun was out at the start of the game.

Royals’ starter Brady Singer retired the first two men he faced in the top of the first inning. LaMonte Wade then came up, and he hit a home run down the right field line to give the Giants an early 1-0 lead.

The Giants turned to Landen Roupp, who took the ball for his third big league start. Roupp escaped a one-out double by Bobby Witt Jr. in the bottom of the first, and he escaped another jam in the bottom of the second.

Singer pitched a scoreless top of the second and a one, two, three top of the third. Roupp then pitched another scoreless inning in the bottom of the third.

As the game reached the middle innings, it became overcast for the most part at Kauffman Stadium with a beautiful touch of blue skies off in the distance.

On the first pitch from Singer in the top of the fourth, Wade hit a towering drive down the right field line that went out for his second home run of the day. Matt Chapman, who returned to the team today after the birth of his daughter, Alexandra, came up to the plate.

Chapman got a hold of one, and hit a fly ball deep to center that got out. Wade and Chapman went back-to-back, and it was now 4-0 Giants.

Roupp survived a leadoff ground-rule double by MJ Melendez in the bottom of the fourth, and he pitched another scoreless inning in the bottom of the fifth. Roupp was done after five.

Roupp allowed a base-runner in every inning he pitched, and the Royals had a runner in scoring position in each of the first four innings, but he kept his focus in every single inning to pitch five scoreless. Roupp gave up three hits, and he walked three and struck out three.

Singer pitched a scoreless top of the fifth and retired Wade to start the top of the sixth. Chapman then came up and golfed out a slider at the knees to the Giants’ bullpen in left for his second home run of the game.

It was Chapman’s 26th home run of the year, and he is now four home runs away from becoming the first Giant to hit 30 in a season since Barry Bonds hit 45 all the way back in 2004. He will have seven games left to do it, so while it may be a tall order, it is certainly doable.

Michael Conforto immediately followed up Chapman’s second home run with a double to right, and Tyler Fitzgerald singled him over to third. That ended the day for Singer, and the Royals Manager Matt Quatraro brought in Carlos Hernandez.

Grant McCray reached on a weird fielder’s choice that saw him get to second, while Conforto was out at the plate. Donovan Walton was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Curt Casali singled to left to knock in a pair and make it 6-0. Those would be the only two runs for the Giants to score on something other than a home run.

Mike Yastrzemski then hit a three-run home run to right to make it 9-0. It was the fifth home run of the day for the Giants, and the third for Yastrzemski in the first five games of this road trip.

It was now a blowout, and as you would expect, there would be no drama the rest of the game. Spencer Bivens pitched a pair of scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh, and Tristan Beck threw a pair of one, two, three innings in the eighth and ninth.

Landen Roupp got his first major league win, and this was the second game in a row in which a Giants’ rookie would get their first major league win after Mason Black got his first Thursday night. Brady Singer took the loss.

The Giants have now won four of their last five, as they improve to 76-79. They can now get that first road sweep of the season with a win Sunday. Blake Snell (4-3, 3.31 ERA) will make the start for the Giants, and he will be opposed by the veteran right-hander, Seth Lugo (16-8, 3.08 ERA).

The only question is with the wild weather in Kansas City expected to persist into , whether Sunday or not the game will be played. If it starts on time, first pitch will be at 1:10 at Kauffman Stadium, and 11:10 a.m. back home in San Francisco.