Joc Pederson and Thairo Estrada each homered twice, shortstop Brandon Crawford made his major league pitching debut and the San Francisco Giants rebounded from a near-no-hit defeat with a 13-3 shellacking of the visiting Chicago Cubs on Sunday afternoon.
After totaling eight hits in the first two games of the series, including just one on Saturday, the Giants erupted for 15 hits, seven for extra bases, and their fourth-most runs of the year to salvage one win in the three-game set.
Pederson got the parade in motion with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first off Cubs starter Hayden Wesneski (2-3), who had hit Estrada to lead off the inning.
After the Cubs tied the game on a second-inning error and a third-inning Yan Gomes infield out, Pederson went deep again in the last of the third, this time scoring Casey Schmitt with his seventh home run of the season.
Blake Sabol chipped in with a pair of RBI singles and Michael Conforto added a two-run single before Estrada took over the heavy lifting for the Giants. His solo homer led off a two-run sixth that increased the lead to 10-3, and he closed the scoring in the eighth with a three-run shot, his ninth homer of the year.
Wesneski lasted just three innings, charged with five runs on four hits. He walked one and struck out four.
The Giants went without a traditional starter for the second straight day and watched six pitchers — including Crawford — limit the Cubs to seven hits.
Trusted to preserve a 10-run lead in the ninth, Crawford allowed a walk and a single to the first two batters he faced before getting a fielder’s choice, flyout and popout in foul territory.
Rookie Tristan Beck (1-0), who allowed two runs (one earned) in two innings of early relief, was awarded with his first big-league win. John Brebbia served as an opener for the second day in a row.
Pederson finished 4-for-4 with four RBIs and four runs for the Giants, while Estrada scored three times and drove in four runs.
The multi-homer game was the 20th of Pederson’s career and the third for Estrada.
Schmitt, who scored twice, joined Sabol and Estrada with two hits.
Nico Hoerner had two hits for the Cubs, who completed a 4-6 California swing.
–Field Level Media
