For the second time on their current road trip, the Giants have hit the .500 mark and for the third time on the same trip, Michael Conforto has had a win.
Conforto’s most recent long ball — his 11th of the 2023 MLB season — helped the Giants beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-0 in Thursday’s series opener at American Family Field.
Conforto’s 424-foot shot was part of a 4-on-4 night with a walk that saw him up his slugging percentage from .757 to .810.
The Giants started scoring in the fifth inning when Casey Schmitt made a single with an out and stole the second. Two batters later, LaMonte Wade Jr. drove him in with an RBI single.
Schmitt wasn’t done doing damage. After Conforto’s home run for an eighth-inning lead, Mike Yastrzemski hit a single and Blake Sabol was hit by a pitch. The rookie infielder hit a double down center left, scoring both runners in the process.
Fellow rookie Patrick Bailey followed with an RBI double of his own to extend the Giants’ lead.
The Giants chose Scott Alexander as the opening player and the bullpen play worked perfectly for manager Gabe Kapler.
Alexander, Taylor Rogers, Jakob Junis, Sean Manaea, Tyler Rogers and John Brebbia collectively shut out the Brewers, allowing only four hits and two walks. They knocked out 13 Milwaukee batters along the way.
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The run of play came in the first inning and secured the shutout for the Giants when Yastrzemski stole a home run from former San Francisco hitter Darin Ruf with an amazing catch on the right center wall.
The Giants (25-25) will attempt to break the .500 mark for the first time this season when they take on the Brewers in Game 2 of the series on Friday night.
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