SAN FRANCISCO — Already owners of the best record in baseball, the Giants’ acquisition of Kris Bryant could have almost seemed superfluous if not for the outrageous competition in their own division.
Bryant received huge cheers and gave the Giants a boost in his debut, but it was the usual cast of characters who made the difference in a 5-3 win over the Astros to clinch a series win.
With a solo home run to left field in the third inning, Bryant started a three-run rally that gave the Giants a lead they never relinquished. In his first at-bat, Bryant received a standing ovation as he stepped to the plate. He worked a full count and saw eight pitches but eventually struck out with a runner on second base.
The rest of the runs came via the usual culprits: Mike Yastrzemski and Buster Posey each scored from second base on consecutive singles by Brandon Crawford and Darin Ruf, to round out the third-inning rally and open a 3-2 lead. Ruf made it 5-2 a couple innings later with a homer of his own — No. 13 this season — that scored Crawford, who singled a batter earlier.
Ruf finished a triple shy of the cycle. Maybe that sounds far-fetched for a 6-foot-2, 232-pound left fielder, but he also stole second base in the third inning (his second of the season, a new career high).
The unsung hero? Starting pitcher Logan Webb, who didn’t allow an Astros runner to reach scoring position from the second inning until his final batter in the seventh inning. Webb surrendered a two-run homer to Yuli Gurriel in the first inning but blanked Houston for the remainder of his six-plus innings.
Although he only recorded three strikeouts, Webb induced 12 ground-ball outs against a tough Astros lineup.
Webb faced 11 straight batters without allowing a hit until Aledmys Diaz led off the seventh with a single, and Chase McCormick followed with another. Manager Gabe Kapler opted for reliever Dominic Leone, who got out of the two-on, no-out jam without allowing a run.
After starting the homestand by dropping two of three to the Pirates, the Giants secured back-to-back series wins over the division-rival Dodgers and, now, the first-place Astros. With a three-game lead over Los Angeles in the National League West, the Giants now embark on a seven-game road trip starting Monday in Arizona.
