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 They finally assembled their full crew Monday night, and the winning
ways continued.
Brandon Crawford smacked his 15th home run, and rookie right-hander
Chris Heston earned his 11th win, leading the Giants to a 4-2
victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in the opener of a three-game
series.
The win came on a night when left fielder Nori Aoki returned to the
Giants' lineup after more than a month off due to a broken right
leg.
His start pushed Gregor Blanco to the bench, and he contributed an
RBI double that helped the Giants record a sixth consecutive win.
"We got Nori back. That's going to help," Giants manager Bruce Bochy
said. "Here we had Blanco on the bench, and he came through with a
big hit there. He's going to make our bench better."
Crawford took over the team lead in home runs during a three-run
fourth inning. The shortstop's two-run shot to the deepest part of
the ballpark in right-center field propelled the Giants to their
seventh win in a row over the Brewers.
The homer was his 15th, breaking a tie with catcher Buster Posey.
"With all these guys that can hit homers, yeah, I'm surprised,"
Crawford said of grabbing the team lead. "I didn't think going into
the season that I would lead the team in home runs. I'm sure Buster
will catch me sometime soon."
Aoki went 0-for-3 in his first game since breaking his leg on June
20.
"Coming into the season, we were pretty excited about the lineup,"
Crawford said. "Hunter (Pence) and Nori got hurt, but now they're
back, and it's pretty exciting."
The Brewers, meanwhile, played without their two leading
run-producers, right fielder Ryan Braun and first baseman Adam Lind,
both out with lower-back soreness.
They also lost center fielder Carlos Gomez to an ejection in the top
of the ninth inning after he was thrown out on a steal attempt.
"I never looked at the umpires. I never argue pitches or any calls,"
Gomez said. "I was just frustrated, (upset) and they throw you out.
"Early in the game, they called me out on a check swing that wasn't
close, and I just smiled and made a joke about it. It's how you
respect the game."
Heston (11-5) took advantage of the short-handed Brewers, holding
them to five hits and two runs over seven innings. He struck out
four and walked three.
The 27-year-old won for the fifth consecutive time dating back to
June 14. He leads National League rookies in wins, winning
percentage (.688) and strikeouts (99).
Heston benefitted from three double-play grounders. He leads the
National League by inducing 22 of them.
"That was big for me tonight," he said. "I was having trouble with
my breaking ball. Getting those groundballs were big."
Heston left the game for a pinch hitter in the last of the seventh
with a 3-2 lead.
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The Giants made it 4-2 before inning's end on Blanco's RBI double
that plated Crawford, who had walked.
Right-hander Hunter Strickland pitched a scoreless eighth before
righty Sergio Romo recorded his second save in a ninth inning that
saw the ejections of Gomez and manager Craig Counsell.
Gomez reached base to lead off the ninth on a hit, then was called
out on a video-review reversal on a steal attempt, prompting a
helmet-throwing tirade that ended his night.
Counsell subsequently was thrown out for the first time in his
playing or managing career for arguing Gomez's ejection.
"We had our chances and a bunch of double plays," Counsell said. "We
had guys on base, and they were able to get the double plays. We
couldn't get that next hit."
Right-hander Kyle Lohse (5-12) took the loss after surrendering four
runs on five hits and three walks in 6 2/3 innings. He did not
strike out a batter.
Third baseman Matt Duffy had three hits for the Giants, who swept a
three-game series at Milwaukee in May.
The Giants (55-44) had only six hits in a win that moved them within
a half-game of the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers (56-44) in the NL
West.
San Francisco is 9-1 since the All-Star break to go 11 games over
.500 for the first time this season.
Catcher Jonathan Lucroy had an RBI double for the Brewers, who were
shut out in their previous two games in Arizona. They fell to 1-4 on
their current seven-game trip.
Right fielder Gerardo Parra singled, walked twice and scored a run
for Milwaukee, extending his hitting streak to 11 games. Brewers
left fielder Khris Davis added two hits.
NOTES: RHP Chris Heston's ERA shrunk to 3.14. It is the
fourth-lowest ERA in Giants history for a rookie through his first
20 starts. ... The Brewers listed RF Ryan Braun in their original
starting lineup, but they scratched him about a half-hour before
game time after his back did not respond to pregame treatment. ...
Brewers 1B Adam Lind (sore back) said before the game he would be
available for pinch-hitting duties and expected to be able to start
the second game of the series Tuesday. Lind hurt his back Saturday
and did not play Sunday. ... Without Braun (61) and Lind (58), the
Brewers were missing 119 RBIs, 31.5 percent of their season total.
... To make room for LF Nori Aoki (broken right leg) on the active
roster, the Giants designated INF Joaquin Arias for assignment.
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