CHICAGO — It would be hard to say giants-fall-025126354.html">life is grand for the Giants, who still reside far closer to the Rockies in the standings than any other team, but it has begun to feel like it at times lately.
For the second time in as many games, the Giants loaded the bases and cleared them with one swing. A grand slam from Matt Chapman was the biggest blow delivered by San Francisco in an early-round knockout of the reeling Cubs, but it was hardly their only punch thrown in an 18-3 romp Friday to open the final leg of a three-city, 10-game road trip.
Building on a 1-0 win behind Logan Webb on Wednesday, the Giants have exploded for 30 runs and 39 hits their past two games. That has been more than enough to match their season-long winning streak of only three games.
Eric Haase‘s grand slam was one of two homers the Giants slugged in the final game of their series against the Brewers, and they left the yard seven more times Friday — twice against a position player once the score was out of hand in the ninth.
Two came off the bat of Willy Adames, including one that left the Friendly Confines entirely, Chapman added a three-run shot to finish with eight RBIs, Jonah Cox got the first of his career against Carson Kelly, who also served up Casey Schmitt‘s second of the game to increase his team-leading total to 15.
Chapman’s grand slam was the Giants’ sixth of the season, tied with the Angels for the major-league lead. Remarkably, every one of them has come since Harrison Bader‘s against the A’s in Sacramento on May 17.
Entering this road trip, the Giants ranked near the top of the league in batting average but had converted those base knocks into the fewest runs in the majors.
The results have started to square themselves with three double-digit outputs on the scoreboard in eight games on this road trip. Putting aside their 19-6 win at Coors Field on Sunday, the 30 runs the Giants have scored their past two games are their most in any two-game span since 1944 — 14 years before the team moved to San Francisco.
Adames began the barrage with one of the purest swings from a Giants batter this season on a knee-high, two-strike fastball from Cubs starter Edward Cabrera. The ball left his bat at 107 mph and didn’t come down until it cleared the left field bleachers, eventually finding the pavement of Waveland Avenue, 427 feet away.
Chapman, who had one home run in his first 245 plate appearances of the season, has gone yard twice in his past 20 trips to the plate. Likewise, Adames has four on this road trip after entering it with only seven through his first 57 games.
As the left side of their infield has improved, so too has the rest of the Giants’ offense.
Since ending April in last place or close to it in practically every meaningful offensive statistic, the Giants have quietly been one of the majors’ better lineups.
Since the start of May, the Giants have scored the seventh-most runs in the majors; their 116 wRC+ ranks fifth. And, safe to say, no team has hit more grand slams.
There was nothing quiet about their series opener against the Cubs.
For the fifth start in a row, Robbie Ray‘s pitch count reached the 90s in the fifth inning.
But, for the first time in any of them, it didn’t prevent him from being the pitcher of record.
Ray’s command problems persisted with five walks, but the Cubs failed to cash in any of them.
Who knows what’s in store next for these juggernaut Giants.
They will, at least, face a bit more of a challenge in Ben Brown, the Cubs’ scheduled starter, who has a 1.92 ERA in 17 games (five starts) this season. He’ll be opposed by Landen Roupp, who battled his lower back tightening up on him the last time he took the mound.
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