The San Francisco Giants took two of their three games against the Washington Nationals, climbing closer back to .500.
3 UP
1 – The Power
The Giants are actually hitting home runs at a pretty good clip this season, and two guys have certainly helped that in recent days.Brandon Beltis going through one of his ridiculous hot streaks, and the recently-recalledMac Williamsonhas looked like a juggernaut of power in only five games.
Belt picked up hits in all three games against the Nationals, running his hitting streak to eight games. He had an extra-base hit in all three games. It started with a double on Monday, followed by a laser beam home run on Tuesday (his fifth home run in a six-game stretch). He nearly hit another home run in the series finale, but fell just short and had to settle for a three-bagger hit to the deepest part of the yard. He’s hitting .304/.402/.638 on the season, ranking (as of this writing) tied for eighth in the MLB in slugging.
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Williamson has been a revelation with his brand new swing, hitting home runs in each of the two games he played in this series. His home run on Monday was awe-inspiring, a 464” blast over Triple’s Alley. His Tuesday shot to dead center field broke a 3-3 tie, and was enough for the Giants to win 4-3. He sat on Wednesday with a stiff neck after a scary fall over the bullpen mounds, but hopefully he’ll be ready to go after Thursday’s off-day.
2 – Backend of the ‘Pen
The normal late inning relievers for the Giants continued their strong starts to the season. CloserHunter Stricklandrecorded saves in both wins in the series, showing that he is getting a better feel for the newly-learned slider.Tony Watsonis still the most reliable guy in the eighth inning, lowering his season ERA to 0.85 with a scoreless frame on Monday.
Reyes Morontacontinues to grow, and has carved out a role as a reliable middle-inning reliever, sometimes going multiple innings.Sam Dysoneven had a nice bounceback game on Tuesday, keeping a one-run lead in the eighth inning with a big groundball double play.
WithWill Smith’s return imminent, the back of the Giants’ bullpen looks like it could be very formidable.
3 – Two in a Row
Despite the ugly loss on Wednesday, the Giants came away with their second consecutive series victory by taking the first two games on Monday and Tuesday. After three splits and four losses in their first seven series of the year, they’ve finally put together a bit of positive momentum.
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