© Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports
SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants came into Sunday’s finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers with an opportunity to not only get back to .500, but also win their third straight series. It was’t long before Evan Longoria provided all of the offense the Giants needed to accomplish both with a three-run home run in the first inning.
A great start to our Sunday, thanks to @Evan3Longoria
#SFGiants pic.twitter.com/roV5KHaCkk
— San Francisco Giants (@SFGiants) April 29, 2018
“Now, you always want to score early, but a three-run homer, that’s something that can really jump start a club or do a lot for a club,” Bruce Bochy said. “I mean, we had a long day yesterday. It’s great to get on the board and score first. Both teams had to be tired today, so you’re doing all you can to get those early runs.
“Again, a three-run homer is different than getting a run or two, so it was a real shot in the arm for us.”
It was also a good shot in the arm for Longoria, who began the year with serious offensive struggles. He began the season batting .149, 7-for-47, but since then he’s swung his way to a .247 batting average after recording 14 hits in his last 39 plate appearances.
“The game is obviously a lot more fun when, one, you’re winning and, two, when you have personal success,” Longoria said. “I’ve been looking forward to getting a big hit and winning here at home, just being a contributor this team.”
As for the starting pitcher, Ty Blach loved the immediate run support, saying it, “definitely puts some momentum on your side. It allows you to just got out and attack. It gives you a little wiggle room as a starter and it gives you a lot of confidence going into there. It was a lot of fun seeing that early on.”