S.F.’s yearslong outage ends: Pillar hits 20th HR

It’s been a blight on the stat sheet for four years. At a time when home runs are as plentiful as popcorn kernels, the Giants had not had a 20homer player since Brandon Crawford hit 21 in 2015.

Kevin Pillar, who did not join the Giants until the season’s first week, put an end to that Sunday when he hit his 20th in the first inning of an 84 loss to the Padres, against lefty Eric Lauer.

Austin Slater scored ahead of him after singling.

Pillar should have company soon. Evan Longoria also hit a tworun homer, his 18th, matching Mike Yastrzemski for second on the team. With 16, Bran

don Belt has a shot as well. The milestone was significant for Pillar, whose career high was 16 playing in a live yard in Toronto.

“It’s a huge accomplishment for myself,” Pillar said. “It’s something I always felt I was capable of doing. This is really a big thing for me.”

The remarkable part is where Pillar has hit them. He has more homers at Oracle Park (11) than on the road (nine). Compare that to Longoria, whose homer Sunday was his fourth at home. He has 14 on the road.

Pillar cites an old adage for his success in a park that suppresses power, saying the less he tries to hit homers, the more he gets.

“Coming from a hitters’ park in Toronto, I played with a lot of guys who hit a lot of homers,” he said. “I was trying to keep up with them, maybe trying to lift the ball. Here, I’ve tried to be a good hitter and hit the ball hard. I’ve been rewarded with some good swings.”

The Giants own Pillar’s rights for another year. He will not come cheap in 2020, likely earning $8 million or more in his final year of arbitration eligibility. His fearlessness and success at Oracle could sway management to keep him this winter rather than seeking a trade or not tendering him a contract, which would make him a free agent.

“He’s done so many great things for us,” manager Bruce

Bochy said. “Look at the homers, RBIs, stolen bases, his defense. It’s been a joy to have him here.”

Pillar leads the Giants in all three offensive categories, with 76 RBIs and 11 steals to go with his 20 home runs.

Moronta done for ’19: Reyes

Moronta’s MRI exam Sunday delivered the bad news that seemed inevitable the way he went down after hurting his arm Saturday night. Bochy said Moronta has a torn labrum in his right shoulder and is done for the year.

Given the severity of labrum tears, the start of his 2020 season is in jeopardy as well, but Bochy said more tests will be run to determine treatment and prognosis. Surgery is possible.

The game: Jeff Samardzija had his worst game of the year, allowing six earned runs and six extrabase hits, both season highs. Ty France hit the first of his two homers in the game against Samardzija in the first inning. Two of Samardzija’s runners were aboard when France hit his second, in the sixth, off Fernando Abad.

“Congrats to them,” Samardzija said. “They made some adjustments from the last time I faced them and got some good swings off.”

Four promoted: On the first day of roster expansion, the Giants recalled four players from TripleA Sacramento: Aramis

Garcia, who played first base Sunday, outfielder Chris Shaw and pitchers Conner Menez and Burch Smith, a newcomer to the organization. After the game, Andrew Suarez joined the team for its flight to St. Louis. More promotions are forthcoming.