Mike Yastrzemski opened the second half of the season with two blasts to help the SF Giants secure a 7-2 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals. LaMonte Wade Jr. added a home run of his own as well.
SF Giants: Mike Yastrzemski leads way in 7-2 win against Cardinals
Before the start of the game, the Giants announced a handful of roster moves including recalling Logan Webb from Triple-A to make the start on Friday night. Given that the right-handed hurler is still rebuilding arm strength after recovering from a shoulder injury, Webb was not going to give the Giants much length.
Despite being on a strict pitch count, the 24-year-old gave the Giants a solid start. He gave up only one earned run in four innings while inducing eight groundouts. On top of this, he only allowed one free pass. Webb has quietly taken a nice step forward in his development, further cementing himself as a long-term rotation arm.
The bullpen was tasked with completing the final five innings of the game and they did so with only a rare, bumpy appearance from Dominic Leone. On Friday, Jay Jackson’s contract was selected from Triple-A and he recorded a clutch strikeout in a tight spot to maintain the five-run lead.
At the plate, Mike Yastrzemski began the charge with a solo shot in the fourth inning to give the Giants a one-run advantage:
The left-handed bat liked it so much that he did it again. This time, he swatted a home run with two runners on base:
By the time Yastrzemski crossed home plate a second time, the game was out of reach as the Giants had a 7-1 lead. In the middle of this, LaMonte Wade Jr. added a three-run blast of his own, giving him eight home runs on the year in only 40 games. He is beginning to look like a tremendous find by the front office.
Donovan Solano and Curt Casali added two hits apiece. After an awfully slow start, Casali is slashing a .230/.341/.416 line in 132 plate appearances while being a solid receiver behind the plate.
The Giants took the first game of the series against the Cardinals and their record now sits at 58-32. Anthony DeSclafani goes for the Giants on Saturday as they look to take the series against a tough lefty in Kwang Hyun Kim for the Cardinals.