SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Alex Wood pitched four-hit ball over six innings for his first win in more than a month, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Kansas City Royals 6-2 on Monday night.
Thairo Estrada hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the sixth and Brandon Crawford doubled in two runs, lifting the Giants to their fourth straight win and sixth in eight games. Austin Slater walked twice and scored twice.
The Giants were limited to five hits but drew a season-high nine walks, four of which scored.
“When we’re at our best offensively we’re seeing a lot of pitches,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “I think there were some easier takes for us tonight but I thought we did a nice job of sticking with our game plan and our approach.”
Coming off his best start of the season when he went seven innings against the Rockies, Wood (4-5) had five strikeouts and one walk. The left-hander retired his final 10 batters after Bobby Witt Jr.’s RBI single in the third, ending his night after 80 pitches.
It came less than two weeks after Wood was upset and complained when Kapler removed him in the sixth inning from a game in Miami after throwing 90 pitches. The Giants trailed 1-0 at the time and lost 3-0.
This time Kapler said he made the change because Wood sat for an extended period in the sixth when the Royals made a pitching change mid-inning.
“We just felt like it was the right time to go to a clean inning for our bullpen right there,” Kapler said.
Wood agreed.
“I think it had been 15-20 minutes before they made the pitching change, and I was going to go back out,” Wood said. “I didn’t know much longer that inning was going to go so we just figured give (a reliever) enough time to warm up and get a clean inning and take it down from there. I thought it made sense. Glad it worked out.”
Mauricio Llovera, Jake McGee and Camilo Doval each retired three batters to complete the six-hitter.
Estrada lined a 2-2 pitch from Amir Garrett (1-1) into left-center to drive in Slater. Slater led off the inning with a pinch-hit walk and took second on a wild pitch.
Crawford, who struck out before Estrada’s tiebreaking hit, hit a two-run double off Arodys Vizcaíno in the seventh.
The Giants scored their first two runs after Royals starter Brady Singer lost control and walked four consecutive batters in the third – two with the bases loaded.
“Not a ton of hits but a lot of good at-bats which led to walks and a couple hits at the right time,” Crawford said.
Singer, who had only walked four batters all season, finished with five and allowed two hits over five innings.
The Royals led 2-0 on Whit Merrifield’s sacrifice fly and an infield RBI single by Witt that glanced off Wood’s glove and trickled away.
MOVES
The Giants optioned OF Heliot Ramos to Triple-A Sacramento and recalled Llovera.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Royals: RHP Zack Greinke (right flexor strain) pitched one-hit ball over five innings in his first rehab start for Triple-A Omaha. OF Edward Olivares (right quad strain) had a hit and drew three walks in the same game. … RHP Joel Payamps was placed on the Injured List with an undisclosed injury. RHP Daniel Mengden was selected from Omaha to replace Payamps.
UP NEXT
Giants RHP Logan Webb (5-2, 3.77 ERA) has one victory over his previous five starts. Royals LHP Kris Bubic (0-3, 9.13) has two wins in 10 interleague starts.
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