SAN FRANCISCO -- When the Giants made the controversial decision to hold some key pieces at the 2024 MLB trade deadline, some within the organization looked at the September schedule and cringed. There was a fear that they would feast on easier teams at first but then fall out of the playoff race during this difficult three-city trip.
As it turned out, the Giants dropped out well before flying to Baltimore. But as for the tough final trip, they have no complaints through two games.
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Mike Yastrzemski and Michael Conforto homered and Casey Schmitt had a two-run single during a three-run rally in the fourth as the Giants won 5-3 on Wednesday, clinching a road series against a Baltimore Orioles team headed for the postseason.
Casey Schmitt puts the Giants back on 🔝 pic.twitter.com/3Vmhy9P2k1
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) September 18, 2024
Yastrzemski went deep on the very first pitch of the night from Dean Kremer. The former Orioles prospect became the fourth Giant and first since Dan Gladden in 1985 to hit leadoff homers in back-to-back games. Whitey Lockman and Bobby Bonds also did it.
LEADOFF YAZ DOES IT AGAIN 🔥 pic.twitter.com/eyDYFJ7OaJ
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) September 18, 2024
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Finishing Strong
Over the weekend, Hayden Birdsong was called into manager Bob Melvin's office for a meeting with coaches, analysts and members of the front office. It seemed the Giants were shutting him down, but Melvin said it was simply an end-of-season planning meeting with a young pitcher who should be a big part of next year's mix.
Whether Wednesday was the last one or there's one or two more, Birdsong continues to show growth. He had better command on a rainy night in Baltimore and got through 5 2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs -- one of which was cashed in right after he departed. After walking 13 over a three-start span, he's at just three free passes in his last two starts.
Birdsong is up to 120 innings for the season, 19 1/3 more than he threw last year in the minors. Teams generally prefer jumps to be 25-30 percent, so he should still have some wiggle room.
Showing Off
The play Schmitt made in the bottom of the sixth won't show up in box scores or on highlight reels, but it saved a run. Schmitt went headfirst over the third base line to snag Emmanuel Rivera's grounder that would have been an RBI double. Instead, it was an infield single, and both runners were stranded.
Schmitt was recalled because Matt Chapman went on the paternity list, and he had a strong night defensively, at times showing the range that has made Chapman a multi-time Gold Glove Award winner. That's not a surprise; in the minors, Schmitt was often compared to a young Chapman.
After Chapman signed a six-year extension, Melvin said he would sit down with Schmitt at some point to discuss his future. The Giants are going to turn him into a utility man on their infield, but Wednesday's game was a reminder that third base is by far his best defensive position. Schmitt hasn't hit much in the big leagues but his glove is ready. Perhaps some opposing scouts at Camden Yards noticed that on Wednesday.
Iron Man
Tyler Rogers pitched the eighth and had a 1-2-3 inning. The appearance was his 74th, tying him with the Oakland Athletics' T.J. McFarland and the Houston Astros' Bryan Abreu for the MLB lead. The closest to Rogers in the NL is his teammate, Ryan Walker, and since they generally pitch in the same games, Rogers is very likely to lead the NL in appearances for the second time. He pitched 80 times in 2021 and leads the majors with 336 games pitched since his debut on August 27, 2019.
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