In a game representing Giants Manager Bruce Bochy‘s final visit to San Diego and potentially Madison Bumgarner‘s final start in black and orange, it was the grandson of baseball royalty who took hold of Petco Park Sunday.
Outfielder Mike Yastrzemski‘s fingerprints were all over San Francisco’s 7-6 win. The rookie got the Giants (54-52) on the board roping a two-run double in the second inning off Padres starter Adrian Morejon (ND, 0-0, 5.40 ERA). San Diego (49-56) battled back several times, trimming the deficit to a single run in the ninth, but could never undo all of Yastrzemski’s impact.
Giants second baseman Donovan Solano drove in Yastrzemski twice, in the fourth and sixth innings, pinning a loss on reliever Luis Perdomo (L, 1-3, 4.02 ERA).
Yastrzemski finished the game 4-for-5 with two doubles, a pair of runs scored and two RBIs. Solano finished 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs and a pair of walks.
In addition to his offensive contributions, Yastrzemski robbed a near home run off the bat of Padres outfielder Franmil Reyes in the sixth inning.
Yastrzemski concluded the three-game series 6-for-9 with two doubles, two walks and two RBIs, tallying hits in six consecutive at-bats between Saturday and Sunday. He said:
“It doesn’t matter where you get put in the lineup, if you’re in there, it feels like you’re going to do something. It’s kind of just the positive vibes and just the fund that we’re having.”
Bumgarner (W, 6-7, 3.74 ERA) made his final start of the month, tossing seven innings and allowing four runs on four hits and two walks. He was sharp for much of the game, needing just 86 pitches despite a 22-pitch first inning. Of the efficiency, he said:
“Just throwing strikes. It seems like it’s both sides, teams are being super aggressive. You just got to recognize their game plan as early as you can and adjust to it if you need to adjust or stay with what you’re doing.”
His biggest mistake came in the third inning. After a single and a hit-by-pitch, Bumgarner threw a flat cutter to Padres outfielder Hunter Renfroe, who turned it around for a three-run home run. Bochy said:
“After that he was nails. I mean he really pitched great. The pitch count was good … had a little tough luck there but he regrouped and got better as he went.”
The homer was Renfroe’s 29th of the season and ensured Bumgarner would allow his most runs in a start since June 20 against the Dodgers. In spite of that, Bumgarner finished July with a 2.70 ERA in 30 innings across five starts.
Bumgarner has consistently shrugged off the trade rumors mentioning his name, insisting that he’s focused on winning games with the Giants. He began to call the Giants’ 18-5 record in July a “pretty incredible run” but stopped himself:
“You know what, I take it back, I don’t want to call it a run. I want us to keep doing it. So let’s go, we’ve been playing good and we want to keep doing that.”
Giants reliever Sam Dyson threw a scoreless eighth inning while Will Smith (S, 26, 2.72 ERA) worked around a two-run home run from Padres outfielder Wil Myers to seal the victory.
UP NEXT
After an off-day Monday, the Giants head to Philadelphia to play three against the Phillies. Tyler Beede (3-4, 4.86 ERA) and Drew Smyly (1-5, 7.69 ERA) will toe the rubber in the series’ first game on Tuesday.
NOTES
Yastrzemski’s six-hit series pushed his average to .344 in the 17 games since the All Star Break. … Buster Posey tallied three hits in five at-bats, including an RBI double in the ninth inning. He is hitting .313 since the All Star Break. … The Giants’ trip to Philadelphia included a “dress like Pablo Sandoval” dress theme, replete with bright, patterned shirts, white pants and plenty of jewelry. The theme shows how far Sandoval has come since he’s been back as well as “a lot of forgiveness,” Posey said with a smile while sporting blue studded shoes.
