ST. LOUIS — Venue hasn’t mattered much to San Francisco’s offense over the last two weeks. Regardless of location, they keep on hitting.
The Giants (72-69) totaled 18 hits, matching the season-high they just set last week, as they beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-2 on Friday night at Busch Stadium, extending their winning streak to five and notching their 11th win in their last 12 games.
San Francisco is now four games back of the New York Mets and San Diego Padres for the final two NL wild card spots following New York’s win and San Diego’s loss.
“We go into the game feeling good about our offense, and there’s a reason for it. … It’s contagious just like it goes the other way,” said manager Bob Melvin. “Right now, offensively, we feel like we’re as good as we’ve been all year.”
For the second time in seven games, every player in San Francisco’s starting lineup recorded at least one hit. Six players — Heliot Ramos, Rafael Devers, Dominic Smith, Jung Hoo Lee, Casey Schmitt, Patrick Bailey — had at least two hits. Lee led the way with four hits, the second four-hit night of his career.
San Francisco’s two loudest swings of the night were courtesy of Rafael Devers and Willy Adames, who set the tone with back-to-back homers in the first inning. Devers’ solo shot extended the team’s home run streak to 18 games, one shy of the 1947 New York Giants.
The Giants have recorded a staggering 70 hits over their last five games, the most hits the team has totaled in a five-game span since the team moved to San Francisco. Only the Mel Ott-led Giants in 1931 (73) have totaled more hits in a five-game span (since 1901) in franchise history.
San Francisco’s latest barrage was more than enough run support for rookie right-hander Carson Seymour, who recorded his first major-league win as he allowed one run over five innings with two strikeouts.
Melvin expected Seymour to pitch around three innings before turning the game over to the bullpen, which was rested following Thursday’s off-day. Those plans changed when Seymour began his night with four no-hit innings, holding the Cardinals hitless until Jimmy Crooks began the fifth with a sharp grounder that Smith couldn’t corral.
With Seymour tossing a career-high five innings, Melvin limited his bullpen usage to Matt Gage and Tristan Beck, the latter of whom recorded a rare three-inning save. As has become custom, Seymour’s teammates pelted him with a barrage of condiments in the clubhouse following the win, among them being yogurt, barbecue sauce and “something spicy.”
“My lip was kind of on fire,” Seymour said. “The whole bit, for sure.”
Added Melvin: “He pitched probably as well as we’ve seen him pitch all year. Really good fastball — challenge fastball. Sinker at the bottom of the zone. You could tell he was pitching with a lot of confidence. To be able to get five was huge for us, then to only have to use three relievers on a day that we felt like we were going to have to use a bunch was nice to do.”
For Devers, his first-inning home runs are becoming something of a theme.
All three of Devers’ home runs on this road trip have been in the first inning, including the one that caused the benches to clear against the Rockies. As a Giant, seven of his 16 home runs have been in the first inning.
Overall, Devers has a 1.010 OPS over 68 plate appearances as a Giant in the game’s first frame. That success could partially be a product of hitting in front of Adames, who has hit 18 homers since July.
“Those are things that just happen in baseball,” Devers said through team interpreter Erwin Higueros. “I just take every turn the same way. I try to be the best of myself that I can.”
“It’s a spark plug,” Seymour said. “It gives us energy in the dugout, the tunnel. It’s been awesome to be a part of. We just carry that energy after he hits a homer. … It’s just contagious. It makes you want to pitch really well and go out there and give it your best.”
Interestingly enough, Devers didn’t hit well, by his standards, in the first inning during his time with the Boston Red Sox. Devers posted a .796 OPS over 737 first-inning plate appearances with Boston, the lowest mark of all nine frames.
“That’s really kind of been what’s ignited us, that homer in the first,” Melvin said. “Then, we get one from Willy as well. … Home runs have been a huge part of what we’ve been doing here recently, and a lot of it has been Devers in the first inning. He’s on a nice little heater.”
Worth noting
- The Giants are still waiting to hear whether third baseman Matt Chapman will have to serve a one-game suspension for his role in Tuesday’s benches-clearing incident.
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