Willy Adames after going 5-11 with two walks in the series against the Athletics in Sacramento. (Photo: San Francisco Giants on X)
By Jeremiah Salmonson
WEST SACRAMENTO — After the home cooking that Logan Webb enjoyed on Saturday night, the Giants looked to win their first series since June 20-22 against the Boston Red Sox. The Giants had taken two out of three from the Red Sox directly following the Rafael Devers trade, but it had been mostly downhill since. They were swept by the Marlins at home, then dropped two of three to the White Sox in Chicago. It was a grim stretch for the Giants, who were trying to find their offensive rhythm in the early days of the Devers era in San Francisco.
On Sunday night, they finally got back on track, winning their first series since Boston by taking two of three from the A’s, including a 6-2 victory in the rubber match.
The feeling in the clubhouse postgame was one of relief. Granted, the Giants still have work to do as they return home to face tough National League opponents—the Phillies and Dodgers for three games each—but the club can breathe a little easier.
“We played cleaner, got some big hits,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said after the win. “Willy was fantastic this series, swinging the bat great at this point in time. We got some hits when we needed to and just did enough on the pitching end…”
The big series win was in large part thanks to shortstop Willy Adames. Adames, who struggled at the plate early in his new six-year, $182 million contract signed this offseason, went 5-for-11 with two walks in the series against Sacramento. Melvin praised Adames even more after the game.
“[He, Adames] just looks more comfortable at the plate. When you get some hits and knock some runs in, it makes you feel a little more comfortable. I think maybe there was some pressure on him early on and he kinda got past it, and now we are seeing some better swings… He’s been pretty instrumental in the wins.”
The Giants’ pitching also played a key role in the series victory. Starter Hayden Birdsong labored through his outing on Sunday, throwing 90 pitches with only 46 strikes. Yet, he held the A’s to just one run on three hits, despite walking five.
“Obviously Birdie was a little off with his command,” Melvin said. “I think he finished 50/50 balls to strikes but found a way to get outs when he needed to, and I think that’s progress for what he has been dealing with recently.”
The Giants bullpen—Spencer Bivens in the sixth, Randy Rodriguez in the seventh, and Tyler Rogers in the eighth—allowed only one combined hit over three scoreless innings. Camilo Doval pitched the ninth and gave up a run on two hits and a walk in a slightly shaky but manageable outing that kept the game firmly in the Giants’ hands. The pitching staff did an excellent job silencing the A’s bats in the final two games after Sacramento exploded for 11 runs on Friday night.
With the win, the Giants improved to 49-42, while the A’s dropped to 37-55. If the season ended today, the Giants would be tied with the San Diego Padres for the third wild card spot in the National League. They hold a one-game lead over the Cardinals, who trail them, and sit seven games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. Not ideal, considering the Giants were a game out of first when they played the Dodgers in L.A. at the end of June—but such is the game of baseball.
The Giants will return home to take on the Philadelphia Phillies in a three-game series starting Monday at 6:45 p.m. PT. Landen Roupp (6-5, 3.48 ERA) is scheduled to start for San Francisco, countered by Cristopher Sánchez (7-2, 2.68 ERA) for Philadelphia.
Note of the day: In the early innings of the game, Jacob Lopez and Hayden Birdsong combined to strike out 11 straight batters—Lopez with seven in a row, and Birdsong with four. Birdsong is known for his swing-and-miss movement and velocity, while the league is still learning what makes Lopez so deceptive. Lopez, who typically sits around 89–91 mph with his fastball, told me that the fastball is the key to his strikeouts.
“I think I have a pretty good fastball,” Lopez said.
When I followed up and asked if that was due to “late life” on the pitch, he quipped, “I don’t know, I’ve never hit against myself.”
From someone who never has—and never will—face Lopez in the box, it certainly seems that “late life” is the likely explanation. Lopez ranks in the 97th percentile in MLB for extension, releasing his pitches just over seven feet from the mound, which often leads to a fastball that appears to jump on hitters. Whatever it is, Lopez put his strikeout ability on full display Sunday night.
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