San Francisco Giants Three Standouts: Game 16, 3-10

The San Francisco Giants swept their second straight split-squad day, against the Angels this time, leaving plenty of good impressions along the way.

The San Francisco Giants had their second split-squad day of the Cactus League schedule, and swept both games for the second straight time. At home against the Los Angeles Angels, the Giants’ lineup scored five runs in the eighth inning to complete a comeback. On the road against a different group of Angels, their lineup scored three runs in the seventh to erase a deficit and take what would be the last lead of the day.

Once again, the offenses ruled the day, with the Giants and Angels combining for 35 runs and eight home runs across the two games.

Here are three players who stood out from across the pair of games:

1 – Josh Rutledge

After a slow start to the spring, non-roster infielder Josh Rutledge is starting to make some noise. On the road against the Angels, Rutledge picked up a trio of hits and drove in a run.

Rutledge used the whole field, shooting his first hit to right field to score Mac Williamson after a two-out triple in the second inning. In the fourth inning, he drove a liner through the hole in the left side of the infielder. Leading off the sixth, he collected his third hit, driving a double just inside the left-field line.

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The 28-year-old utility infielder made a spectacular diving play at second base with a runner on third on Wednesday, preserving a 4-4 tie in the 10th inning. On Friday, he hit a home run that broke a 6-6 tie in the sixth inning. He’s starting to make an impact, and with other utility infielders fighting for a job not exactly running away with it, Rutledge still has time to force his way on to the roster.

2 – Brandon Belt

A few days ago, Belt was chosen as a standout because he was doing the little things right, showing no signs of rust after another concussion ended his 2017 season. Now, he’s starting to do the big things.

A day after hitting his first home run of the spring, Belt followed it up with his second longball. While the first one can be called a Cactus League Special, Saturday’s blast was one of those big ones that don’t need any help to leave the yard. He added a double in the fourth inning, inside-outing a ball down the left-field line to score another run.

Belt has quickly gotten into the rhythm of these games, and he is swinging a hot stick early this year. The Giants sure could use a strong, and healthy, year from their first baseman.

3 – Kelby Tomlinson

Another player in the battle for the bench had a big day on Saturday. Starting at shortstop on the road, Kelby Tomlinson was on base four times against Angels’ pitching, and made life difficult for his opponents after he reached.

In the first inning, he worked a walk and took second base on a wild pitch. In the third, he reached on an error, moved to third on a single, and scored on a sac fly. In the fifth, he used his signature swing to line a single to right field, and stole second base. He then stole third base, taking a running lead before the pitcher even began his windup. The next inning saw Tomlinson collect another hit, an infield single on a ball the shortstop couldn’t make a play on.

Tomlinson continues to prove that he can impact a game in so many different ways. Whether it’s at the plate as a pinch-hitter, on the basepaths, or in a variety of different positions in the field, he is an extremely valuable guy to have on the team.

Next: Three Standouts from Game 15

One final name that deserves some recognition is Mac Williamson. The outfielder continues to hit the ball hard with his revamped swing, and picked up three more hits on the road Saturday. He hit a triple off the right-field wall in the second inning, then launched a game-tying home run over the batter’s eye in center field in the seventh inning. The home run was extra impressive because he hit it off a slider well below the knees.