Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
It was more tease than full taste – he didn’t last six complete innings.
But Jaylin Davis has arrived.
The sizzling Giants prospect, acquired in the Sam Dyson trade and who subsequently tore apart Pacific Coast League, brought a bit of luck and recorded his first major league hit in the Giants’ 9-8 win in St. Louis on Wednesday, snapping a four-game losing streak.
Davis, called up before the game’s start as the Giants placed Reyes Moronta on the 60-day IL and likely amid Alex Dickerson concern, recorded his first hit — albeit of the excuse-me variety, a slow grounder to Tommy Edman that was thrown wayward of first.
A hit is a hit. 1st career knock for Jaylin Davis 🙌 pic.twitter.com/QDHwoFqWeD
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) September 5, 2019
With his mother in attendance, Davis went 1-for-3 with a walk — you can bet Farhan Zaidi enjoyed watching him work a five-pitch base on balls in the fifth — before being removed in a double shift.
One of Davis’ outs was a hot shot to shortstop, and he impressed in the field, not allowing any advance on a fifth-inning fly ball that he gunned home.
The fact Davis was given his major league debut, at 25, is a possible concern sign for Dickerson, who grimaced upon a strikeout in Tuesday’s game. Dickerson was out of the lineup against righty Michael Wacha.
Beyond Davis, the Giants were on a roller coaster.
They opened a 4-0 lead behind a big third inning, in which Mike Yastrzemski slammed his 19th homer of the season and RBI singles from Kevin Pillar and Corban Joseph, the second baseman’s first hit as a Giant.
Behind Madison Bumgarner, that’s usually game over, especially recently; Bumgarner entered with a 2.25 ERA in his past five starts and 32 innings. Not Wednesday.
The Cardinals got one each in the third and fourth before it unraveled in the fifth and sixth. In the fifth, Goldschmidt’s two-run triple was the big blow, with Davis and Kevin Pillar converging, the ball just eluding Davis’ glove and Goldschmidt ending up at third. It tied the game, 4-4.
The Giants responded in the top of the fifth, thanks to a Paul DeJong error. The St. Louis shortstop fielded an Evan Longoria grounder, with a runner on first, that should have ended the inning. But he couldn’t decide whether to go to first or second, eventually abruptly choosing second and nearly knocking over Kolten Wong, who couldn’t stay on the bag. The next batter was Brandon Crawford, who promptly hit a three-run homer.
The bottom of the inning was less kind to the Giants. Tommy Edman’s triple made it 7-5 Giants and chased Bumgarner after 96 pitches, lasting five-plus innings while allowing six runs and nine hits. Jandel Gustave entered and allowed a sacrifice fly before putting two on for Tyler Rogers — shifting Davis out. Goldschmidt then hit a two-run double that put St. Louis back ahead.
It was Pillar, though, who took the Giants from one down to one up. His 21st homer of the season came in the eighth, opening a lead that required four Will Smith outs to preserve. With two on in the eighth, Smith struck out Goldschmidt to seal it.
The Giants said Pablo Sandoval had successful surgery in Los Angeles. He had loose bodies in his right elbow and Tommy John surgery.
