SF Giants snap 5-game losing streak in much-needed win

The SF Giants have snapped their five-game losing streak in a much-needed 8-2 win.

The SF Giants went into Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels desperately in need of a victory after dropping five straight. And it wasn’t just that they lost five consecutive games, it was how they lost them.

A disastrous Bay Bridge Series against the Oakland Athletics saw the team swept in dramatic fashion blowing two straight big ninth-inning leads before getting absolutely demolished in a 15-3 rout in the series finale.

And any hopes that a road trip to Anaheim would provide brighter fortunes were crushed when the team once again blew a ninth-inning lead falling to the Angels by a final score of 7-6.

Four games in a row (five if you include a 5-1 loss to the Houston Astros) — three of which the team led going into the ninth inning while the other they lost by 12 runs.

Nothing short of disastrous.

But on Tuesday, for the first time in a while, the Giants put together a complete nine-inning game with little drama and came away with a much-needed victory.

The SF Giants cruised to an 8-2 victory behind strong pitching and offensive performances.

Trevor Cahill took the mound against his former team and pitched four innings of one-run ball before the bullpen took over. And unlike in previous outings, they actually held their own.

Manager Gabe Kapler knew that the Giants would be shorthanded with the likes of Tony Watson, Tyler Rogers, and Trevor Gott unavailable. But in the case of the latter two, this may have been a good thing.

The Giants went four consecutive innings without allowing a single hit, surrendering just one walk in the process. Caleb Baragar pitched the fifth, Sam Selman managed the sixth, Wandy Peralta breezed through the seventh, and Jarlin Garcia was dominant in the eighth.

Shaun Anderson was called on to shut the door in the ninth and, while he ran into a little trouble allowing a run and giving Mike Trout a close shave not once but twice. But the Giants ultimately escaped with the victory when all was said and done.

At the plate, Mike Yastrzemski continued his blazing hot start leading off the game with a homer off of Dylan Bunday — someone who’s been one of the American League’s best pitchers thus far.

Meanwhile, Pablo Sandoval came alive at the dish finishing 2-for-4 with 3 RBI including a two-run home run off of Bundy in the top of the second.

The Giants will look to salvage another win when they square off with the Angels tomorrow in the third game of this four-game series.

We’ll see if they can string together consecutive wins for the first time since the beginning of the month.