SAN FRANCISCO -- There might have been a hangover effect after four intense games at Dodger Stadium, but the Giants made sure it didn't extend to the next series with their longtime rival.
LaMonte Wade Jr. hit two early homers, backing another strong pitching effort as the Giants beat the Pirates 6-1 at Oracle Park, salvaging the final game of the series. They improved to 62-37 ahead of a three-games series with the Dodgers that starts Tuesday.
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Alex Wood, The Stopper, picked up his eighth win following a Giants loss, and while the game might have been tense when he was on the mound, the lineup turned this one into a laugher after Wood departed.
The Giants led 2-1 for most of the day thanks to Wade's solo blasts. Jay Jackson maintained the one-run lead by inducing a double play with the bases loaded in the fifth inning and the lineup immediately rewarded the pitching staff with a three- run inning.
Wilmer Flores curled one inside the foul pole for his 12th homer, joining Wade and three others in the dozen club, and Steven Duggar followed with a double. Thairo Estrada singled and took off for second, and Duggar walked home when the throw got away. Curt Casali's single made it 5-2. Estrada later added a solo homer.
Here are three more things to know from the third game against the Pirates:
San Francisco Giants
Yaz Jr.
It was a franchise-altering move to get Mike Yastrzemski basically for free in 2019, and the Giants seem to have duplicated it two years later. Wade Jr. came with a similar profile, showing good plate discipline and a strong all-around game with his prior club, but not enough power to stick at the big league level.
The Giants have helped Wade tap into his natural strength. He already had a surprising 10 homers coming into the game and he added two no-doubters in the first three innings Sunday.
Wade jumped on a J.T. Brubaker sinker in the first and smoked it 429 feet to dead center to tie the game. It was the second leadoff homer of the year for the Giants; Wade has the other one. Brubaker tried a changeup two innings later, but it had similar action and again moved right back into Wade's happy spot. The second homer went out to right-center, the deepest part of the yard.
The multi-homer game was the first of Wade's career. He had two homers in 42 appearances for the Twins before getting dealt for Shaun Anderson.
Wade More To Talk About
Wade's third at-bat came with a runner on first and reliever Duane Underwood Jr. on the mound. He poked a double the opposite way, giving him 10 total bases through five innings. It shattered his career-high of seven and made him just the second Giant this year to reach double-digits (Wilmer Flores had two homers and two singles on June 20 against the Phillies).
Wade got two more cracks at Pirates right-handers but couldn't add on. Still, this was his best individual day as a Giant. He had his second three-hit game for them and raised his OPS from .873 to .936.
The Stopper
Wood entered the day with a 7-0 record after losses, two of which were walk-offs. The man loves to get this team back on track and talks about it often, and he did it again Sunday.
Wood allowed one earned on five hits in 5 1/3 innings. He would have gone longer but Thairo Estrada's error put him in a jam in the sixth inning. Jackson stepped up to save the day and boost Wood's line a bit. The left-hander lowered his ERA to 3.65 while striking out eight.