What we learned as Giants blast five homers in win vs. Dodgers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
LOS ANGELES -- The eight-game losing streak to the Dodgers has been one of the lowlights of the season for the Giants, but you would have a hard time explaining that to a lot of the players in Monday's lineup. The leadoff hitter and No. 3 hitter weren't even in the organization when it started, and the new-look right-handed lineup proved to be the perfect fit on Monday.
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The Giants hit five homers, including four from players who have barely worn orange and black this season, and beat the Dodgers 7-4. The win was their fourth straight and snapped an eight-game skid against Los Angeles, the franchise's longest in a single season since 1979.
Andrew Heaney has been a revelation for the Dodgers this season, but he has been homer-prone in his career and on a hot night in Los Angeles, the Giants sent the souvenirs flying. They had not hit four homers in a game since the first half, but they did it in a 20-minute span in the third and fourth innings, taking a 6-2 lead.
Lewis Brinson's second gave them five for the night, tying their record at Dodger Stadium. Their last five-homer game here was in 2004.
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The First Is A Big One
Brinson nearly took Heaney deep while leading off the game, but his drive to left curled foul. Two innings later, he straightened things out. Brinson hit a 429-foot shot to dead center to tie the game two batters after David Villar's leadoff single. The homer was Brinson's first as a Giant and first in the big leagues this season. He hit nine for the Marlins last year and has 25 previous big league homers.
Two batters after Brinson's bomb, J.D. Davis hit a solo shot to center. It was his fifth in just over a month with the Giants after he had just four in the first four months with the New York Mets.
Take The Opportunity And Run
Before the game, Gabe Kapler talked at length about how this month is a "runway" for Villar to establish himself as a big leaguer. Villar has had back-to-back strong seasons in the high minors but struggled during an earlier call-up this season. He's off to a good start this time around.
Three batters after Thairo Estrada hit his 12th homer of the year, Villar got his second in the big leagues. He crushed a fastball a dozen rows up in right to give the Giants a 6-2 lead.
The Giants plan to play Villar often this month at first and third and have even talked about getting him chances at second base and in left field. If he has a good month, he could put himself in position to make the Opening Day roster in 2023. There's uncertainty at both corner infield spots and utility man Wilmer Flores will be a free agent.
Shades Of October
Logan Webb threw 101 pitches, and after the final one, Kapler was waiting with an energetic handshake. It was very well-earned. Webb was charged with two earned in six innings, striking out six without a walk. He picked up his 12th win of the season.
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Webb gave up a two-run shot to Freddie Freeman in the first and had to work through plenty of trouble in the middle innings, but he got big outs when he needed them. He stranded two in scoring position in the fourth after Joey Gallo's RBI double, and an inning later he caught a break when Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel inexplicably sent Austin Barnes home on a Mookie Betts double with no outs. Brandon Crawford cut him down at the plate and Webb did the rest.
