Martinez Tribune The website of the Martinez Tribune.
BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER
LaMonte Wade Jr’s big day at the plate helped the Giants overcome a pair of ugly losses to the lowly Pirates, leading San Francisco to a 6-1 win over Pittsburgh Sunday afternoon at Oracle Park.
LaMonte Wade Jr. connects for a lead-off home run during the Giants 6-1 win over the Pirates Sunday afternoon. He would add another homer his next time up in the third inning along with a double as San Francisco took the finale of the three game series.
Wade, acquired from the Minnesota Twins in a trade for pitcher Shaun Anderson in February, led off the game for the Giants with a home run to centerfield off of Pittsburgh starter JT Brubaker (4-10, 4.67), and then tagged the Pirates right-hander again for another solo shot in the third to give San Francisco a 2-1 lead they would never relinquish. He would also add a double in the seventh. The two blasts gave Wade 12 homers in 49 games since May 31, as he has now filled in ably as an injury replacement at four different positions.
Less than 24 hours after Giants ace Kevin Gausman got roughed up by the Pirates on the way to a 10-2 loss last night, Alex Wood (9-3, 3.65) helped San Francisco bounce back as he pitched into the sixth inning only allowing one run while striking out eight as he improved to 8-0 following a Giants loss. Jay Jackson came on in relief of Wood to induce Kevin Newman to ground into a bases-loaded double play and thwart Pittsburgh’s last offensive threat of the game as Jarlin Garcia, Tyler Rogers and Jake McGee each pitched perfect frames to end the game.
“LaMonte’s ice cold, man,” Wood said after the game. “There’s no other way to put it. He just grinds every pitch. He doesn’t take a single pitch off. He’s locked in from the very start of the game to the very finish. I think he likes those moments. He wants to be in those moments. He wants to be a dude, and he’s proven to be one.”
Alex Wood delivers a pitch Sunday afternoon against the Pirates during the Giants 6-1 win. The lefty struck out eight in 5 1/3 innings to improve his record to 9-3.
Wilmer Flores and Thario Estrada also went deep for the Giants, who maintained the best record in the majors (62-37) with Boston, Tampa Bay, Houston and the Dodgers in hot pursuit. After a day off tomorrow San Francisco returns to the field Tuesday night for a three-game showdown with Los Angeles at Oracle. Julio Urias (12-3, 3.63), tied for the major league lead in wins, is scheduled to take the mound for Los Angeles again Logan Webb (4-3, 3.54) in the opener.
GAME NOTES:
Buster Posey and Mike Yastrzemski both got the day off, although Yaz pinch hit in the eighth inning.
The win improved the Giants record after a loss to 25-12, the best in the majors.
The four home runs increased San Francisco’s total on the season to 151, passing the Toronto Blue Jays for the major league lead.
The Pirates took the season series 4-3. This weekend’s series loss was just the third of the year for the Giants at Oracle Park.
