Cody Glenn-USA TODAY Sports
Perhaps the best that can be said for the 2019 Giants is they have made 2020 look brighter.
On a gorgeous afternoon at Oracle Park, the thought of next season was not blinding, but certainly glittered more than it did a few months ago.
Tyler Beede was his best – and had perhaps his worst moment – while Mike Yastrzemski and Mauricio Dubon made their cases for next season a bit stronger in an 8-3 victory over the Rockies in front of 30,350.
The Giants (77-82) are not just playing for Bruce Bochy. Each success story plays into their 2020 plans, and it was a nice day for success stories.
Yastrzemski’s 21st homer of the season – a 429-foot bomb that cleared Triples Alley – put any notion that he’s a fluke a little bit further in the rearview. He entered in a 1-for-9 rut and slammed his way out, his fourth-inning shot giving the Giants a 2-1 lead.
Burch Smith blew the lead an inning later, but Dubon was involved in a few rallies to get it back.
Dubon brings energy, youth, speed and a nice glove. The nagging question is whether his bat is a tool, too, and he did what he could to answer it Thursday, going 3-for-4 with a homer and two runs scored. His slap to right field in the fifth drove in Alex Dickerson to put the Giants up, 3-2. In the seventh, he didn’t need a runner on base, driving a 370-foot long ball to left.
The Giants couldn’t extend the lead in the sixth, when Cristhian Adames lined a single to left and an aggressive Ron Wotus waved home Mike Gerber – who was out by 10 feet. Up next was Aramis Garcia, who’s batting .150, and that questionable green light speaks to the Giants’ lack of confidence in his bat.
But Yastrzemski made up for it in the eighth, ripping a single to center that scored Kevin Pillar to provide the cushion before Garcia — wordlessly answering Wotus — finally came through with a two-run single.
Also encouraging was Enderson Franco, who was charged with a run but impressed in his fourth major league outing. The rookie right-hander hit 97 mph on a seventh-inning at-bat against Nolan Arenado, challenging him and eventually striking him out. He allowed a leadoff double in the eighth to Trevor Story, though, and Fernando Abad couldn’t strand him there, before the Giants’ bats awoke in the bottom of the inning.
On a day of optimism, Beede’s season finale started as well as any and ended as poorly as any.
He was perfect through 3 1/3 innings, allowing neither a hit nor walk while striking out seven Rockies, but the 10th out appeared painful. The rookie struck out Ryan McMahon on a 94-mph fastball, the 53rd pitch of his day, and he appeared to grab at his side after the pitch.
Bochy and trainer Dave Groeschner checked on him at the mound, and after a short conversation, Beede walked off with Groeschner. The Giants did not immediately announce what the injury was.
Beede’s up-and-down season finishes with a 5.08 ERA in 22 games (24 starts). His stuff has never been questioned, but whether his control was major league-ready has been more the curiosity. He surged in July, fell off in August and in September had bounced back, posting a 3.28 ERA in his final five outings.