San Francisco Giants 3 Up, 3 Down: Series Win vs. Dodgers
The San Francisco Giants seem to be building momentum, winning their second straight series and putting together their best stretch of the season.
The San Francisco Giants continued to try and right the ship in their series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and were able to stretch a winning streak to five games and win their second straight series. Before an off-day followed by the beginning of a roadtrip, here are three ups and three downs from the Dodger series.
3 UP
1 – Second Straight Series Win
Though the series didn’t end on a great note, the Giants were able to come away with their second consecutive series win and finish the homestand with an impressive 5-2 record. After starting the season with a 2-7-2 record in the first 11 series of the year, putting together a pair of series wins back-to-back is a great start as they try to dig out of the early season hole. In addition, they put together their first five-game winning streak since June of last year.
Those five straight wins also put their season record at home on the winning side, and they’ll try to take this momentum on the road. They’re 6-15 away from AT&T Park, and if they want to overcome their self-made deficit, that will need to change.
2 – Matt Cain‘s Milestone Win
In the series opener on Monday, Matt Cain continued his resurgence after some really subpar years. Facing the Dodgers for the second time this year, Cain threw 6.2 innings of one-run ball, and was the beneficiary of eight runs of support. His 112 pitches were the most he’s thrown in a start since April 12th, 2014. He dropped his ERA at home to a sparkling 1.19, and picked up his 60th career win at the park. In doing so, he broke a tie with former rotation mate Tim Lincecum to become the winningest pitcher in AT&T Park history all by himself.
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Save for that terrible outing in Cincinnati, Cain has been the team’s best starter this season, and the fans have certainly appreciated his return to form. When manager Bruce Bochy came out with the hook, Cain was met with a huge ovation from the crowd and his infielders all rushed to the mound to pat the hurler on the back. After everything that’s gone wrong for him over the past few years, it was certainly well-deserved.
3 – Ty Blach‘s Home Dominance
Pitchers like Ty Blach seem to be made specifically for AT&T Park. He’s not a strikeout pitcher, instead relying on hitters getting themselves out by mixing speeds and locations to force weak contact. It has worked to perfection so far in his young big league career.
With seven innings of one-run ball against Los Angeles on Tuesday, Blach continued to solidify himself as a home warrior. In eight career games (five starts) at AT&T Park, Blach owns dazzling numbers: 1.24 ERA, 0.771 WHIP, .167/.211/.214 slash-line. The numbers only get better when his lone postseason appearance at home is added in. Against the Chicago Cubs on game three of the 2016 NLDS, Blach worked two shutout innings in relief, holding them to just two singles. When Joe Panik hit a walk-off double, Blach earned the extra-innings victory.