Luis Arraez, Bryce Eldridge power Giants to doubleheader sweep over Braves

ATLANTA — So homer-happy were the Giants on Wednesday that even Luis Arraez got in on the power party aided by the balmy conditions in the Braves’ bandbox. 

The contact-hitting second baseman put one over the wall for only the third time this season — his first in any setting besides the hitter’s paradise that is the A’s temporary home — and that was only the beginning of a historic homer barrage on their way to a doubleheader sweep.

The Giants hit three home runs on their way to a 7-2 win in the early game. They slugged that many in the second inning alone of the nightcap. Final score: 7-5.

The rare homer from Arraez came with two outs in the second, finding a landing spot in The Chophouse in right field, after Willy Adames lined one over the left-field wall to lead off the frame.

Bryce Eldridge immediately followed Arraez with a shot to center, giving the Giants three in an inning for the first time this season and their second set of back-to-back homers of the day.

Jung Hoo Lee and Rafael Devers provided back-to-back blasts in the first game.

Devers was contained to the field of play in the second game but used it like a pinball machine to record his MLB-leading 23rd and 24th doubles of the season, including one he snuck down the left-field line in the first that drove in Arraez and opened a 1-0 lead.

Arraez finished with a season-high four RBIs, poking a two-run single in front of Mike Yastrzemski in left field to pad the Giants’ lead in the top of the ninth.

The Giants had manufactured three runs before play was suspended in the first game Tuesday night. From the time they resumed play Wednesday afternoon, the Giants’ six home runs were responsible for eight of the 12 runs they scored the rest of the day.

On the topic of homering in bunches, nobody clumps them together like Adames, who also went deep in the first game. Five different Giants homered on the day, but only Adames did so twice.

The last time Adames homered, he also hit two in one day. In between the multi-homer games, however, the shortstop managed just one single with 11 strikeouts in 31 at-bats. Of his last five hits, four have gone over the fence.

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The Braves, on the other hand, weren’t able to do much of anything against Carson Whisenhunt, called up from Triple-A to make a spot start in the second game of the twin bill.

In his first start of the season, Whisenhunt limited Atlanta to two runs on six hits and two walks over five-plus innings. Both of Whisenhunt’s walks came in his first two frames, and he settled down to retire 11 of 12 until allowing the first three batters of the sixth to reach base.

With 6 ⅓ scoreless innings from Robbie Ray in the first game and strong work from their relievers, Giants pitchers held Atlanta to two runs over the first 16 innings they played Wednesday.

Matt Gage, in his return from the injured list, wasn’t able to finish the job, recording only one out in the ninth, surrendering a two-run homer to Mauricio Dubon and handing the game over to Tristan Beck with two on and the tying run at the plate.

Caleb Kilian, their closer, was apparently not available for the sudden save situation after manager Tony Vitello used him to record the final two outs of their five-run win earlier in the day.

What it means

The Braves began this series with the best record in the majors, 17 ½ games ahead of the Giants, with a 3.32 staff ERA that trailed only the Yankees for the best in MLB.

None of that seemed to matter to the Giants, who unloaded against a bullpen game and a rookie making his sixth big-league start, JR Ritchie. In a roundabout way, San Francisco has reeled off three wins in a row. The Giants haven’t won four games in a row all season.

Who’s hot

The power strokes of the Giants’ hitters, who look like a completely transformed group from the one that ranked last in the majors in home runs through the first week of May.

San Francisco became the last team to reach 20 home runs on May 4. Since then, they’re tied with the Nationals for the most in the majors, with 59 after slugging six more Wednesday.

And consider this: Their 122 wRC+ in that span leads the league, meaning the offensive awakening hasn’t just been a product of the long ball, nor is it merely a result of favorable foes.

Who’s not

Just about everyone has participated in the Giants’ power surge.

But not catcher Daniel Susac.

Susac started behind the plate in the first game of the double header and went hitless in four chances, bringing the Rule 5 pick over 100 plate appearances without a homer.

Susac continues to be a reliable receiver and singles hitter, but just six of his 26 hits this season have gone for extra bases. Since returning from the injured list May 15, Susac is batting .221 with a .550 OPS, putting his OPS on the verge of dropping below .700 for the first time this year.

Up next

With more rain in the forecast for Thursday, the teams have discussed moving up the start time of the series finale from 7:15 p.m. ET. For now, that’s when Braves starter Martin Perez will toe the rubber, opposed by Landen Roupp in his first start since Pride Night in San Francisco.