In the span of about 24 hours this weekend at the Coliseum, the Giants were able to reverse the bad juju from their abysmal start to the second half.
First came a 7-3 win on Saturday, when the Giants dominated the A’s in front of 40,000 fans. Then came Sunday’s 6-4 victory, when outfielder Mike Yastrzemski hit two dingers, including a crucial two-run blast in the eighth that proved to be the game-winner. With it, came a tidy two-game sweep of the A's in the Bay Bridge Series.
“Just taking it for what it is,” Yaz said matter-of-factly after the victory. “A good game. Just kinda be happy with it and be ready for tomorrow.”
The Giants needed to change their fortunes after getting swept in four games by the hated rival Dodgers earlier in the week. Still, they trail the San Diego Padres – who are playing the Dodgers on Sunday Night Baseball – by 5.5 games for the third and final Wild Card spot in the National League.
Thairo Estrada (10) also belted a two-run shot in the sixth-inning, as he and Yaz (11) reached the double-digit plateau for home runs. The long ball was a big part to the team’s 107-win season in 2021 and the Giants are hoping that having a healthy Estrada, Brandon Crawford and Joc Pederson can help the team’s fading playoff aspirations.
“Hopefully it means more runs,” Yastrzemski said. “We’ve been really close to clicking on all cylinders several times this year. It’s just nice to win a couple of games in a row and see both sides of the ball working really well. We’re gonna try to enjoy it for the moment and try and repeat it tomorrow.”
Logan Webb finished seven innings in Sunday’s contest, allowing two earned runs on four hits and three walks while striking out five. Webb rooted for A’s and Raiders growing up, so he said pitching in front of 30,000-plus fans Sunday was a fun experience.
“This is my fourth time pitching here,” Webb said. “I always enjoy pitching here. I grew up an A’s fan and I grew up a Raiders fan. I came to a ton of Raiders games growing up. I always feel like honestly kind of at home. It’s really cool for me.”
Webb also got a kick out of seeing some Oakland greats on the field for a pre-game ceremony, as A’s legends like Rickey Henderson, Reggie Jackson and Dave Stewart helped usher in the 2022 class of A’s Hall of Famers. Webb said he was asking around before the game to see if inductee Eric Chavez would be in attendance, but the former third baseman is coaching with the New York Mets.
“It’s cool to see them and be on the same field as those guys,” Webb said.
Despite the victory, the Giants are just 5-12 after the All-Star break. They have a big three-game series upcoming at San Diego, where they’ll get their first look at new Padres superstar Juan Soto and the gang.
Webb also explained his recent tweet, when he used a hilarious John C. Reilly GIF while mocking the difficulty of facing the stacked Padres lineup – that also added sluggers Josh Bell and Brandon Drury at the deadline.
“I was just like, ‘Haha, real funny. Funny you guys have that lineup,’” Webb said. “I was agreeing with him, it’s all fun and games. … It’ll be exciting.”
