SF Giants: Wilmer Flores’ blast secures 5-4 victory against Rockies

The SF Giants secured a 5-4 victory on Friday night thanks to an early three-run blast by Wilmer Flores. They have won the first two games of the four-game series and are in a good position to take the series on Saturday.

SF Giants: Wilmer Flores’ blast secures 5-4 victory against Rockies

This was one of those games where most of the excitement happened before you could even sit down and get comfortable in front of the TV. Austin Slater led off the bottom of the first inning with a double to right field and advanced to third base on a fly out by Kris Bryant.

Buster Posey worked a walk and the Giants had runners at the corners with just one out. However, Darin Ruf stepped to the plate and flew out to right field on the first pitch of the at-bat. Ruf’s fly out was not deep enough to allow Slater to score.

However, the Giants have picked themselves up often in 2021 when they fail to execute with a runner in scoring position. Wilmer Flores entered the batter’s box and blasted the third offering from Austin Gomber into the left-field bleachers for a three-run home run:

The three-run homer has appeared frequently for this Giants team after being nearly nonexistent for the past five years. Thairo Estrada laced a single to left field to plate Mike Yastrzemski later in the inning, giving the Giants a commanding 4-0 advantage. Ruf added one more run in the second inning on a bloop single that scored Slater, so the power-hitting outfielder redeemed himself after failing to execute in the first inning.

Anthony DeSclafani was activated off of the injured list after missing just one start with shoulder fatigue. The right-handed hurler was shaky at times, yielding two runs on five hits and two walks in five frames.

That said, when he walked off of the mound, the Giants were in a good position to win, so the 31-year-old did the job. He was followed by Jay Jackson, Tony Watson, Tyler Rogers, and Jake McGee. The bullpen combined for four innings of two-run ball while narrowing avoiding a blown save.

At the very worst, the Giants will split the series against the Rockies. However, they are playing at home where they have recorded a 39-17 record overall, so they are in the driver’s seat. The hope is that third baseman Evan Longoria will return this weekend, meaning that the Giants will be at full strength for the first time in a while. Despite the rash of injuries, they continue to have the best record in baseball with a .647 winning percentage.