© Wendell Cruz | 2021 Aug 25
Sunday, starter Logan Webb quipped that some fans felt the world was coming crashing down after the Giants dropped two straight games. A reporter even called it a “losing streak.”
Stress and scoreboard watching may be understandable, as the Dodgers have breathed down San Francisco’s neck all year in the National League West race, despite the Giants showing no signs of slowing down.
Wednesday, Johnny Cueto returned. Kris Bryant belted his 23rd homer. Brandon Crawford continued to mash with runners in scoring position. The Mets hit into five double plays. Jake McGee earned his 29th save, despite the Mets loading the bases in the ninth after Alex Dickerson and Austin Slater couldn’t handle out a routine fly ball and Brandon Belt dropped a catchable ball in foul territory.
And the Giants, past their two-loss blip, have now won four consecutive ballgames. SF is 82-44, on pace for a franchise-record 105 wins. It was far from perfect baseball — SF only registered four hits on Wednesday in Citi Field and committed two inexcusable errors. But by taking the first two off the Mets, the Giants have clinched their ninth straight series victory. Winning ugly counts, too.
Cueto was about as sharp as one would expect after nearly three weeks since his last MLB start. The Mets hit him hard consistently, but Cueto enjoyed three double plays — one in which Javier Báez looked clueless on the base paths — and showed strong command with his fastball.
Cueto threw strikes consistently in the early innings to get ahead in counts, and the double plays helped him stay out of trouble.
He had a chance to exit with a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth, as Mets slugger Pete Alonso stepped in with two outs and the bases loaded. Manager Gabe Kapler went out to check on Cueto, but it was only for a quick pep talk and a fist-bump to his veteran’s chest.
Cueto did his job, getting Alonso to tap a grounder down the third baseline, but Bryant tugged his throw up the first base line and New York scored on his throwing error. The normally sure-handed fielder has played third and all three outfield positions for San Francisco and hadn’t committed an error since his SF debut.
José Álvarez relieved Cueto (4.2 IP, 5H, 1R, 3BB, 2K) and got out of the bases-loaded jam with one pitch. For the Mets, starter Taijuan Walker retired the first 11 batters he faced, and only needed 33 pitches to do it. He was cruising, pitching to contact and avoiding San Francisco barrels by featuring his fastball about 65% of the time.
Then Bryant smacked Walker’s belt-high 0-2 fastball, his 36th pitch, 434 feet into the left field seats. SF’s first hit — and first base runner — of the night sent Bryant trotting around the bases.
Bryant’s game-tying throwing error came an inning later, and then the Mets added a run with a Dominic Smith RBI double.
Up until the sixth inning, Walker held the Giants to one hit — Bryant’s solo shot — compared to New York’s eight. But the Giants don’t go away.
In the top of the seventh, Bryant reached on a dribbler down the third baseline that Jonathan Villar booted. Then Michael Conforto couldn’t make a diving catch charging into shallow right, putting Alex Dickerson on first.
The two dinky hits led to Mets manager Luis Rojas to come out and get Walker. Walker threw his hands up in disbelief and pleaded his case. Lefty Aaron Loup relieved him to face Crawford.
Crawford jumped on the first pitch Loup delivered, crushing a double to the right field fence that scored both Bryant and Dickerson. It was the first time all year Loup allowed an extra base hit to a left-handed batter. Walker threw his water bottle into the dugout wall in frustration.
The Giants shortstop entered Wednesday hitting .386 with runners in scoring position. Fifty of his 71 RBI came off hits with RISP. That timely hitting, from Crawford and otherwise, has keyed this recent four-game winning streak.
Three of the Giants’ last four wins have come in comeback fashion. There was LaMonte Wade Jr.’s go-ahead pinch-hit homer, then Donovan Solano’s the next day. Now this, a slow-burning, come-from-behind victory after a slow start.