© Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
ANAHEIM — As the San Francisco Giants (8-11) returned to Angel Stadium to take on the Los Angeles Angels (13-7) for the first time since 2015, Jeff Samardzija and Mac Williamson both made their first appearances of the year on Friday night.
One pitched phenomenally, the other swung mightily, and both played key roles in the Giants’ 8-1 victory over the Angels.
Samardzija started the year on the disabled list after straining his right pectoral muscle towards the end of spring training. Although he looked vulnerable in his single rehab start at Class-A San Jose, allowing six runs and five hits over 2.3 innings of work, he maneuvered through five scoreless innings on 80 pitches, allowing only two hits while walking four and striking out four.
Nick Handley, who went 2-for-3 and doubled in a run in the eighth, gave the Giants a one-run lead with a home run in the second. Shortly after, Shohei Ohtani put the Angels in the hit column with a single in the bottom of the same inning.
Nonetheless, Samardzija stranded Ohtani and kept the Angels off the scoreboard after escaping a jam in the third. Following two quick outs, Ian Kinsler walked and reached third on a single by Mike Trout that bounced off Joe Panik’s glove and rolled away from Kelby Tomlinson.
Unfazed, Samardzija stranded both by striking out Justin Upton on three pitches.
Samardzija ran into trouble in the fifth, shortly after passing the 62-pitch mark he was held to in his rehab start. He surrendered a pair of walks to start the inning and loaded the bases with another later in the frame, but struck out Martin Maldonado and induced two fly balls to keep the Angels off the board.
While Samardzija dazzled from the mound, Mac Williamson wowed from the batter’s box.
Mac Williamson forced the Giants’ hand by batting .478 (19-for-39) with six home runs and three doubles in 11 games at Triple-A Sacramento while striking out only five times.
Making room for the budding slugger came at the cost of sidelining Hunter Pence. Prior to the game, the Giants announced they placed Pence, who is batting .172 with 22 strikeouts, on the 10-day disabled list with a right thumb strain.
Should Williamson struggle through these next 10 days, it’ll make for a much easier decision for the Giants.
Yet, if he keeps hitting the way he did on Friday night, the Giants have a tough choice awaiting them.
After striking out on five pitches in the second, Williamson responded with a two-run homer in the fifth inning that put the Giants ahead 3-0. The same pitch that Williamson struck out on — a sinker — he sent into the right field bleachers. Williamson’s home run left his bat at 114.2 miles per hour, the hardest hit ball of the season.
Welcome back, Mac!!! pic.twitter.com/jOjYheFOr2
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 21, 2018
Williamson finished the game 1-for-4 and his homer sparked a six-run rally in the fifth inning.
After Williamson, Gorkys Hernandez and Kelby Tomlinson, who was 2-for-3 with a walk, hit back-to-back singles. They were both brought in by an RBI single from Austin Jackson and a three-run home run from Andrew McCutchen. By the end of the inning, the Giants held a commanding 7-0 lead over the Angels.
McCutchen hits a bomb and the Giants lead 7-0! pic.twitter.com/wpgCWrE3HG
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 21, 2018
It wasn’t until the eighth inning that the Angels jump on the scoreboard. After Reyes Moronta pitched two scoreless innings in relief, Mike Trout took Pierce Johnson deep with a two-out solo homer. Although Albert Pujols followed Trout with a double, Johnson got out of the inning with a strikeout. Josh Osich came on in the ninth and limited the Angels to an Ohtani single.
The Giants continue their series with the Angels on Saturday at 6:07 PM. They’ll send Derek Holland, who is still looking for his first win of the year, to face Garrett Richards.
