Giants win a series behind 20 scoreless innings and a big fly from Rafael Devers

AL EastBlue JaysOriolesRaysRed SoxYankeesAL CentralGuardiansRoyalsTigersTwinsWhite SoxAL WestAngelsAstrosAthleticsMarinersRangersNL EastBravesMarlinsMetsNationalsPhilliesNL CentralBrewersCardinalsCubsPiratesRedsNL WestDiamondbacksDodgersGiantsPadresRockiesScores & ScheduleStandingsPodcastsThe Windup NewsletterFantasyMLB ProspectsMLB OddsMLB PicksPower RankingsFans Speak UpTop ProspectsAnalysisGiants win a series behind 20 scoreless innings and a big fly from Rafael DeversRafael Devers lofted a three-run home run into the netting beyond the center field fence in the sixth inning against the Phillies. Justine Willard / Imagn Images Share full articleSAN FRANCISCO — Rafael Devers did what the San Francisco Giants acquired him to do on Wednesday afternoon. He changed the game with one swing. He lofted a three-run home run into the netting beyond the center field fence in the sixth inning, rounded the bases to surround-sound applause, returned to a joyous home dugout, and saw Harrison Bader approaching him from behind. Devers all but stiff-armed his teammate. Apparently, the Giants have settled on a rubber unicorn mask to celebrate their home run hitters in the dugout this season. Here’s the problem with that: The only guy who’s gone deep in 10 games at 24 Willie Mays Plaza wants no part of it. “I wore it after I hit my first home run and I couldn’t see in front of me,” Devers said through Spanish interpreter Erwin Higueros. “So then I was like, if I can’t see, I’m not wearing it.” Maybe providing a unicorn swing was enough. When Devers connected off Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola, he did more than snap a scoreless tie in the Giants’ eventual 5-0 victory. Devers interrupted a growing concern, too. The Giants’ four principal lefty batters against right-handed starting pitchers — Devers, Luis Arraez, Jung Hoo Lee and switch-hitter Patrick Bailey — entered Wednesday’s game having done next to nothing against them. They had combined for a .194 slugging percentage against non-southpaws. They’d tallied more double-play grounders (four) than extra-base hits (two, both doubles from Lee). And they hadn’t hit a home run. It’s no wonder that the Giants lost seven of their first nine games when facing right-handed starters. For all the other issues plaguing them (defensive mistakes, bullpen anarchy, a bench bereft of left-handed bats, a new manager getting up to speed not just on his roster but on the entirety of pro baseball), the Giants’ last-in-the-majors average of 3.0 runs per game had been the most consistent impediment. And nobody had been stumbling more than their left-handed hitting stalwarts. That’ll have to change. The Giants cannot rely on one unicorn swing of the bat per homestand. But it’s funny how fast fortunes can change when your best players do what you’re paying them to do. “I know the type of hitter I am,” said Devers, who entered with a .196 average and two RBIs. “I really don’t dwell on how things are going. I just know that eventually things will start clicking in for me, because I know the type of player I am.” It was just as vital that Giants right-hander Tyler Mahle and four relievers combined to keep the Phillies’ two Devers analogues, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, from inflicting similar game-changing damage. The Giants’ pitching staff held the Phillies scoreless over the final 20 innings of the series, and the team rode those performances while taking two of three. The Giants have already accomplished something that last year’s team never did. They’ve achieved consecutive shutouts for the first time since Sept. 21-22, 2024. And because Matt Gage relieved Mahle and recorded an out to strand both his walks in the top of the sixth, the well-traveled 33-year-old right-hander was the pitcher of record when Devers went deep in the bottom of the inning. “It’s just an amazing experience just because I never thought I’d be in this position,” said Gage, whose first major league victory Wednesday came nearly 12 years after the Giants took him in the 10th round of the 2014 draft, and who had to persevere through independent baseball and the Mexican League to keep his career alive. “Being released in 2018 and now coming back and getting my first win … I’ve had small stints with other teams and maybe been on the hook for one or two, but never got it,” Gage said. “And now, having an actual decision next to my name other than a loss is a lot of fun to think about.” Here’s another fun game to play: Guess Who? Or if you’re from an earlier generation, how about Mystery Date? That commercial jingle is more than a half-century old, but some earworms never die. Are you ready for your mystery date? Don’t be late, it could be great! Open the door for your mystery date. They might as well play it over the speakers in China Basin when the Giants bullpen door opens. You never know who’s about to emerge. Manager Tony Vitello all but set the book on fire when he had right-hander Caleb Kilian relieve Gage following a one-out single in the seventh that brought Phillies leadoff hitter Trea Turner to the plate. The move appeared even more potentially regrettable when Turner walked on four pitches, and Kilian had to go through Schwarber and Harper while giving up a matchup advantage. It turned into Vitello’s galaxy-brain moment. Kilian broke down both hitters as Schwarber failed to check his swing with two strikes and Harper meekly grounded to second base. What was Vitello’s thought process in how he ordered his relievers, especially when he went to Kilian against two lefties, and then Blade Tidwell in a setup role when the Giants were still ahead by just three runs in the eighth? Vitello sat in the postgame interview room and went through the litany of factors: how pitchers looked in spring training, how they’ve looked in the first dozen games of the season and what makes sense from a matchup perspective. Then he held up his clipboard and riffled through its color-flecked pages. “Then you’ve got this — well, you can’t see it, maybe I shouldn’t show it — you got all these boxes and data and I can show you guys what it says, and we’re definitely using it, but we’re not leaning on it,” Vitello said. “It’s not the only thing we use. Sometimes it can be a tiebreaker. Sometimes it’s such a loud number that you do invest in the analytical side. And the rest is just who you think the best guy is down there. “I think (Kilian) is throwing the ball pretty dang well. He’s in a really good spot as it relates to his stuff, and I’ve known the guy a long time and he’s always had the right mindset. He’s not really fiery but he’s got it burning inside him, I believe. “So you throw all those things in a hat and you walk out there and you point. If it goes well, maybe you (reporters) don’t say anything or maybe you say a good thing. And if it doesn’t go well, then you can throw knives.” Vitello said he was saving left-hander Erik Miller for a save situation the previous night before the Giants expanded their lead, and he saved Miller for a ninth-inning assignment Wednesday. So perhaps the Giants have at least a placeholder version of a closer as they begin a nine-game road trip to Baltimore, Cincinnati and Washington, D.C. Except closers are only useful when you have leads to protect. The Giants juggled their lineup while giving poor, neglected Christian Koss his first start (and first plate appearance) of the season. They sat Heliot Ramos, who started the day with a National League-most 20 strikeouts in 47 at-bats. But they built traffic in front of Devers, who acknowledged that he plays with a quieter mind when he’s not limited to designated hitter. It was a struggle for him last season with the Boston Red Sox when he began the year as their primary DH and was 0 for 19 with 15 strikeouts through his first five games. It probably didn’t help that a mild hamstring injury this spring limited him to DH in the Giants’ first nine games. “There’s a lot of truth to that because when you’re playing the field, you’re not just thinking about your next at bat,” said Devers, who made his season debut at first base Sunday. “It definitely does help me, playing in the field. When you’re DH-ing, you’re just sitting there and just waiting for your next turn at bat. “I’m very happy with the way things are progressing for me right now,” Devers continued. “If I remember correctly, at this point last year, I did not have a hit. I had tons of strikeouts. But I know that things change during the course of a season.” The Giants have to hope that a home series win against a reputed contender represents a change of fortunes. Vitello put a shine on his team’s 5-8 record by pointing out that they’ve played .500 ball against three respected teams (San Diego Padres, New York Mets and the Phillies) ever since the New York Yankees swept them to begin the season. “It’d be awesome to be in a better situation, but I think we found some things out about ourselves that can be valuable in the long run and we’re also playing pretty decent ball right now,” Vitello said. “So there’s plenty of positives to look at. But we’ve certainly got to be motivated to learn from mistakes.” Or hit a few more home runs to cover them over. They’ve hit just five in 13 games. Devers owns the only two at home. As Bader packed for the road trip, he confirmed that the unicorn mask was coming with the team. He’s got at least one confirmed participant. “Oh, I’ll wear it,” infielder Casey Schmitt said. “I’m not sure how good it smells in there, but I’m up for it.” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Andrew Baggarly is a senior writer for The Athletic and covers the San Francisco Giants. He has covered Major League Baseball for more than two decades, including the Giants since 2004 for the Oakland Tribune, San Jose Mercury News and Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. He is the author of two books that document the most successful era in franchise history: “A Band of Misfits: Tales of the 2010 San Francisco Giants” and “Giant Splash: Bondsian Blasts, World Series Parades and Other Thrilling Moments By the Bay.” Follow Andrew on Twitter @extrabaggs