SF 4 WSH 3
Brandon Belt and Mac Williamson both hit homers tonight to lead the Giants to a gritty win against a tough foe. The Giants scored in the 1st against a shaky Tanner Roark and Belt added his two-run bomb in the 3rd. Ty Blach couldn't hold the 3-0 lead, yielding a three-run homer to Michael Taylor in the 4th, but he put up a zero in the 5th. Reyes Moronta delivered two scoreless frames--he's looked very good--and Mac Williamson hit a solo homer in the 6th and that was enough. Blach's final line was 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 W, 3 K. Moronta was credited with the win, the first of his career. Sam Dyson covered the 8th and Hunter Strickland mowed them down (8 pitches!) in the 9th. That's three saves in three days for Strickland. A team effort to be sure. Two wins in a row against Washington and three wins in a row overall.
Nats über-ace Max Scherzer takes the hill tomorrow afternoon (12:45) against Jeff Samardzija.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
3 comments:
I used to be a Strickland critic. It seemed like all he could do was give up homers. But I am over it. He is turning out to be a very effective closer. Last night's performance was excellent. There is much to like about this team. Sadly, I will miss the other Hunter. I don't think he will regain his starting spot in the outfield. Maybe he should just retire and travel the world with Lexi posting to Instagram.
Three in a row? A second series win? Be still, my heart.
He was a rookie in 2014 and had just 7 IP of experience. The team, I think, put him in a tough spot, but they were hurting for pitching (other than Bumgarner!) and needed him. In the post-season he gave up six homers in 8-1/3 IP.
He's given up four every season (15-16-17) since then, all full seasons, 55-72 appearances. I think he's worked on his game: execution, maturity, etc. The Giants obviously believed in his talent and kept putting him out there. He'll have to pitch to Bryce Harper again some time before we can say he's "cured" (ha-ha) but I, too, like what I see. Supposedly he added another pitch, the slider, and that's been a boon for him.
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