Carlos Rodón and Austin Wynns propel SF Giants to 4-1 victory
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The SF Giants have won four of their last five games after defeating Atlanta 4-1 to wrap up their three-game series against the reigning World Series champs. The Giants relied on another fantastic outing from ace Carlos Rodón and key offensive contributions from the bottom half of their lineup.
The Giants jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Facing veteran righty Charlie Morton, J.D. Davis got a two-out rally started with a single to left field. Then, recently promoted Willie Calhoun worked a nine-pitch walk to set the stage for catcher Austin Wynns.
Wynns has struggled mightily at the plate this season. Entering play on Wednesday, Wynns had a .580 OPS in 149 plate appearances this season. However, Wynns took an 0-2 fastball from Morton to right field for an RBI single.
Rodón surrendered his only run of the day in the subsequent half inning. Vaughn Grissom worked a lead-off walk, and a throwing error by Wynns trying to back pick Grissom at first base allowed him to advance into scoring position. Two batters later, Robbie Grossman recorded Atlanta's first hit of the game and evened the score at one.
The Giants answered in the bottom of the fourth inning, with the back half of their lineup leading the charge once again. David Villar and J.D. Davis doubled off Morton to give San Francisco a 2-1 lead.
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Rodón only needed 71 pitches to complete five innings on Wednesday. He allowed the one unearned run on just two hits and a walk while retaking the National League lead in strikeouts, adding eight more to his season tally.
Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters after the game that the southpaw was removed as a precaution for a blister and cracked nail he has been dealing with. Kapler said he remains confident Rodón will make his next scheduled start.
Rodón set a new single-season career-high with his outing. As the Giants approach postseason elimination while Rodón is set for a massive contract this offseason, it still could make sense for both parties to limit his workload towards the end of the season to ensure he avoids a major injury.
The bottom of the Giants lineup got one more crack at Morton in the sixth inning. Villar was hit by a pitch and Brandon Crawford walked with one out in the inning. Atlanta's manager Brian Snitker decided to bring in right-handed reliever Jesse Chavez. Chavez immediately walked Davis to load the bases before Wynns recorded another huge two-out single, bringing a pair of runs around the bases to give San Francisco a 4-1 lead.
Kapler turned to Tyler Rogers, Scott Alexander, John Brebbia, and Camilo Doval to get through the final four innings. Brebbia worked around a pair of one-out singles in the eighth, and other than that, Atlanta never brought the tying run to the plate.
The SF Giants improved to 69-74 with their win on Wednesday afternoon and will have a day off on Thursday. However, things will not get any easier in their schedule with the Los Angeles Dodgers coming to town for a three-game series at Oracle Park over the weekend. First pitch for Friday's game is scheduled for 7:15 PM Pacific.
