Creating offense in the first inning has been a particularly difficult task for the Giants this year. That changed Friday, as Brandon Belt and Joe Panik tallied a pair of run-scoring base hits in the bottom of the first that set the stage for a 7-0 win over the Atlanta Braves at AT&T Park.
San Francisco entered the series opener with the fewest runs (44) in the first inning in the Majors this season. But after Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford hit consecutive infield singles with two outs, the Giants finally came through. Belt launched a base hit to center field to score Posey, and Panik lined a ball down the left-field line to score two more. Angel Pagan then added a two-run home run in the second, and thanks to seven scoreless frames from Jeff Samardzija, the Giants cruised to just their third series-opening victory since the All-Star break.
The Braves offense had plenty of opportunities to match the Giants’ offensive production in the first two innings. But the batters went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and scored zero runs despite loading the bases with nobody out in the second. San Francisco fared much better against Joel De La Cruz, and the Braves rookie exited after allowing six runs (three earned) in four innings.
Samardzija initially appeared to be missing the command that allowed him to take a no-hitter into the seventh inning of his last start. But after working his way out of multiple jams in the first two innings, the right-hander proved to be dominant. Samardzija pitched seven shutout innings Friday and held an opponent scoreless for just the second time this season. He also turned in his third consecutive quality start while recording just his second win since the All-Star break.
The Braves squandered two doubles in the first inning and did not capitalize after each of their first three batters reached safely in the second. Ender Inciarte began the game with a double, but then made a mental mistake that resulted in him being thrown out at third base on Adonis Garcia’s grounder to shortstop Crawford. Inciarte also accounted for the second out in Atlanta’s once-promising second inning.
Mike Foltynewicz will be on the mound when Atlanta and San Francisco resume this three-game series Saturday at 8:05 p.m. CT. Foltynewicz limited the Giants to one run over six innings on May 30. He has posted a 5.48 ERA over eight starts since the All-Star break.
