SAN FRANCISCO — With one swing Saturday afternoon, Brandon Crawford announced that he's still here.
Crawford, 36, came a few feet short of the Giants' 99th splash hit into McCovey Cove and instead had to settle for a three-run home run that merely reached the water beyond right field on a bounce, providing a first-inning lead that proved insurmountable in a 7-4 win over the Mets, only San Francisco's third win in its past 10 games and its first this home stand.
With Crawford's home run, his third this season, the Giants equaled in the first inning their total runs from their first two games of this series, both losses.
The three-run shot also served as a loud reminder that while, yes, the veteran shortstop has shown his age early on this season, he still has something in the tank.
Since homering as part of a three-hit effort in the second game of the season, Crawford had accumulated only five hits in his next 45 at-bats (.111) and was 0-for-his-last-14 entering Saturday. In between, there were four multi-strikeout games but only one multi-hit effort. And, of course, the uncharacteristic two-error game in Detroit. All told, only three shortstops had provided less value to their clubs through the first three weeks of the season than Crawford (negative-0.2 fWAR).
But Crawford silenced his doubters in the first inning Saturday, returning to the starting lineup after missing Friday's game with sore ribs from a diving attempt at shortstop.
Earning his first win in five starts, Logan Webb turned in his best outing of the season, limiting the Mets to two runs over seven innings while striking out eight. Bitten by bad-luck home runs in his first four starts, Webb allowed one long ball — a 422-foot solo shot to center from Brandon Nimmo, one of MLB's hottest hitters — but it wasn't enough to ruin seven strong innings in his first home start since signing a five-year, $90 million extension.
Webb joined Alex Cobb as the only Giants pitchers to complete seven innings this season and delivered the staff's seventh quality start. The Giants had won only two of their six previous games when a starter went at least six innings with three earned runs or fewer.
The Giants opened a 6-0 lead by the end of the second inning, teeing off on Mets left-handed starter David Peterson, who labored through 60 pitches to complete the first two innings.
Wilmer Flores added a seventh run with a solo shot off Peterson in the fifth.
Thairo Estrada, who reached base three more times (once on an error) to extend his hitting streak to five games and increase his team-leading batting average to .329, scored in both the first two frames and was the double-beneficiary of replay reviews, which both went in the Giants' favor. Initially ruled out on a stolen base attempt in the second inning, video showed Estrada sliding headfirst under the glove of shortstop Francisco Lindor and was ultimately called safe for his team-leading fifth stolen base.
The Giants' successful challenge paid dividends a batter later, as Estrada was able to race home from third on a dribbler from Michael Conforto. First baseman Pete Alonso threw home and, once again, Estrada slid headfirst hoping to avoid the tag. This time, the Mets challenged, after Estrada was ruled safe, and the call was upheld.
Still without Austin Slater (hamstring) and Mitch Haniger (oblique), the Giants won for only their third time in nine games facing a left-handed starter.
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