Giants finish best month in two years
PHOENIX (TNS) – A minor league free agent. A converted outfielder. A pitcher who had never even logged an inning at Triple-a.
Before the season began, that was Dereck Rodríguez’s résumé.
He hasn’t wasted much time exceeding every reasonable expectation.
After tossing 61/3 scoreless innings against the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks, Rodríguez earned his third career big league win and helped the Giants to their 10th shutout victory of the year in a 7-0 final.
With their ninth win in their last 11 games, the Giants moved into a virtual tie for second-place in the National League West and secure their fourth road series win of the season a year after San Francisco recorded just three series victories away from AT&T Park.
With a series-opening win Friday behind rookie Andrew Suárez against Arizona lefty Patrick Corbin, the Giants picked up their 17th victory of the month, matching their total from June of 2016, the last time the club finished a month with a record above .500.
The Giants did themselves an early favor in their quest for win No. 18 Saturday, batting around in the top of the third en route to a four-run frame that eased the pressure on the rookie Rodríguez.
After nearly winning National League Player of the Month honors in May, shortstop Brandon Crawford continued his torrid pace throughout June. He put an exclamation point on the month with a solo home run to open the second inning against D’backs starter Shelby Miller, blasting a 418-foot home run into the pool area at Chase Field.
After three straight hits loaded the bases in the third inning, Crawford took four consecutive balls from Miller to plate Buster Posey.
The Giants continued to capitalize on Miller’s location mistakes, as Pablo Sandoval drove in a pair of runs with a single and Joe Panik brought home another with a 402-foot sacrifice fly. In the eighth inning, Panik hit a ball 365 feet, but it skipped off the top of the right field wall and over the fence for his fourth home run of the year and his first since April 3.
Andrew Mccutchen added to the onslaught in the fourth, launching a solo shot to push the Giants ahead 6-0. Mccutchen’s second hit of the night capped off his best month with the Giants, as the right fielder recorded 35 hits, posted a .305 average and hit six of his nine home runs in June.
After Rodríguez joined the club on May 29, the Giants staff completed a remarkable turnaround as the team entered Saturday’s contest with a 2.80 ERA in June, the second-best mark in the major leagues.