MLB
April 29-May 1, 2019: Giants Take Two of Three from Dodgers
After being manhandled by an injury-plagued Yankee squad over the weekend, the Giants were able to bounce back at the end of the homestand, taking two of three from the Dodgers.
Game 1
Game One saw a rebounding Jeff Samardzija looking to get the Giants back on track up against Kenta Maeda. This also marked the second straight game that Bruce Bochy decided to start Pablo Sandoval at third over the struggling Evan Longoria. But it would be Evan Longoria coming off the bench who would have the biggest impact on the game. With the Giants down 2-0 in the bottom of the 7th and the bases loaded, Evan Longoria came in to pinch hit. He was looking for the big moment to break out of his slump. And break out he did. Longoria cleared the bases with a double, giving the Giants a 3-2 lead that they would hold for the rest of the game.
Longoria said after the game “I’ve been waiting for that hit in a Giants uniform for a long time. More than a year.”
Game 2
Game two was not the feel-good game that game one was, however. The early MVP candidate Cody Bellinger led the Dodgers to a pounding of the Giants 10-3. This win made the Dodgers the first team to 20 wins in the league, but also reminded the Giants just how far they are from actually contending. Three home runs from David Freese, Kiké Hernández and Justin Turner, respectively, put this game out of reach from the 4th inning on, evening the series 1-1.
Game 3
The first game of May featured Madison Bumgarner taking on Hyun-Jin Ryu in a classic pitchers duel. Bumgarner bounced back nicely after his rough April, hitting 92 on his fastball for the first time this season. Bumgarner and Ryu both allowed only one run through five and eight respectively. It was Buster Posey who was the hero though. After a rough start Posey has started to come around again to the hitter we expect to see. His single in the bottom of the ninth scored a speedy Steven Duggar from second to walk off the rival Dodgers for the third time in his career.
Look Ahead
The Giants will begin a seven game road trip through Cincinnati and Colorado on Friday. This road trip should set the tone for the rest of May. We’ll see if the Giants have actually begun to turn it around or if it is more false hope leading into the days of summer.
Photo credit to @SFGiants on Twitter
