Willy Adames received a seven-year, $182 million contract in the offseason to join the San Francisco Giants, but his bat was missing in action for the first two-plus months of the season.
But now Adames is heating up and displaying why the Giants coveted his services. He’ll look to put together another strong game on Sunday night when the Giants and Athletics complete a three-game series at West Sacramento, Calif.
Adames had a season-high four RBIs and his sixth three-hit outing of the season as San Francisco rolled to a 7-2 victory on Saturday to even the series at a game apiece.
The 29-year-old shortstop was batting just .194 after a game on June 10, but his average is now .225 after Saturday’s 3-for-5 effort. Adames has a six-game hitting streak in which he is batting .435 (10-for-23) with a homer and six RBIs.
“It was a tough beginning of the season for me,” Adames said. “I was just working every day trying to get that feeling and that timing right, and the last three weeks I’ve been feeling way better, feeling like me.”
Adames delivered two two-run singles on Saturday, one in the first inning and another in the third.
“Willy’s hit was huge coming with two out,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said of the first-inning heroics. “Then Willy’s next one (was big). He was the star at the plate. … He’s not chasing as much and doing a lot of good things.”
San Francisco also had five-time Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman (hand) back in the lineup after a 23-game absence. Chapman batted cleanup and went 1-for-3 and scored twice. He reached on a single, a walk and was hit by a pitch.
“He’s been gone for too long, and the team has been missing him,” Adames said of Chapman. “He got on base three times. He did an amazing job in his first game back.”
The victory was just the fourth in the past 12 games for San Francisco.
The Athletics won Friday’s opener 11-2 but were largely uncompetitive on Saturday while falling to 1-4 against the Giants this season.
Hot-hitting A’s rookie Nick Kurtz had two doubles off Giants ace Logan Webb.
“Nick’s at-bats off Logan were very good,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. “I thought his plan of attack was great and he executed his plan really well.”
A’s rookie Jacob Wilson, who will start at shortstop for the American League in the All-Star Game on July 15, was hitless in four at-bats.
Left-hander Jacob Lopez (2-4, 3.88 ERA) will start for the Athletics on Sunday. He lasted just 3 1/3 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays last Monday, giving up four runs (three earned) and five hits and received a no-decision in the Athletics’ 6-4 victory.
Lopez picked up his lone big league save against the Giants in the 2023 season when he was a member of the Rays. He gave up one run over three innings in an eventual 10-2 Rays win.
Adames is 1-for-2 with a homer off Lopez.
Right-hander Hayden Birdsong (3-3, 4.30 ERA) will be on the mound for the Giants on Sunday.
Birdsong lost his last two outings as part of a five-start winless stretch. His last victory was June 1 against the Miami Marlins. In his last start, Birdsong allowed four runs (three earned) and three hits in four innings in an 8-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday.
Birdsong, 23, lost his lone career start against the A’s last August. He gave up one run and three hits over 4 2/3 innings in a 2-0 A’s win.
–Field Level Media
