What we learned as the no-quit Giants bounce back in victory against Mets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
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SAN FRANCISCO – This time the Giants didn’t need four runs. They trailed by just one and once again completed the comeback against the New York Mets.
The Giants tied the game in the ninth Saturday and then broke it open with extras, just as they did earlier in the trip in Pittsburgh. When Camilo Doval scored a 7-2 victory in the 10th inning at Citi Field, they recorded a fourth straight victory and a fourth straight comeback. They scored 23 runs in the eighth inning or later of the four comeback wins.
After scoring eight runs on their first night at Citi Field, the Giants were pretty quiet against hard-throwing right-hander Luis Severino, who is off to a good start with his new team. Severino allowed just two hits in seven innings, but the Giants once again reached a struggling Mets bullpen.
Despite briefly losing his job in the ninth inning, Edwin Diaz was back as closer on Saturday. Wilmer Flores greeted him with a leadoff single and Ryan McKenna took over at first base and promptly stole second base. LaMonte Wade Jr. came off the bench and hit a fastball into the right field corner, tying the game.
Another Marco Luciano error late in the inning helped the Mets get the winning run to second base with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but Luke Jackson got Francisco Lindor to ground out and Pete Alonso to fly out.
Brett Wisely’s single brought home the automatic runner in the 10th and a bases-loaded walk by Patrick Bailey made it 4-2. Mike Yastrzemski broke open the scoring with a bases-clearing triple.
Hicks on a heater
Jordan Hicks threw at a reduced speed the last time after his pre-game meal kicked back in, but he was back to his old self on Sunday. Hicks averaged 90 mph with his sinker and reached a top speed of 98, which is the speed he’s had for most of what was a great first season with the Giants.
In nine of 11 starts, Hicks allowed fewer than three runs. Saturday’s start was his fifth time allowing exactly one run, and the tenth time he got through at least five innings. That was questionable after it took Hicks 77 pitches to get through the four, but he worked his way through the top of the lineup so quickly in the fifth that he finally had a long conversation with Bob Melvin and pitching coach Bryan Price in the dugout -out on whether he should continue.
The Giants are being cautious with Hicks, who is 19 innings shy of his previous career-high for a full season. However, the results remain there. With an ERA of 2.33, he ranks fifth in the National League.
Wise move
Severino whizzed through his day, especially early. He needed just 36 pitches to get through four perfect innings, but the Giants finally got him in the sixth. With one out, Wisely stuck with a raised sinker and singled to left for the first Giants hit. The game was wisely tied a few minutes later after a similar swing from Bailey.
Wisely made just his second start of the year at shortstop, but it’s possible the Giants use him there more as they wait for Nick Ahmed, who has started taking light swings but is likely still at least a few weeks away from returning . Luciano has committed three ninth-inning errors on this trip, and he was immediately tested for a tough play after starting in the ninth inning on Saturday. On a grounder to second, Luciano couldn’t handle a firm feed from Thairo Estrada.
He can move wisely all over the field and finished the game at first base, a position he hadn’t played since Double-A. With three hits on Saturday, he is 5-for-13 in seven games this season.
Patty barrels
With a day game after a night game, Bailey was usually free. But Melvin had no intention of taking his bat out of the lineup after Friday night’s game-winning grand slam.
Bailey was the DH and took third, while Jorge Soler was the one who got the day off. He started as a DH for the second time in the major leagues, but if he continues to hit like this, Melvin might be able to use that move often. Bailey finished the day with an .840 OPS and the Giants have a reliable backup catcher in Curt Casali, who again did an excellent job of guiding Hicks through a start.
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