Giants start second half on strong note with much-needed win over Mariners
SEATTLE — If a reset was what the Giants were looking for, they couldn’t have asked for more than the way they began the second half Friday against the Mariners.Jung Hoo Lee led a hit parade, Bryce Eldridge and Willy Adames provided the power and Landen Roupp mowed through the Mariners’ order for a convincing 7-0 win.For the sixth time this season, San Francisco won its third game in a row.Now, for the real test of whether or not this is just a mirage: Can they extend it to four for the first time all year?It’s hard not to like their chances if they can repeat performances like Friday’s.Logan Webb gets the ball Saturday, and Roupp gave him a good starting point with seven innings of shutout ball.
He didn’t yield a hit until the fourth and surrendered only two all game, getting a boatload of weak contact and some solid defense behind him.After allowing only one run in eight innings in his last start before the break, Roupp lowered his ERA to 3.98 after it had climbed to a season-worst 4.55 two starts ago.Now two innings shy of his previous career high (106 ⅔), the Giants skipped Roupp’s last turn through the rotation before the break.
The 11-day layoff seems to have only helped.For once, it was the Giants who benefited from some sloppy play, with Seattle committing a pair of errors that led to Lee widening the Giants’ lead to 3-0 in the sixth.Lee reached on a fielder’s choice after Heliot Ramos singled to lead off the inning, but made it to second when shortstop Colt Emerson threw into foul ground trying to turn two.He then scored when second baseman Cole Young couldn’t handle a ground ball off the bat of Arraez.Playing a key role in it all: Catcher Drew Cavanaugh, who reached base all three times he came to the plate and used his body to obstruct Young’s path to the grounder while going to second.Lee (3-for-4), Cavanaugh (2-for-2), Ramos (2-for-5) and Casey Schmitt (2-for-5) all contributed multiple hits.Maybe the most encouraging sign cam...