SAN DIEGO — On paper, this is a week that should end the Giants’ very, very slim playoff hopes. They’ve got four games against a San Diego Padres club that dominated them at Oracle Park last week, followed by three against the Milwaukee Brewers, who seemingly don’t know how to lose.
But there’s still belief in the clubhouse that a run is possible, and on Monday, the group got a daunting road trip off to a strong start. The Giants hit three homers in the first inning at Petco Park and held on from there, winning 4-3 to take a second straight game for the first time in 10 days.
The lineup has struggled against lefties all season long and didn’t do much against Nestor Cortes last week at Oracle Park, but they hit him so hard in the first that he probably went back to the dugout and tried to figure out if he was tipping.
Heliot Ramos kicked things off with a solo homer to left, and before the visiting dugout could even finish celebrating, Rafael Devers smoked a solo shot to right-center. They became the first Giants to go back-to-back to start a road game since Chuck Hiller and Duke Snider did it to St. Louis Cardinals legend Bob Gibson in 1964.
After a Casey Schmitt double, Wilmer Flores lofted a two-run shot into the seats in left, which were busy Monday night.
The four-run lead held up, as lefty Robbie Ray took a shutout into the seventh. Here are three things to know from a tense night in San Diego …
Road Rallies
At some point in time — either over the next five weeks or at the start of the 2026 MLB season — this group of hitters is going to have to figure out how to more consistently do damage at Oracle Park. But right now, the Giants at least look like a normal offense on the road.
The four-run first included blasts to left from Ramos and Flores, who took advantage of a relatively short porch. Devers’ homer was smoked, leaving the yard at 110.4 mph, although in a funny twist it would not have been a homer at Oracle Park, according to Statcast.
All three of the first-inning blasts would not have gone out at Oracle, which is a good example of the conundrum facing the front office this offseason. They probably need to have a more athletic and bat-control-heavy lineup at home. At the same time, this is a group of players who have hit for power in the past and should do well on the road.
Digging Deep
Manager Bob Melvin said before the game that he didn’t intend to take Ray past 100 pitches since the lefty threw 113 last week, but when Ray finished six scoreless innings at 89 pitches, it was a pretty easy call to let him start the seventh.
Ray ended up allowing three runs in the inning, but they were all unearned after a play that included two errors from Schmitt. He lowered his ERA to 2.85, which ranks seventh in the National League.
Ray allowed just one hit through his first six innings, although he probably should have been charged with a solo homer. Xander Bogaerts hit a fly ball that plopped out of Ramos’ glove and dropped over the left field wall, but a long review overturned the call because of fan interference. It was a charitable interpretation, but the Giants certainly won’t complain about any breaks right now.
The Path To 27 Outs
Aside from the lineup, the biggest problem Melvin has every night is how to get from his starter to closer Randy Rodriguez. On Monday, he leaned heavily on right-hander Ryan Walker, who was fresh after missing the weekend series for the birth of his second daughter.
Walker got Fernando Tatis Jr. to ground out to end the chaotic seventh and then breezed through the top of the order in the eighth. After a Luis Arraez single, he struck out Manny Machado and got Ramon Laureano to bounce into a double play.
Walker by far is the best candidate to fill the void left by the Tyler Rogers trade, and long term, he’s also the player most likely to be able to set up for Rodriguez next season. The other top candidate, Erik Miller, has been shut down after feeling more discomfort in his elbow.
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