Finally, a break after week of losses
Braves fall apart after Slater homer; commit three errors in 8th inning
ATLANTA — Giants players gathered in a backroom for a quick meeting before Tuesday’s 6-3 victory over the Braves.
Judging from the peals of uproarious laughter that filtered into the clubhouse, they weren’t going over scouting reports or listening to a Come to Jesus sermon.
Bruce Bochy heard the laughter all the way down in his office, and took it as a good sign. He thought about it again in the eighth inning, turning to his coaches in the dugout as his team trailed 2-0 and appeared pancake flat on the way to a notso-short stack of eight consecutive losses.
“What’s amazing is that the club, before the game, they were loose and having fun,” Bochy said. “You can hear them laughing. Then the game starts
and they’re flat again.”
This time, the joke was on the Braves. They committed three errors in a five-run eighth inning, including a fumbled exchange on a potential double-play grounder that preceded Austin Slater’s three-run home run, as the Giants snapped their seven-game losing streak.
A big homer for the rookie?
“Even bigger for us,” Bochy said. “We needed a win in the worst way. … This is big for the boys and their psyche and morale.”
The weariest minds contributed plenty. Lefthander Matt Moore set aside both a miserable June and his season-long road woes while pitching into the eighth inning, Brandon Belt barreled up some bottled frustration with a solo home run in the ninth and closer Mark Melancon righted himself by getting three weak ground outs to record a save.
The Braves had abandoned their downtown home and moved to the suburbs because they received a sweetheart deal from Cobb County. SunTrust Park is built along Windy Ridge Parkway, which as you might expect, is on a windy ridge.
It only took a few homestands to confirm: this is a hitter’s park.
It took 17 innings, but the Giants finally made it one. Slater’s opposite-field doink not only erased a 2-0 deficit, but gave them their first runs of the series.
Hunter Pence beat out an infield single before the Braves gave the Giants a huge break. Belt hit a potential double-play ball to second base but shortstop Dansby Swanson couldn’t secure the throw as he tried to make a quick transfer.
Umpire Quinn Wolcott originally called Pence out but the Giants won a replay challenge, as video evidence showed that Swanson had never secured the ball. Then Slater hit Julio Teheran’s first pitch and sneaked it over the right field fence for his second career home run.
“It’s been nice to get my feet under me,” Slater said. “(Bochy) shows a lot of trust in me, and I’m trying to show I can take that job and run with it. … It’s going to be exciting going forward. I think this team is about to make a run.”
It helps when the opposing team provides the grease. The Braves disintegrated after Slater’s homer, committing a pair of errors as two more runs scored to give the Giants a 5-2 lead.
Once again, the Giants bullpen needed the cushion as the Braves threatened in the eighth after Moore gave up a leadoff single to Ender Inciarte to end his night.
With their setup staff either suspended (Hunter Strickland) or demoted to Triple-A Sacramento (Derek Law) Bochy turned to George Kontos and the right-hander’s slider backed up on him as he gave up hits to two of the three batters he faced.
But Josh Osich inherited two runners in scoring position and got Matt Adams to pop up. Then Sam Dyson, suddenly a credible member of this bullpen, got Kurt Suzuki to fly out.
Melancon had short memory two days after giving up Nolan Arenado’s walk-off home run at Coors Field while blowing his fourth save in 14 chances this season. The former All-Star closer used his cutter and curve to get three quick ground outs and record his first save since May 27, when the Braves were at AT&T Park.
“That’s behind us,” said Bochy, of the four-game sweep in Colorado. “He was fine in this game.”
Moore had his moments when the stroke zone eluded him, but limited the Braves’ chances while completing seven innings. He claimed his first road victory of the season; the Giants had been 1-7 in his starts away from AT&T Park.
“I really didn’t know that,” Moore said. “I just know we’ve lost a good amount of games I’ve participated in.”
Said Bochy: “I really thought he was the old Matt Moore with the command and the confidence we know.”
The Giants shook up n their bullpen before the game, optioning Derek Law to Triple-A Sacramento and recalling righthander Kyle Crick.
The Giants spent fiveplus seasons trying to develop Crick into a dominant rotation piece, but he didn’t throw enough strikes and couldn’t figure out a way to record efficient outs. But after three seasons at Double-A Richmond, Crick wedged his wheels out of the sand. A good spring earned him a promotion to Triple-A Sacramento, and he posted a 2.76 ERA in 24 relief appearances while striking out 39 in 29 1/3 innings.
The former 2011 supplemental first-round still has electric stuff, and now he’s cracked through to the big leagues.
“His improvement has been as dramatic as any of our minor leaguers,” Bochy said of Crick. “It showed in major league camp. You know, the arm, it plays once you can get it under control. He’s throwing strikes with his slider and change-up. He’s matured not only as a pitcher but as a person, I think.”
Third baseman Eduardo n Nuñez didn’t play because he aggravated his tight left hamstring, and went for an MRI exam. The Giants were hopeful he would avoid the disabled list as they awaited results.