Difficult to do any better both at bat and on mound
Laughers are tough to come by with an inconsistent offense, and they’re even more unlikely with some regulars out of commission.
Perhaps then, the Giants’ hitters are finally rounding into shape — as many of them have insisted lately — because Monday night against Colorado, the team put up nine quick runs against a starter who’d handled them with ease this month. San Francisco sent nine men to the plate in each of the first two innings en route to a 120 victory, recording a season high for runs.
Buster Posey, looking like Vintage Posey, had four hits,
including a tworun homer to center, his fifth of the season. The last time Posey had five homers in a month was May 2017. Posey also caught a shutout by Anthony DeSclafani, who allowed three hits and a walk and struck out nine while lowering his ERA to 1.50. The Giants’ collective ERA fell to a majorleaguebest 2.81.
“He was great behind the dish tonight,” DeSclafani said. “We were on the same page, so it worked out well.”
The Giants improved to 158, their best start since the 2003 team opened 185. After 23 games last year, San Francisco was 815.
“We don’t feel like we’ve clicked on all cylinders offensively,” Posey said. “Our pitching and defense has been really good — from my experience, I’ve played on some really good teams in the past and that was No. 1, to pitch well and play defense. It’s early, but it’s definitely a nice start.”
The team was without No. 2 hitter Mike Yastrzemski (oblique) and shortstop Brandon Crawford (rib cage), and second baseman Donovan Solano (calf ) is on the injured list. But Evan Longoria was back after missing three games with hamstring tightness and did a lot of damage in his two atbats, with an RBI single in the first and a tworun double in the second against Colorado starter Austin Gomber. Longoria departed for a pinch runner at that point; manager Gabe Kapler said the plan was to ease him in against a lefthander and he is “totally fine.”
Mauricio Dubón, filling in at short, had a terrific night with an RBI single and a basesloaded double that sent in all three runners in the second.
Gomber held the Giants to one hit, four walks and two runs in 61⁄3 innings April 10 at Oracle Park, and he hadn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his four previous outings. He was charged with nine runs Monday, lifting his ERA from 3.38 to 6.65.
By the end of the night, infielder Josh Fuentes was pitching for the Rockies.