SAN FRANCISCO — It wasn’t a masterpiece, but the Giants celebrated a win.

They secured a 5-2 victory on Friday, shaking off the last place in the majors and kicking off their series against the Pirates on a positive note.

Robbie Ray struggled; he walked four batters and needed 72 pitches to get through three innings. He just couldn’t stretch his performance to six full frames.

In the third inning, Pittsburgh loaded the bases with a walk, but aside from Marcell Ozuna’s solo home run, they didn’t add much against the lefties.

Meanwhile, Rafael Devers was the lone scorer for the home team until, finally, San Francisco found some momentum with their third scoring chance of the night.

Devers hit his fourth home run of the season—his second in that game—which tied the score at 1 in the bottom of the second. Right after, he singled, bringing the Giants ahead 2–1 and earning Ray his third win in nine outings.

Later, the Giants added three more runs off the Pirates’ bullpen in the seventh inning. Willie Adames, who has also been struggling, contributed with his second hit in as many games since April 17th.

This extra cushion proved useful as the Pirates managed to score in the ninth inning. However, Caleb Killian stepped up and secured his second save of the season.

What It Means

Ray, who has had the least run support in the league (just 2.72 runs per game), finally had enough backing against Pirates starter Carmen Mrozinski.

With the Rockies beating the Phillies, the Giants needed this win to keep up with the second-worst team in the league. Thanks to Colorado, San Francisco’s minus-42 point differential isn’t the worst; that title goes to the Phillies at minus-44.

Who’s Hot

As the calendar has moved away from April, Devers appears to be returning to form. He’s hitting consistently now, enjoying an uptick with a .346 batting average in his last eight games.

The most promising aspect? He’s doing well against fastballs, with both of his recent home runs coming from them. During this hitting streak, he has improved significantly, going 6-for-14 against tough competition.

Ray noted, “Once he gets going, we get going. If he’s good in the box, he can lead the team. It’s encouraging to see.”

Who’s Not?

This five-run game marks one of the better scoring outings for the Giants this season, yet it’s only the second occurrence in their last 10 games reaching this low threshold.

Remarkably, this team, which typically struggles with drawing walks, failed to earn a single walk for three straight games. It’s an uncommon feat, with only 12 such instances in the franchise’s history dating back to 1976.

Even so, the Giants didn’t lack for opportunities and managed five runners on the bases. They haven’t excelled in RBIs or base running, placed at the bottom of the league in both, but interestingly, they executed both well during the third inning, putting runners on the corners. Unfortunately, Luis Arraez rolled into a double play, cutting the momentum short.

In the following inning, Casey Schmidt and Devers notched two hits, putting runners in scoring positions. But after an aggressive play on a grounder, Schmidt was tagged out at home. The play concluded with Chapman caught in a rundown, but Devers managed to score beforehand.

To the Next

The Giants are aiming for their first back-to-back wins since their last homestand, with RHP Landen Loup (5-2, 3.18) scheduled to pitch against RHP Braxton Ashcraft (1-2, 3.02).