SF Giants quietly torch Cardinals for 8 runs in victory

Friday night's game did not feel like it was going to be a blowout, but that is definitely how it ended as the SF Giants scratched eight runs across the plate to take the first game of the series against the St. Louis Cardinals. A pair of clutch hits by Mike Yastrzemski and Brandon Crawford as well as a booming home run by Curt Casali proved to be the difference.

SF Giants quietly torch Cardinals for 8 runs in victory

Logan Webb started the game for the Giants and it turned out to be a bumpy outing in the beginning. The righty walked the first batter he faced in Tommy Edman. Edman proceeded to steal second base and then advanced to third base on a wild pitch.

Paul Goldschmidt laced a ground ball to first baseman Brandon Belt for an out, but Edman was able to score on the play. Before anyone could sit down, the Cardinals already held a 1-0 advantage. Webb battled some erratic command early as, as he hit one batter and walked three.

A good team like the Cardinals usually takes advantage of four free passes but that was not the case on Friday night. Despite Webb's struggles, he still found a way to keep the ball on the ground as he induced two key double plays.

The 25-year-old pitcher hit a groove midway through his start and managed to limit the Cardinals to just one run through six innings.

It felt like it was going to be a close game all night. Luis González drove in the first run of the night for the Giants with an RBI single to left field. This turned out to be a really nice at-bat for the 26-year-old outfielder as he drove a pitch on the outer half of the plate for a line drive, two-out single to left field. He did not try to do too much with the offering from Jordan Hicks, but did exactly what the Giants needed.

In the following inning, Yastrzemski slashed a double to the gap in left-center field to split the outfielders, adding two more runs to give the Giants the 3-1 lead. It felt like the Giants were not going to muster more offense as they squandered several scoring opportunities before erupting for five more runs in the eighth inning.

That inning got started with a Darin Ruf single and a Mike Yastrzemski walk. Crawford stepped to the plate and lined a single to plate Yastrzemski. Evan Longoria followed with a two-run double, giving the Giants a comfortable 6-1 lead. Casali capped off the inning with a two-run shot to quietly give the Giants an 8-1 lead.

They never looked back. Dominic Leone, Zack Littell, and Jarlín García closed out the final three innings of the game. Paul Goldschmidt blasted a solo homer to score the second run of the night for the Cardinals.

The Giants took the first game of the series on the road. Jakob Junis will make his fourth appearance with San Francisco on Saturday. He held the Cardinals to just two runs in five innings last week, and the hope is that he can help the Giants secure the series win.