San Francisco Giants 3 Up, 3 Down: Leaving Los Angeles
It was another losing effort for the series, but the San Francisco Giants managed to beat the Dodgers to earn a trademark happy flight.
3 UP
1 – Belt Back
The Giants keep losing players to injuries, but they welcomed one back on Saturday. First baseman Brandon Belt, who was making a big push for the All-Star Game before his appendix decided it didn’t want to play anymore, is back in the lineup. With Evan Longoria on the shelf and Brandon Crawford going on paternity leave for a few days, Belt’s presence is more than welcomed.
Belt nearly came back in a huge way, but just missed a home run by about 15 feet in his first at-bat back. He made up for it on Sunday, sending his 12th homer of the season over the wall in left-center field to give the Giants a three-run lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. Belt’s two-thirds of the way to tying his career-high in home runs, and he has 90 more games to blow past that mark.
2 – For the Parents
The Giants avoided the sweep with their victory on Sunday, winning on Father’s Day to get them on the plane with a little bit of momentum on their side. Chris Stratton battled through control problems all day, but held the Dodgers to one unearned run in six innings, allowing an early three-run cushion to hold up.
More from Golden Gate Sports
- Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
- 49ers sign new long snapper amidst a flurry of roster moves
- Oakland Athletics win Game 2 of Wild Card round with late-inning drama
- 49ers: George Kittle and Deebo Samuel cleared to return to practice
- 49ers expected to place DE Dee Ford on injured reserve
The Giants seem to like using a holiday aimed toward a parent to avoid being swept on the road. Earlier this season, the Giants lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday and Saturday, but came away with on Sunday, Mother’s Day, to give themselves a happy flight. After losing to the Dodgers on Friday and Saturday, they won on Sunday, Father’s Day, to give themselves a happy flight. Maybe they just like the colorful uniforms.
3 – Heading Home
The Giants continued their struggles on the road, even with a big series win in Washington to start this trip. The good news is that they now get to head home for an extended period of time. They get to enjoy a 10-game homestand with a day off in the middle, then another 10-game hitting streak after a brief six-game roadtrip.
San Francisco has been much better at home than on the road. They are 19-11 at AT&T Park, and have not lost in their last seven series there (one of those was four-game split). It won’t be easy despite facing a pair of last place teams (Miami and San Diego), since those two teams routinely give the Giants fits the last few seasons. If they’re going to make a run, it has to start at home.