San Francisco Giants Three Standouts: Game 18, 3-11
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 fielder Manuel Margot chased 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 about changing 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.
2 – Austin Jackson
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 the Chris Heston deal, 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 from Eury Perez to 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.