Posey’s HR fuels win
1st-inning blast, Blach’s pitching stop Chicago
If Buster Posey is standing by his locker joking about his speed, the Giants had a good game. Indeed, they could not have played much better in a 6-3 victory against the Cubs at AT&T Park on Tuesday night that evened their series against the dehis fending World Series champs.
Posey stole his fifth base, and third in three games, setting up Brandon Crawford’s RBI single in the eighth inning. Crawford then stole his third.
“I already talked smack with him about it and I already told (Denard) Span I’m tied with him,” said Posey, who made a much bigger mark with bat.
He propelled the team with a threerun homer in the first inning against Jose Quintana, the Cubs’ big secondhalf acquisition, the third time in his career Posey collected a steal and home run in the same game.
The Giants suddenly have joined
the three-run homer revolution. They have three in August after hitting just two through July. Moreover, the Giants have outhomered their opponents 12-7 over their past dozen games.
Though power-starved fans might focus on the 12 they have hit, holding opponents to seven is just as big a deal.
The Giants have been, are and will be a pitching-anddefense team, even in a new era of record home runs. Run prevention was the key to their three World Series championships and will be next year as they try to improve.
The pitching staff has not done a good job of that. It is better now.
“No question, that’s something we’ve talked about, especially 0-2,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “In favorable counts, we shouldn’t be giving up home runs. I think our focus has been better as far as making pitches when we have to and not dropping our guard.”
Bochy had little to worry about Tuesday night after Posey’s 12th homer gave the Giants a 3-0 lead because Ty Blach was on the mound.
Blach has surrendered just 10 homers this season. He leads the National League with fewest homers per nine innings at 0.7, a remarkable stat considering he is near the bottom of the league in strikeouts.
Just as impressive is Blach’s ability to explain his success. The rookie said he has learned how to “leverage” hitters’ desire to crush pitches over the plate by moving the ball around and changing speeds to get softer contact.
He did it a lot Tuesday over seven innings, the fifth straight start he has gone at least that far. He allowed two runs, bending a couple of times but making big pitches to prevent the Cubs from threatening what became a 4-0 Giants lead.
And Chicago normally owns left-handed pitching. The Cubs have just eight losses against lefty starters this season. Two are against Blach.
“I think Ty understands how to attack hitters,” said Posey, who played first base. “His ability to change speeds and go north and south on hitters allows him to pitch deep into games.”
Blach had the added advantage of an early lead. Gorkys Hernandez and Hunter Pence were on base when Posey homered. Miguel Gomez grounded out in-between and had to leave with right knee soreness. Bochy considers him day to day.
Blach, who has one of the Giants’ three-run homers in August, hit an RBI single for the Giants’ fourth run. Their fifth scored after Pablo Sandoval provided a pinch single.
The Giants won two video replays, both involving Posey. His homer was upheld when the review umps determined a bleacher fan did not interfere with left fielder Jon Jay. The safe call on Posey’s steal was upheld, too. “I thought he got me,” Posey said. “I guess I’m a little faster than I thought.”