Carlos Rodón struck out 10 over seven innings, Evan Longoria homered for the second straight game, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Detroit Tigers, 3-1, for their second straight win, improving their record to .500 (61-61).
Camilo Doval loaded the bases in the ninth inning but got Miguel Cabrera looking with a slider on the ninth pitch of their battle for the second out and eventually recorded his 18th save of the season.
Here are some takeaways.
Longoria heating up
After willing the Giants to a win in their series finale at Colorado, Longoria kept up his hot hitting Tuesday against the Tigers with a two-run home run in the sixth that proved decisive.
After Joc Pederson drew a one-out walk, Longoria put a slider from Tigers reliever Daniel Norris over the left-field wall to give the Giants a 3-0 lead. Pederson, who singled twice and walked, also got the Giants on the board with a line-drive RBI single off starter Drew Hutchison in the first inning, driving in Tommy La Stella after he singled to lead off the game.
Even at 36 years old, there are few more dangerous hitters than Longoria on a hot streak.
Before straining his hamstring in July, Longoria had been batting .311/.407/.533 on a two-week tear that also included home runs in back-to-back games. In 12 games back from his most recent IL stint, Longoria is batting .353 (12 for 34) with three home runs — including, yes, in back-to-back games — raising his season OPS to .848.
Rodón sets career-high
When Rodón’s 85-mph slider swept through the strike zone and past the bat of Willi Castro for strike three and the final out of the fifth inning, the Giants’ overpowering left-hander had notched a new milestone in what has been a banner year.
It was his 186th strikeout of the season, surpassing his 185 last season to set a career high.
Tuesday’s start was also Rodón’s 25th of the season, the most he has made since 2016, his second major league season, and he has shown no signs of slowing down.
The strikeout to end the fifth was only the seventh of 10 eventual strikeouts over seven innings of one-run ball Tuesday.
With his 10th and final punchout, firing a 96-mph heater past Harold Castro, Rodón recorded his eighth double-digit strikeout game of the season, the most by a Giants pitcher since Tim Lincecum’s 2009 Cy Young campaign.
Finishing Tuesday night with 189 strikeouts on the season, Rodón also surpassed the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole for the major league lead. Coming in 147 1/3 innings, Rodón’s 11.55 K/9 also leads the National League and trails only former Chicago teammate Dylan Cease (11.78) for the MLB lead.
Since a brief stumble out of the All-Star break, Rodón has allowed five runs and struck out 41 over 31 1/3 innings, a 1.44 ERA and 11.78 K/9, in his past five starts, especially impressive considering at this time last year he was dealing with shoulder fatigue in his first season back from surgery.
Belt scratched
The last time Brandon Belt played the field, he batted lower in the Giants’ lineup than anytime since 2019. Belt was initially penciled in to bat eighth again Tuesday in Detroit but was scratched after informing manager Gabe Kapler that his persistent knee issues were flaring up.
“We talked about, hey, we need your engine to be right for you to get over this hump performance-wise,” Kapler told reporters in Detroit. “So in order for you to perform in the batter’s box, your body has to be feeling good. Sort of what we talked about with Craw a while back now. So Brandon and I talked about it and decided to take him out of the lineup.”
Belt is hitless in his past 17 at-bats and stuck in a 2-for-38 slump. Since the All-Star break, the 34-year-old first baseman is batting .153/.265/.200 and been held without a home run for 25 games.
Crawford recently commented that he has been feeling better since returning from his second stint on the injured list of the season, and it has been apparent. Although he was limited to loud outs Tuesday, the 35-year-old shortstop is batting .260 (13 for 50) in 14 games back from the IL.
Playoff race
The Giants entered play Tuesday 6.5 games back of the San Diego Padres for the final National League wild-card spot. After Tuesday’s win, they improved to 6.0 games back with 40 left to play (with San Diego and Milwaukee, 4.5 games ahead, still yet to play).
Roster moves
Before the game, the Giants claimed left-hander Jonathan Bermudez off waivers from the Houston Astros. To make room on the 40-man roster, the club placed right-hander Gregory Santos (right groin strain) on the 60-day injured list. Bermudez, 26, has an 8.96 ERA over 67 1/3 innings at Triple-A this season but last year posted a 3.24 ERA over 111 innings between the Astros’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, with 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings.
