by
Greek Giant
That was the cry of victory from the voice of Jon Miller after Brandon Belt hit the second of his two home runs in Queens against the Mets in the Giants 8-0 Victory. It was party time indeed as Mike Yastrezmski would hit a ball so hard it might have damaged the architectural framework of Dwight Gooden Field. LaMonte Wade Jr. went deep again as well, his 17th of the season. The Yaz homer was his 20th and the Wade Jr. home run was his 17th. The Giants have a very balanced power hitting attack and it is a key to their ability to win games with the long ball.
How about back-to-back this time? pic.twitter.com/CffALk3ZS0
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) August 25, 2021
This game was the accent mark on the Giants formula for success on the season. It is the textbook victory with all the homers, the perfect defense, the solid, patient at bats, the strong starting pitching (by Sammy Long no less) and solid bullpen work in which neither Tyler Rogers nor Jake McGee made an appearance.
Brandon Belt would end up with four hits on the day when his beloved grandmother passed away. His two homers give him a career best 19 on the season. What a tribute!
This morning, Brandon Belt’s grandmother passed away.
He played tonight’s game in her honor, collecting 4 hits and 2 homers. 🖤🧡🖤 pic.twitter.com/Ih5JF7aLR0
— MLB (@MLB) August 25, 2021
Sammy Long pitched 3-hit baseball in 5 1/3 innings. In the sixth Jay Jackson recorded the final two outs to keep the shutout going. Long’s big breaking curveball stymied the Mets on this night when his fastball reached 94. Prior to the season Long never pitched above A-Ball. His start being a win is like found money because the Giants starting rotation is a bit depleted and in need of some help with their post All Star Break history of going five innings or less all too often.
Tyler Chatwood pitched the final two innings and despite nearly killing J.D. Davis with a 97 MPH fastball to the head, he did not allow a run to preserve the shutout.
The win gives the Giants 81 wins on the season. With 37 games left to play the Giants need only go 19-18 to win 100. The victory also keeps the good guys 2.5 games ahead of the team that shall go unnamed in the National League West. Those villains would need to go 22-14 in their remaining 26 to overtake a 100-win Giants team in the standings.
Injury News
Buster Posey left the game with a left knee issue and is reported as “day-to-day.” Brandon Crawford has a bit of a stiff back and the Giants put Evan Longoria on the IL with a mysterious hand contusion. Kevin Gausman was placed on the IL with BABIPitis and is expected to return in a week or so.
These are key parts of the 2021 MLB juggernaut. Hopefully they all return fresh as daisies in Denmark in a week or so. The Giants are being extra cautious with Posey, as they should.
The Box
Tonight’s Game
Johnny Cueto returns from a brief stay on the IL to face Taijuan Walker. First pitch is at 7:10 PM, Tom Seaver time.