SAN DIEGO -- Bruce Bochy walked through the clubhouse in the morning and tried to get some of his bench hitters ready. The Giants figured Adrian Morejon, the young Padres lefty, was an opener and would be replaced quickly in Sunday's game, so Bochy had Alex Dickerson and Pablo Sandoval on high alert.
Sandoval and Dickerson ended up pinch-hitting back-to-back in the fourth inning, getting singles off a third Padres pitcher of the day to help the offense get into gear. But it was a guy at the bottom of the lineup who really carried a heavy load in the Giants' 7-6 win.
Mike Yastrzemski was in there against lefties or righties Sunday, and he wasn't too bothered by anything the Padres threw at him. Yastrzemski doubled in his first two at-bats and then singled twice. He scored two runs, drove in two and made a nice catch at the wall to rob Franmil Reyes of extra bases.
"He's a good player, man," Madison Bumgarner said after the game. "He's been playing good for us for a while."
Yastrzemski has gone under the radar since Dickerson Mania hit the clubhouse, but he's batting .275 with a .827 OPS and has become an integral part of a deep lineup. After a slow week, the Giants pounded out 16 hits.
"This was kind of right where we've been for the last couple of weeks," Yastrzemski said. "It's everyone contributing right now. It doesn't matter where you get put in the lineup. If you're in there, it feels like you're going to do something."
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Bochy had Yastrzemski hitting eighth because the Giants thought Morejon might be followed with another lefty. He ended up tying his career-high with four hits. Yastrzemski was nearly sent down earlier this month because of a roster crunch but has responded with his best baseball; he has 11 extra-base hits in his last 14 games. Yastrzemski said he never thinks of what could have been.
"You're trying to turn the page and keep working forward," Yastrzemski said.
