San Francisco Giants 3 Up, 3 Down: Third Straight Split
The San Francisco Giants split their third straight series, winning one of two against the Dodgers after a Friday rainout. Here’s 3 up and 3 down.
3 UP
1 – New Guys Settling In
It was a rough start to their Giants’ careers, but Andrew McCutchen, Evan Longoria, and Austin Jackson seem to be settling in. McCutchen, of course, had the monster game on Saturday, complete with six hits and a walk-off, three-run home run.
Longoria picked up a hit on Saturday, his second as a Giant, then collected a pair of doubles against Clayton Kershaw on Sunday. He made the final out of the ninth inning on Sunday, but tattooed the ball to center field (101 mph exit velocity, 386 feet). Longoria is still playing stellar defense at third base, as well. Jackson had two hits on Saturday, including a double, and added another hit in the series finale.
The new guys are starting to get acclimated to their new surroundings, and the Giants will need them to be playing well in their lineup.
2 – Ty Blach Still a Dodger Killer
Madison Bumgarner’s injury has robbed fans of some more classic Bumgarner-Kershaw duels, but Ty Blach has been up to the occasion twice now this season. On Sunday, he threw six more strong innings against Los Angeles, wiggling around some trouble to allow only one run.
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In two starts against the Dodgers this season, Blach has thrown 11 innings and given up just the lone run. This isn’t a new trend, either. Blach has faced Los Angeles nine times in his career, and owns a 1.90 ERA and 1.077 WHIP in 47.1 innings. Blach doesn’t have the killer stuff of your typical big leaguer, but he continues to tie the Dodgers in knots. Whatever he’s doing, it’s working.
3 – Buster Posey Coming Through
When the Giants needed Buster Posey to come through this weekend, he came through. In the fourth inning, he crushed a Rich Hill fastball for his first home run of the season, giving the Giants an early 3-1 lead.
He got the day off on Sunday after catching 14 innings, but was called upon as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning in a big spot. With runners on first and second and none out, Posey fought through an 0-2 count to lash a single to right field. Hunter Pence scored after an aggressive send by new third base coach Ron Wotus, tying the game at one.
As much as the Giants need the new trio in the lineup to make things happen, Posey is still the best pure hitter on the roster. He’s the leader, and the Giants still rely heavily on him.