SAN FRANCISCO — The first swing was a powerful uppercut, the type of grown-man hack synonymous with no-doubters and moonshots. The second swing was more of an off-balanced flail, the telltale sign of being fooled by a breaking ball.
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Two types of swings. Same type of result.
Rafael Devers hit two homers and drove in four runs on his bobblehead night while Logan Webb allowed just one hit over seven shutout innings as the Giants defeated the Atlanta Braves 5-0 on Saturday night at Oracle Park.
“That’s Rafi,” Webb said. “He’s an unbelievable hitter. It’s always in there. It’s fun to watch. He works his butt off. He’s frustrated when it doesn’t go his way, and I love that as a teammate. You never want to be satisfied with not doing stuff, and that’s the exact way I feel. Things always work themselves out, and to see him have a game like that today is what he expects of himself.”
Despite hitting his 13th and 14th home runs of the season, Devers declined to speak with reporters after the game.
Devers’ second home run of the night, a three-run shot, earned a second wave of applause from the home crowd because it won fans in attendance free Chick-Fil-A. When Vitello was asked about whether he plans to redeem the offer, he asked whether the offer extends to players and coaches.
“I’m down with that, for sure,” Vitello said.
Keeping in line with the fast-food theme, Vitello described Webb’s latest stellar outing as, “Like waffle fries from Chick-Fil-A.”
“Really, really good,” Vitello laughed.
“Tony’s got jokes,” Webb said with a smile. “I really actually enjoy listening to Tony say jokes to all you guys.”
Webb’s outing, which trimmed his ERA to 3.07, was all the more impressive because he was feeling under the weather. He had a shot at pitching eight inning for a fourth straight outing since he was at 92 pitches through seven, but Vitello described Webb’s final frame as a “bonus inning.”
“To be honest, I was kind of feeling it yesterday,” Webb said. “I told somebody I’ve actually, in my career, pitched pretty well when I’m not feeling great. So, this added to that.”
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Webb nearly allowed a run in the top of the fifth when former teammate and long-time Giant Mike Yastrzemski sent a deep drive to center field, but Drew Gilbert caught the ball just shy of the warning track. Yastrzemski was one of three former Giants that Webb faced, the others being Mauricio Dubón and Dominic Smith.
“It’s always weird when you face guys, you know?” Webb said. “Yazzie, he was close with that one. I gave him a little smirk after. I’m sure he’ll have something to say about it.”
Webb finishes June as a strong candidate to win National League Pitcher of the Month, having allowed just three earned runs in his last five starts over 38 innings, tossing at least seven frames in each outing. His 0.71 ERA this month is the lowest by a Giant in a single month (min. five starts) since Noah Lowry in August 2005.
As far as the last Giant to toss at least 35 innings while allowing three earned runs or fewer in a five-start span? That would be Madison Bumgarner in 2016.
“Each starting pitcher should have a flavor when you come to the game each day, but when you enter the locker room when it’s his day to pitch, I don’t know how you’re not fired up to play defense and then to compete,” Vitello said.
Devers hit his first home run of the night in the second, turning an elevated four-seam fastball into a 404-foot solo shot. His second homer was the more impressive of the two, coming on an off-balanced swing that nearly brought him to a knee. Still, Devers got enough barrel on the ball to pull it down the right-field line and clank it off the foul pole, winning free chicken for those in attendance in the process.
“That one was impressive,” Vitello said. “Being on time is a big phrase with hitting, but I think something more powerful than that is staying on the ball. Drew (Gilbert) grabbed me right away and said, ‘Keep your nose to the ball.’ I mean, he stayed on the ball as long as possible.”
Up next
Robbie Ray (6-6, 3.70 ERA) will take the mound against fellow left-hander Chris Sale (8-5, 2.14 ERA) as the Giants attempt to secure their first winning homestand since April.
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