SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants expected Willy Adames to anchor their lineup after they signed him to a seven-year, $182 million contract over the offseason, but they¡¯re still waiting on their new shortstop to get going at the plate.
Adames is batting only .194 with a .531 OPS and one home run over his first 23 games, though the Giants have managed to continue winning even without steady production from their marquee free-agent addition.
Adames went 0-for-4 while facing his former team, the Brewers, for the first time since his free-agent departure, but his new Giants teammates once again found a way to pick up the slack. Wilmer Flores cranked a go-ahead home run in the sixth inning, and Jung Hoo Lee added an RBI triple in the seventh to lift San Francisco to a 5-2 series-opening win at Oracle Park.
¡°I think it¡¯s been great so far in terms of like as a team,¡± Adames said before the game. ¡°For me, obviously, it takes a while for me to get going. But as long as we continue to win games, I really don¡¯t care about myself. Obviously, I want to do great. Don¡¯t get me wrong. But I¡¯m going to continue to contribute in different ways until my bat comes alive and just expect the team to keep winning games.¡±
While Adames went hitless on Monday, he ended up bringing in the tying run with the help of a defensive miscue from his former double-play partner, Milwaukee second baseman Brice Turang, in the fifth inning. Adames stepped in to face Nick Mears with runners on first and second and no outs, though he bounced a potential double-play ball to the left side that was fielded by Caleb Durbin at third.
Durbin fired to second for the first out, but the Brewers couldn¡¯t turn two after Turang¡¯s throw to first sailed high and got past Rhys Hoskins, allowing Tyler Fitzgerald to score from second base and tie the game at 2.
The Giants took their first lead of the night one inning later thanks to Flores, who drove a first-pitch sinker from Grant Anderson over the left-field fence for his team-high seventh home run of the year. The 33-year-old veteran now has 24 RBIs through his first 23 games, which is tied for the second-most in the Majors behind only Yankees superstar Aaron Judge (25).
¡°It¡¯s not surprising by now with all the dramatics he¡¯s had over the course of his career in big spots,¡± manager Bob Melvin said. ¡°He¡¯s been extremely consistent.¡±
Adames grounded into another forceout in the seventh, though he ended up scoring from first on Lee¡¯s triple into the right-center-field gap to extend San Francisco¡¯s lead to 4-2.
Flores (.749 OPS) and Lee (.983 OPS) have emerged as the club¡¯s most reliable offensive performers through the first month of the regular season, but the Giants are hoping it¡¯ll only be a matter of time until Adames joins that mix as well. Slow starts are nothing new for Adames, who has a .677 career OPS in March and April, so he¡¯s confident he¡¯ll be able to turn it around and regain the form he showed in 2024, when he bashed 32 home runs and collected 112 RBIs over 161 games in a banner year for the Brewers.
¡°I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s pressure,¡± Adames said. ¡°If you¡¯ve followed my career, I never hit in April. I¡¯m not really worried about it. I¡¯m just working and trying to find it. Right now, this is how it is, unfortunately for me. It always takes time for me to get going. They can tell me I struggled for the first month and a half the majority of my years. I always continue to work and try to find my adjustment. When I click, I just click and it doesn¡¯t go away.¡±
While Adames is still working to find his groove at the plate, he hasn¡¯t let his personal struggles dampen the energy he brings to the clubhouse, which is one of the reasons the Giants were willing to award him a franchise-record contract in December.
¡°Performing is not going to change the way I play the game,¡± Adames said. ¡°It¡¯s a long season, and there¡¯s going to be dark moments as well as amazing moments. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t change. I can¡¯t change that vibe, I can¡¯t change that energy for the boys because I¡¯m not doing great. Some of the guys are killing it. I have to support them. I have to support the other guys that are not doing great like me. You can¡¯t change because we are a team. It¡¯s not just an individual. I have to continue to bring the energy and continue to be myself and continue to work to keep getting better.¡±