SAN FRANCISCO -- If the Giants¡¯ performance on Sunday against the Cubs was judged solely on pitching and defense, this game could be categorized as one the home team would probably like to flush and forget, and move on to the next one.
But despite committing four errors on a day with swirly winds and at least one seemingly jittery infielder, the Giants won, and quite handily. Though the defense put more stress than necessary on Giants pitchers, the offense did its job, piling on Cubs pitchers and ensuring the crowd at Oracle Park would remember three things about this one: The ballpark was overrun with adorable pups on Dog Day, Brandon Crawford?pitched, and the Giants won by a landslide, topping the Cubs, 13-3.
¡°It's tough to find a game where you make four errors and the other team doesn't make any, and you win a game like we did today,¡± manager Gabe Kapler said. ¡°Not that it doesn't happen, but it doesn't happen very frequently.¡±
Nor does the type of home run barrage the Giants enjoyed to close out their brief homestand. Joc Pederson?got the party started early with two homers, both off Cubs starter Hayden Wesneski.
Thairo Estrada popped in later with two of his own -- a solo shot in the sixth off Jeremiah Estrada that contributed to a two-run inning, and a three-run homer in the seventh off Javier Assad that put the finishing touches on the resounding victory.?
¡°He hits some pretty home runs, doesn't he?¡± Kapler said of Estrada. ¡°When he hits them, they kind of feel majestic. Really good swing and short, compact power. It's fun to watch.¡±
This was the third time the Giants have had two players with multiple home runs in the same game at Oracle Park, joining Moises Alou and Pedro Feliz (May 25, 2005) and Rich Aurilia and Jos¨¦ Cruz Jr. (April 7, 2003).?
¡°It was a great day,¡± Pederson said. ¡°Scored a lot of runs, a lot of good at-bats. It's fun to be part of that.¡±
Pederson¡¯s second homer was a Splash Hit into McCovey Cove -- a 405-footer that left his bat at 106.8 mph, per Statcast.
It was the 101st Splash Hit by a Giant, and the 161st overall. It was also Pederson¡¯s sixth Splash Hit -- though not all have been hit as a Giant. His last one was Sept. 2 of last year.
¡°It's cool to hit it in the water,¡± he said. ¡°It's something cool about the ballpark. You don't try to hit it there, but it's cool to look back and watch the video.¡±
That long ball put the Giants up by two, easing any tension that had built after Casey Schmitt made two errors on one play. He was charged with the first error by muffing a ground ball from Mike Tauchman, followed by a second after he threw high to first baseman Wilmer Flores.
The other errors arrived later, when the game was more out of hand.
¡°Usually you don't have a chance to win games when you make four errors,¡± Pederson said.? ¡°We overcame it with our bats, and we'll take this momentum and get back to winning some ballgames.¡±
Pederson is the first Giant with at least four hits, four RBIs and four runs scored in a home game since July 9, 1988. The multi-homer game was the 20th of Pederson¡¯s career.
It was also an encouraging sign from a health standpoint, given Pederson missed 30 games during two IL stints because of issues with his right hand. He logged eight hits during the three-game set with the Cubs and is 11-for-23 with three homers in his past seven games.?
¡°He's been swinging the bat well, and he's driving the baseball pretty consistently,¡± Kapler said. ¡°Today he was able to elevate it and drive it and use the whole field, and get a base hit off a lefty. All of those things are big-time confidence boosts to a hitter.¡±
The offensive breakout arrived at an apropos time. The Giants struggled to score in the first two games with the Cubs and were in danger of being swept during the brief three-game homestand. A day after being shut out, and nearly no-hit, the lineup sprung to life with 15 hits, seven for extra bases.?
¡°It's baseball,¡± Estrada said. ¡°One day you execute, one day you can't, but that's what you do, to take it day by day and try to execute and try to take advantage when you can, like today.¡±