Casey Schmitt homered in his major league debut, Logan Webb scattered nine hits over seven innings and the San Francisco Giants evened a three-game series with the visiting Washington Nationals by posting a 4-1 victory on Tuesday.
Mitch Haniger’s two-run double in the first inning gave the Giants a lead they never relinquished en route to their fifth win in the past seven games.
Schmitt, who grounded out to shortstop in his first at-bat, launched a 420-foot bomb to center field in his second look at Nationals starter Patrick Corbin (1-5), extending the Giants’ lead to 3-0 in the fourth.
At age 24, Schmitt became the youngest Giant since 22-year-old Will Clark (off Nolan Ryan in 1986) to homer in his big-league debut. The new San Francisco shortstop also became just the 19th Giant to record a home run as his first major league hit.
Schmitt, a 2020 second-round draft pick out of San Diego State, also singled in the sixth inning. He finished 2-for-4.
Webb (3-5) took a shutout into the sixth before a double by Joey Meneses and single by Dominic Smith got the visitors within 3-1. But the Giants ace escaped a two-on, one-out jam, then threw a 1-2-3 seventh to end his night en route to the third win in his past four starts.
Webb allowed one run and one walk while striking out seven.
Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval closed the door over the final two innings, with Doval earning his eighth save with a hitless ninth.
The Giants added to their lead on a J.D. Davis RBI single in the seventh.
Corbin went six innings, allowing three runs (two earned) and eight hits. He struck out three and did not walk a batter.
Haniger joined Schmitt with two hits for the Giants, who lost the opener of the three-game series 5-1 on Monday. Thairo Estrada, who moved over to second base to make room for Schmitt at shortstop, scored twice.
Smith and Alex Call collected three hits apiece for the Nationals, whose 10 hits included just one for extra bases, Meneses’ sixth-inning double.
–Field Level Media
