After hits in his last three plate appearances led a ninth inning comeback, the newest Giant told AP, “We had no business winning that game.” Kris Bryant was clutch and consistent as he doubled to start the rally in the ninth and doubled to bring home the winning run, the Manfred Man, in the tenth. Jake McGee got the save. Tyler Rogers got the win with a stone-cold bottom of the ninth.

This comeback was historic in that it had been since April 18, 1993, that the Giants had come back from a four-run deficit or greater in the ninth and won. Ali Thanawalla at NBCSBA writes about this time and the last time. To which I can only add … we have the mojo now.

I love the new kid, Sparkles, but he’s wrong: it is our business to win just that kind of game. This amazing season is a testimony to what we call statistically-driven management, or Sabremetrics-driven decision-making or, in short, Moneyball. It’s emerging in an amazing form in the 2021 Giants – not a top-ten salary in the MLB – that has led to a next-man-up mentality spreading throughout the team.

It’s infectious, and now Kris Bryant has caught it. “There’s so many guys that can do it,” Bryant said. “If you’re not feeling it one day, you pass the torch to someone else.”

It’s funny he thinks we had no business winning that one, because you know who would have had no business winning that one? The Cubs.

Hope he grows only more comfortable with our confidence as the season evolves. The Giants – from the top of the order to the 40th man – are wholly-in on turning it on like a switch against the bullpen of the worst team in the majors, with confidence. Brandon Belt, who hadn’t played in a month and looked rusty going hitless til the ninth, contributed an RBI single in the late-innings flurry to score the second run.

LaMonte Wade, Jr., aka The Man, tied the game with a two-out double in the ninth after falling behind 0-2 to D-Backs closer Tyler Clippard. Arizona starter Merrill Kelly had gone eight innings giving up only three scoreless hits. Clippard came in to get the close only to be forced into a barrage of pitches against the patient, smart-hitting Giants lineup. LaMonte, The Man, coolly picked him apart to start the comeback.

The AP write-up of this game is full of sweet quotes and notes.

The Giants are now four games up on the Dodgers in the NL West:

2021 National League West Standings

TEAM	W	L	PCT	GB	STRK
San Francisco	69	40	.633	0	W2
Los Angeles	65	44	.596	4	W1
San Diego	62	48	.564	7.5	L1
Colorado	48	61	.440	21	W1
Arizona	34	76	.309	35.5	L2

We are supposed to beat the Diamondbacks. They’re bad. I wouldn’t have minded going 2-2 on the trip, because we’re doing great, but it goes against the basic philosophy: win series against weaker teams and split or take as many as we can against good teams. This weekend we face a very good team in pursuit of being the first team in the majors to 70 wins.

Milwaukee, a city fresh off the NBA Championship, is a city that believes the Brewers are the best team in the country. They lead the Central Division by seven games.

2021 National League Central Standings

TEAM	W	L	PCT	GB	STRK
Milwaukee	65	44	.596	0	W1
Cincinnati	58	51	.532	7	W2
St. Louis	53	55	.491	11.5	L3
Chicago	52	58	.473	13.5	L1
Pittsburgh	41	68	.376	24	L2

They have led the Central since May. They added Eduardo Escobar from the Diamondbacks at the Trade Deadline, who immediately contributed. Escobar hit a three-run homer and an RBI triple to back up Eric Lauer’s five shutout innings in the Brewers’ 6-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night. He had a two-out RBI triple in the sixth that gave the Brewers 2-0 lead. He also walked twice in that game – so he reached base in all four appearances.

With more than fifty games left, the Giants seek their 70th win in a season when many prognosticators said we wouldn’t win 75. Fanfest day, back on February 20th, I said we’d win 85. It is amazing that we are on pace to win more than 100!

But things get harder now and it starts with Milwaukee. In the next two months, the G-men face the Mets and Braves six times and the Padres ten more times. A road series against the Brewers is an excellent test of our ability to survive the upcoming gauntlet and win the NL West.

Let’s Go Giants!

Beat the Brew Crew!

Let’s Go Giants!

Win the road trip!

Keep it up!

woo hooooo!