Giants Baseball Insider

SF Giants bullpen, late Mike Yastrzemski double lead the way in 5-4 win over Mets

An early offensive outburst, an excellent day from the bullpen, and a late-game double by Mike Yastrzemski lifted the SF Giants to a 5-4 win over the Mets.
Marc Delucchi|
SF Giants bullpen, late Mike Yastrzemski double lead the way in 5-4 win over Mets
SF Giants bullpen, late Mike Yastrzemski double lead the way in 5-4 win over Mets

In this story:

San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants defeated the New York Mets 5-4 on Sunday, finishing a series split with one of the best teams in the National League. An early offensive outburst, an excellent day from the bullpen, and a late-game double by Mike Yastrzemski proved enough to get the job done. The Giants improved to 8-13 on the season. The Mets fell to 14-9.

Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. led off the game with a 105.9 mph rocket off the right-field wall for a single off Mets starter Tyler Megill. It would have been a lead-off homer at seven MLB ballparks. Nearly everywhere else, it would have been an extra-base hit. But Mets right fielder Starling Marte played the carom perfectly and held Wade to a single.

With Wade on third with two outs in the inning, designated hitter Joc Pederson lined an RBI single off the outstretched glove of Mets second baseman Luis Guillorme in his first plate appearance back from the injured list. The Giants activated Pederson earlier in the day, optioning Heliot Ramos (Giants #17 prospect) to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Giants righty Ross Stripling returned to the rotation on Sunday, replacing injured lefty Alex Wood. Stripling was fine in his third start of the season, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits and a walk across 3.1 innings pitched with one strikeout.

"I thought it was a step in the right direction," Stripling said during his postgame media availability. "I mean that is a challenging lineup, pretty versatile, not a lot of swing-and-miss, and power there in the middle of it. Obviously you've seen what they've done to us this series. So it was a good test, but I thought I commanded most of my pitchers and was ahead more than I've been in prior outings. So overall, personally, a step forward."

Mets left fielder Jeff McNeil started New York's first rally of the game in the top of the second inning with a bloop single to shallow left field. A single by Dan Vogelbach and a fielding error by Stripling on a swinging bunt by Brett Baty loaded the bases.

Moments like these were where Stripling has been undone early this season. The righty entered play on Tuesday having allowed six home runs across 12.1 innings pitched. With his back against the wall, Stripling threw a 3-2 slider to Mets catcher Francisco Álvarez that hung up towards the middle of the zone, Álvarez torched it 110.5 mph, but it was a ground ball right to shortstop Brandon Crawford that the veteran turned into an inning-ending double play.

With the Giants' lead intact, second baseman Thairo Estrada added another run to the scoreboard with a solo home run. It was Estrada's fourth blast of the season. The former Yankees infielder has arguably been the Giants best player this season. Entering play on Sunday, prior to his home run, Estrada was already leading the team in several categories, including both bWAR and fWAR.

An RBI double by Francisco Lindor drove in the Mets first run of the game in the third inning before the Mets loaded the bases against Stripling once again in the fourth with a pair of soft-hit singles and a walk. Stripling struck out Álvarez before Giants manager Gabe Kapler turned to southpaw Taylor Rogers out of the bullpen with a pair of lefties due up.

Mets manager Buck Showalter countered by pinch-hitting right-handed hitter Mark Canha, who hit what looked like a sacrifice fly to right field against Rogers. For the second consecutive day, Giants right fielder Michael Conforto had trouble with a fly ball. This time, Conforto seemed to underestimate the tail on the ball, and it bounced off his glove. The tying run scored, and the bases were still loaded. Rogers did not allow another runner to reach base, but a sacrifice fly by Brandon Nimmo put the Mets ahead 3-2.

The Giants did not wait long to retake the lead against Megill. A trio of singles by Mike Yastrzemski, Brandon Crawford, and Blake Sabol tied things up in the bottom half of the fourth, and Crawford scored the go-ahead run on a fielder's choice.

Tyler Rogers relieved his twin brother to start the fifth inning and retired the Mets in just six pitches. The submariner returned to the mound in the sixth and struck out Dan Vogelbach and Brett Baty on six pitches. Then Álvarez came to the plate with the bases empty for the first time of the day. This time, he launched a home run to left field. Rogers' pitch was well above the top of the strike zone, but weird things always seem to happen when the unique reliever is on the hill.

In a battle of bullpens, Mets relievers Jeff Brigham, Brooks Raley, and and Drew Smith held the Giants scoreless. The Giants were able to keep pace thanks to perfect innings from John Brebbia and Scott Alexander.

The Giants broke the tie in the bottom of the eighth inning against Drew Smith. Smith issued a one-out walk to Pederson before Mike Yastrzemski lined a double to center field. Nimmo took a bad route to the ball in center, giving Pederson enough time to come around to score the eventual winning run.

Then, for the second consecutive day, the Giants turned to closer Camilo Doval in the ninth. Doval struck out two in a perfect inning of work, recording his second save of the season.

It was undeniably a positive sign for the back of the Giants bullpen. The Rogers twins, Brebbia, Alexander, and Doval were expected to be the Giants top setup options for Kapler entering the season. Despite Álvarez's home run, all five flashed dominance against a talented Mets lineup on Sunday. 

The SF Giants homestand continues tomorrow, when they will begin a four-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals. The 9-13 Cardinals are scheduled to send Mike Montgomery to the mound against Alex Cobb. First pitch at Oracle Park is scheduled for 6:45 PM Pacific.

Published
Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).

Share on XFollow maddelucchi
Home/San Francisco Giants News