SAN FRANCISCO — After joking that Bruce Bochy should stay away for a few more days, Buster Posey lowered his voice and dropped into his Bochy impression.
“If you guys score eight runs every game I’ll stay away,” Posey said, mimicking his longtime manager.
That’s a deal Bochy might actually make given the way his team has hit in recent weeks. With their manager at Cooperstown for Trevor Hoffman’s Hall of Fame ceremony, the Giants picked up 13 hits and beat the Brewers 8-5, salvaging a game in this four-game series.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
When Bochy was hospitalized for a night two seasons ago, Brandon Crawford picked up seven hits in a win. This time, Posey was the one to have the huge day. His three-run double in the third ignited the dugout and provided much of the offense.
The double, which followed three walks, was Posey’s first hit to produce three runs since a homer last August 8. This was his first four-hit game since Sept. 15, 2016. Posey followed the double with three singles, repeatedly beating Milwaukee’s shift of three infielders on the left side.
“It’s not like I’m trying to hit the hole there,” he said. “I’ve talked to some guys about it before with shifts. If you look (at the shift), sometimes you can deviate from your approach. I do think it’s good for your mind’s eye to look around (though).”
Whatever he was doing, it was working. Posey was in the middle of much of what went right, scoring twice in addition to his three RBI. The Giants spent most of July getting no-hit through three or four innings and facing opponents’ best relievers. On Sunday, they jumped on Junior Gerra and made sure they wouldn’t have to see Josh Hader, Jeremy Jeffress, Joakim Soria and Corey Knebel.
San Francisco Giants
The outburst snapped a four-game losing streak and potentially gave management a little more to think about before Tuesday’s trade deadline. A sweep would have sent quite a loud signal that there’s some selling to do. This was just one win, but the Giants got a game back on the first-place Dodgers, and Posey was hopeful that the eight runs could jumpstart the offense in time for a six-game trip to San Diego and Phoenix.
“All year we’ve been streaky,” he said. “We win eight of 10 and then lose seven of nine or something. Hopefully we can get on a hot streak and minimize the lulls.”