Bryce Eldridge put MLB on notice with comments after leading SF Giants to win over Pirates

The SF Giants bounced back from a heartbreaking loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night by winning a close one on Wednesday. San Francisco won 5-4 thanks in part to a huge double Bryce Eldridge hit in the top of the 10th inning to give the Giants the lead and his comments after the game serve as something of a warning to rest of MLB going forward.

Asked about what he was thinking going into that at-bat, Eldridge said: “I was just honestly very fired up after they walked [Rafael Devers] to get to me. Me and Rafi had a little thing after that. It’s not just Rafi, it’s two of us they’ve got to deal with.”

The Pirates, with ex-Giant Camilo Doval on the mound, walked Devers intentionally to get to Eldridge. It was an understandable decision with how red-hot Devers has been as of late at the plate but it is just a reminder of how much thump the Giants have in the middle of the order right now even if the rest of the lineup is mostly made up of guys who would be in Triple-A any other year.

The at-bat was yet another example of why Eldridge isn’t afraid of the big moment. He hit a walk-off grand slam earlier in the year and even though he hasn’t come up with the goods in every clutch situation, he’s still showing incredible poise for a 21-year-old.

Giants could have a formidable lineup when everyone is healthy

It’s hard to find a ton of positives when the team is 58-82 on the season, but a future where those guys are batting second and third or third and fourth in the lineup is one that’s easy to get excited about. Devers blasted his 32nd homer of the year on Wednesday and could definitely reach 40 on the year which would be incredible.

Eldridge seems like he’s on track to reach 20 homers on the year which is impressive considering he spent the first month of the season in Triple-A. It’s not out of the realm of possibility to think with those two healthy and in the lineup for a full season they could combine for 70 or more home runs.

Add a healthy Matt Chapman, Casey Schmitt, and Willy Adames into the mix and it’s not hard to see how the Giants could have a lot of pop in the lineup going forward. That won’t necessarily lead to winning baseball especially if they fail to address the pitching staff, but it should make for some offensive fireworks at times.

Eldridge is a confident guy and it’s exciting to see how he rose to the challenge on Wednesday night. If the Giants continue to bat Devers ahead of Eldridge that will give pitchers very difficult choices going forward on who they’d rather pitch to. MLB has been warned, so one can only hope Devers and Eldridge continue to provide thump for many years to come. 

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