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Brandon Belt hit his fourth homer in three games, but it was one Brandon Crawford play that arguably was just as important to the Giants’ 5-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in the series final at the American Family Field Sunday.
Leading the eighth inning in a 4-4 game, Crawford looped a hit into shallow left field, and most players would have settled for a single. But the veteran shortstop took a bet, betting former National League MVP Christian Yelich couldn’t throw him away at second base.
Yelich threw a solid shot to his body and the play at second base was tight, but the bet paid off for Crawford and the Giants. Donovan Solano hitter Tommy La Stella picked Brewers reliever center Brad Boxberger, allowing Crawford to score the final point of the win.
“I knew where I hit him, there was a chance I could get two,” Crawford told reporters on a video call after the win. “Out of the box, yes that was my state of mind. Go until he stops me. If I had turned and looked and he would have gotten there faster than I thought he would. , I would have braked and come back to first But he had to come a long way, throw a run, so I thought it was worth having a chance there. “
Giants manager Gabe Kapler was asked by Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle about Crawford’s play, and he approved of the fuss.
“I loved the game. I love the instincts…” Kapler said. “Both Craw and Tommy, in this situation, they understand the value of a base runner second against a base runner first. And in Tommy’s case, how precious it is that he can score. point with a hit, but he can also move it. He could pull a walk. Both players are super smart and understand game strategy so well. There isn’t much practice going on there. -low. It’s a game of instinct for Craw and just great batting by Tommy. “
After La Stella put the Giants ahead, reliever Zack Littell got the last six strikeouts to preserve the win.
The Giants have just finished a brutal two-week streak with playoffs against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, pesky Arizona Diamondbacks and Brewers, going 9-4 in those games. Now they are getting a well-deserved day off before opening a homestand on Tuesday against the D-backs.
Crawford admitted games in Milwaukee almost felt like a playoff atmosphere, and there’s a good chance the Giants and Brewers will see each other in October.
Kapler explained why everything the Giants went through recently made Sunday’s win even more enjoyable.
“It was one of the toughest series of the year,” Kapler said. “I think in a lot of ways, especially in this last game, where we’re running on fumes, the reliever pen was definitely on fumes, but one of the reasons Brandon Belt isn’t staying in this match is because we had to try to get him through a day Even though it was super attractive and he mentioned to me that he could probably stay in the match it was very difficult to keep him standing and not go play what could have been several more innings.
“And we’re doing it because Tommy just came back and Brandon just came back, and we need these strong, healthy guys until the end and until the playoffs. So for me we’re just thinking about the big picture and we I understand our pitchers pitched a lot of innings and our reliever box really worked, so we kind of had all of those things in mind when we got into the last game of this series. . And for that reason, it’s pretty rewarding to take two of the three. “
RELATED: Longoria Gives Front Office Props for Giants’ Success
The Giants, at 71-41, are not going anywhere. They aren’t a perfect team, far from it, but they are proven and have faced the Dodgers, Astros and Brewers, who each have more talented rosters.
With veterans like Crawford, La Stella and Belt in the lead, the Giants should be tough in the playoffs.
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