The San Francisco Giants beat the San Diego Padres on Sunday evening, coming up with their fifth straight win in a 5-4 decision.
The San Francisco Giants ran their Cactus League winning streak to five games, beating the San Diego Padres 5-4. The Giants used all their offense in the first inning, scoring all five of their runs, but the pitching staff made it hold up with a strong collective performance from the bullpen.
Here are three players who stood out from Sunday’s contest:
1 –Hunter Pence
Hunter Pence needed a good day at the plate, and he got it on Sunday. In his first at-bat of the day, he came up with the bases loaded and an opportunity to put together something positive. A well-struck base hit would have done the trick, but Pence did better than that. On a first-pitch, get-it-in fastball, Pence launched one to center field that just kept going. Center fielderManuel Margotchased it back but would run out of room, watching as it flew out of the yard for a grand slam.
The Giants’ left fielder (who DH’ed on Sunday) entered the day hitting .105, but took his best at-bats of the spring. He walked on four pitches in his second at-bat, laying off a couple pitches that he probably would have swung and missed at earlier in the week.
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After his day ended, Pence talked aboutchanging his stance, going from a more closed stance back to the familiar open setting. The results were immediate on Sunday, and hopefully, they are the beginning of a positive run.
Jackson continues to impress early on in camp, and he had a big day at the plate on Sunday evening. He received four at-bats, picking up three hits and hitting the ball hard every single time.
He made his only out in the first inning, but still hit a rocket right at the center field. Later in the inning, he shot a single through the hole on the right side of the infield to score a run. His second hit led off the fourth inning, going right back through the middle. His loudest hit was his last, when he launched a ground-rule double to center field in the sixth.
That’s the approach that has made Jackson successful in the past. He’s never been a dead-pull hitter, instead distributing his hits fairly evenly across the field. He’ll need to keep that approach for the Giants this year.
3 –Tyler Herb
Acquired last season as the player to be named later (much, much later) in theChris Hestondeal, Tyler Herb was added to the 40-man roster this past offseason and has been given a nice, long look this spring. He had struggled in his first few outings, but had his best day on Sunday. Herb pitched the eighth and the ninth, holding on to a one-run lead and sealing a victory.
Herb had everything working against the Padres, and had more command than he had shown in previous outings. After a leadoff double in the eighth inning, Herb struck out a batter and got two pop-ups to end the threat. He threw a clean ninth inning, though it took a nice play in center field fromEury Perezto make it happen, and ended the game with a strikeout on a well-placed curveball away.
Next: Three Standouts from Split-Squad Day
Herb, who had a nice year at Double-A last season, showed a good feel for his fastball, changeup, and especially the curveball. This was by far his best game of the spring, and gives a little insight into why the Giants liked him enough to bring him over via trade. He should be a nice arm to have in the system, and could be a guy who makes his big league debut in 2018.
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