San Francisco Giants 3 Up, 3 Down: Losing Streak Snapped vs. Atlanta
The San Francisco Giants won their fourth series in five tries, beating the Atlanta Braves in two out of three games to take the set.
The San Francisco Giants lost game one to the Atlanta Braves on Friday, stretching a losing streak up to four. They bounced back to win the final two games to win their fourth series in five tries. Here are three positives and three negatives from the Atlanta series.
1 – The Offense Wakes Up
After being shut out in game one of the series, Atlanta’s first shutout of the year, the Giants’ bats woke up for the last two games. They scored 13 runs in the next two games to take both days and win the series.
San Francisco scored six times on Saturday to back up another stellar start from Ty Blach. Brandon Belt hit his 10th home run of the season, Denard Span drove one home with a double, and Blach even helped his own cause with a run-scoring single.
They then beat up R.A. Dickey on Sunday, scoring seven times in the first three frames. Brandon Crawford drove in three, Gorkys Hernandez and Eduardo Nunez each had an RBI hit, and Johnny Cueto also got involved, driving a sacrifice fly in the third inning. Dickey and catcher Kurt Suzuki helped start the scoring with a bases loaded passed ball in the first inning for the opening run.
2 – Morris Becoming A Weapon
Bryan Morris‘ Giant career began with five earned runs before he recorded an out in his second inning, but since that time, he has settled in and earned some favor with manager Bruce Bochy.
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Morris’ Spring Training was cut short by a fractured foot, and he made only five minor league appearances before having his contract purchased and he was brought to the big leagues. He gave up three runs in an inning in his team debut, and was hit for another two runs before getting an out in his second appearance. After the two runs scored, he retired three hitters in a row to start a tremendous streak that the team certainly needed.
He entered the Braves’ series having thrown seven straight scoreless appearances, spanning 9.2 innings, and he extended those streaks with two scoreless innings over two appearances against Atlanta. His ERA and WHIP have dropped from 22.50 and 4.00, respectively, after his first two appearances to 3.55 and 1.184, respectively.
3 – Hundley’s Breakout Day
Nick Hundley was tasked with catching Blach on Saturday with Buster Posey getting a day off, and he responded big time. In the second inning, he hit his first home run with the Giants, a two-run shot that gave the team a lead it would never relinquish. He added another single and run scored in the fourth inning, and drove home his third run of the day in the eighth inning, giving the Giants a little bit of insurance. Hundley’s big day at the plate was the spark the team needed to snap a four-game losing streak and get back into the win column.