Baseball Lifer

The Giants win their fifth-straight behind another great outing and seven shutout innings by Logan Webb to get to a new season-high nine games over .500 at 35-26.

The Giants were facing Kris Bubic and his 9.13 ERA, so of course they didn’t get their first hit until the fifth inning, but they were finally able to get to him for three runs in the sixth. There was some late drama, but the bullpen was able to hold it, as the Giants won it, 4-2.

GAMEBALL:

Webby

Seven shutout innings, and nine strikeouts by the Giants’ ace last night, who really stretched his pitch count for the first time this season, as he threw 109 pitches. Webb was also able to talk his way into staying in the game when the Royals had runners at first and second with one out in the top of the seventh, following a base-hit by Carlos Santana. Webb proceeded to strike out Kyle Isbel looking, and then of course, Luis Gonzalez saved him to end the inning.

TIP OF THE CAP:

Luis Gonzalez: What’s not to love about this kid? First, his opposite-field leadoff double started the Giants’ three-run rally in the sixth. Then, he made the perfect throw to the plate from right to nab MJ Melendez and end the top of the seventh.

Wilmer: Put the Giants on the board with his base-hit to left to knock in Gonzalez in the sixth.

Joc: Followed Wilmer with a base-hit to set things up for Darin Ruf.

Darin Ruf: A base-hit into the gap in right-center to knock in Wilmer, and make it 2-0.

Tommy LaSacFly: Tommy LaSacFly as my buddy, Brennan, nicknamed him last night, knocked in a pair of runs with a pair of sac flies.

Brandon Belt: Came off the IL, and the first pitch he saw in his pinch-hit appearance in the eighth was an 81-mile-an-hour curveball that hit him on his back foot. Welcome back, Brandon!

Camilo Doval: Walked a guy, but still struck out two to get his ninth save.

Braves: They’re going to be fighting with us in the Wild Card Race, but they won their 13th in a row last night, and that deserves a major Tip of the Cap.

JOKER:

Kris Bubic

The Giants may have been able to make the lefty with a 9.13 ERA look like Sandy Koufax for the first five innings, but we finally got to ya in the sixth, meat.

SMACK OF THE STICK:

Austin Slater: 0-for-3 with a Hat Trick, and made an error on a throw to the plate in the eighth inning that allowed Andrew Benintendi to second, who ended up scoring the Royals’ second run on a base-hit by Salvidor Perez.

Tyler Rogers: Another rough outing for Rogers, who allowed two runs—one earned—in the eighth. He also didn’t back up the throw from Slater that allowed Benintendi to get to second. Rogers has run into some bad luck this season, but I’m still not concerned, and very much trust him late in the game.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

After six lethargic weeks of the weird combination of a lack or urgency and overly pressing, the Giants have finally woken up, and like in April, are the same focused and determined team that won 107 games last year. I really think it had to do with the Dodgers coming into town for the first time since they knocked us out last fall. That plus the Giants’ struggles over the last six weeks motivated the Giants to remind everyone just how good they are.

Hopefully, we can get the sweep over the Royals, but even if we don’t, we still get a 6-3 home stand. A sweep is just extra icing on the cake.

Stephen