Giants blast 3 fifth-inning HRs in win
PHILADELPHIA — As Wednesday’s trade deadline came to a close, the Giants’ front office put the finishing touches on a flood of lastminute deals in a dizzying run that left the team’s roster transformed.
As the fifth inning of Wednesday’s game unfolded, the Giants’ offense packed a punch with a flurry of home runs in a dizzying run that left the Phillies unable to recover.
The Giants’ roster underwent late changes, but on the final day of the month, they achieved the same result that’s become familiar for them throughout a hot July.
Catcher Buster Posey, third baseman Pablo Sandoval and center fielder Kevin Pillar all went deep in the fifth inning against the Phillies as the Giants closed the month with a 5-1 victory.
Posey and Sandoval’s home runs marked the fourth time Giants hitters have hit back-toback homers this season while Pillar’s two-run blast gave the Giants their first three-home run inning since April 4, 2018. Sandoval’s opposite-field home run into the right-field bleachers marked the switch-hitter’s third of the year from the right side of the plate and his teamleading 14th home run of the season.
With a 19-6 record in 25 games this month, the Giants posted a .760 winning percentage, their best mark in July since they went 25-6 (.806) in 1913. The Giants haven’t lost consecutive games since June 26-27 and they’ll have a chance to win their eighth consecutive series when they face the Phillies in Thursday’s matinee.
Starter Jeff Samardzija logged six shutout innings, wrapping up the best month of his Giants career with his fifth quality start in July while three relievers combined to close out the Phillies.
In six July starts, Samardzija logged 39 2/3 innings and struck out 36 batters, posting a 2.09 ERA and lowering his season ERA from 4.32 to 3.75. After trading away veterans Sam Dyson, Mark Melancon and Drew Pomeranz on Wednesday, Giants’ President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi said he still feels the team has an opportunity to secure a 2019 postseason berth.
If the Giants hope to achieve their mission, they’ll need continued excellence from Samardzija over the final two months of the season.
They’ll also need several relievers to step in and fill in the holes left for a bullpen than ranked among the best in baseball entering Wednesday.
Zaidi ended the day by keeping three of his four top arms, but the subtraction of Dyson in a trade with the Minnesota Twins led manager Bruce Bochy to shuffle the deck late in Wednesday’s victory. After lefthander Tony Watson entered and gave up a run in his usual seventh-inning spot, right-hander Reyes Moronta took Dyson’s place as the Giants’ eighth-inning set-up man.
Moronta allowed a two-out single to Phillies second baseman Jean Segura, but tossed a scoreless frame and showed off an excellent changeup to pair with his high-90s fastball that makes him a candidate to continue pitching in high-leverage situations.
With the Giants holding a four-run ninth-inning advantage, Bochy opted to call on his closer anyway in a non-save situation. After weeks of hearing trade speculation, Will Smith entered the game certain of where he would spend the final two months of the year and finished the job.