Giants Start Strong Against Mariners

SEATTLE — The Giants couldn’t have asked for a better way to kick off the second half of the season than the way they did on Friday against the Mariners.

Jung Hoo Lee extended his hit streak to 12, while Bryce Eldridge and Willy Adames added some much-needed power. On the mound, Landen Roupp delivered seven shutout innings, leading to a convincing 7-0 victory.

Eldridge, who contributed two runs in the fifth inning, joked, “It feels like I’ve been playing for the last four days.” He added, “Honestly, I think this break was beneficial for us.”

This marks the sixth time this season the Giants have strung together three consecutive wins.

But the question remains—can they make it four in a row? That would be a first for the year.

If Roupp continues to perform like he did on Friday, it’s hard not to feel optimistic.

“We played really well tonight, but it’s just one game,” coach Tony Vitello reminded everyone. “Tomorrow is a new challenge… It’s an ongoing task for the coaching staff, but the players can carry today’s positive attitude into the upcoming 66-game stretch.”

Logan Webb is up next, following Roupp’s impressive outing, which marks his second straight strong performance.

Webb recorded three walks and two strikeouts but didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning, giving up only two runs overall. He traded some swings and misses for weak contact, aided by solid defense.

After allowing just one run in his last game before the short break, Roupp lowered his ERA from a season-high of 4.55 to 3.98 across his last two starts.

“When you look at his performance overall, he’s done an excellent job for us this season,” Vitello commented. “It’s just been in the last few games that he’s been throwing more pitches due to issues with his zone control. Interestingly, he had more walks than strikeouts tonight, yet he managed to keep the ball in the zone.”

The Giants, who were a couple of innings away from Roupp’s career-high in innings pitched (106 2/3), made adjustments before the suspension and it seemed the recent break didn’t hinder his performance.

“I felt a bit sluggish due to all the rest,” Roupp noted. “To be honest, I’m not a fan of taking breaks; it disrupts my flow.”

Seattle, meanwhile, made some costly errors, allowing Lee to extend the lead to 3-0 in the sixth.

Lee reached on a fielder’s choice after Heriot Ramos’s RBI single opened the scoring in the first inning, only to be forced to second when shortstop Colt Emerson made an errant throw in the second. Second baseman Cole Young then failed to handle a ground ball off Arraez’s bat, adding to the Giants’ score.

Lee (3-for-4), Cavanaugh (2-for-2), Ramos (2-for-5), and Casey Schmidt (2-for-5) all contributed with multiple hits, showcasing a strong team effort.

One of the more uplifting moments came from Adames, who hit a grand slam—the team’s eighth of the year—after struggling at the plate earlier in the game. He was 0-for-3 with the bases loaded during the seventh yet managed to hit a slider over the right-center field wall, pushing the score to 7-0.

As the game progressed, Seattle made some decent contact, with Schmidt and Luke Lally of the Mariners both driving the ball deep, yet Eldridge’s ability to connect proved more powerful. Eldridge managed to catch a splitter on the outside and sent it over the wall, narrowly missing center fielder Victor Robles.

What It Means

Interestingly, it has been over a week since the Giants experienced a loss, marking the longest stretch of the season without any setbacks.

Who Is Hot

Giants manager Tony Vitello noted that Jung Hoo Lee perhaps needed the All-Star break the most.

For this reason, Lee took the news of not being selected for his first All-Star spot surprisingly well. In his first two at-bats, he hit line drives and had a hearty performance overall, with minimal weak contact.

This was Lee’s 30th multi-hit game of the season, second only to Luis Arraez and Schmidt, despite hitting a rough patch before the break where he batted just .164.

Who Is Not?

On the flip side, one of the Giants’ bigger stars didn’t seem to get the reset memo.

Rafael Devers, the only player without a hit while allowing 12 for the Mariners, had a forgettable outing, going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts. His performance prior to the break had briefly elevated his OPS above .800 for the first time, but this outing dropped him back down to .789.

To the Next

Webb, who had a short break after representing the Giants at the All-Star Game, is set to make his first start of the second half against Seattle’s right-hander, Brian Wu, a fellow Bay Area native.

The game is scheduled for 5:08 p.m. Pacific Time and will be broadcast nationally.

After giving up 12 runs in his last two starts, Webb will be looking to rebound and kick off the second half more positively.