ATLANTA — Perhaps all the Giants needed was for Rafael Devers to do something he’s never done.
San Francisco (53-49) emphatically snapped its six-game losing streak with a 9-0 win over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night at Truist Park as Devers made his professional debut at first base in what tied for the team’s largest margin of victory this season.
Along with getting two hits, two runs and an RBI, Devers recorded four putouts in four chances as a first baseman. Aside from holding runners on first base, Devers wasn’t tasked with doing anything too complex on the defensive end. Casey Schmitt and Willy Adames each fielded a pair of grounders and made Devers’ life easy by delivering chest-high throws.
Devers was far from the only player in the lineup who contributed to San Francisco’s rare offensive explosion. Wilmer Flores hit his 12th home run of the season — and his first since June 7 — as he drove in four runs. Schmitt sent a towering solo homer into the second deck in left field, his fifth home run of the season. Devers, Matt Chapman and Patrick Bailey each had two hits while Adames drew three walks.
On the mound, Landen Roupp tossed five scoreless innings with six strikeouts as he lowered his ERA on the season to 3.11. Roupp had to navigate several lengthy innings, throwing 20 pitches in the first and 27 pitches in the third, but he helped preserve the Giants’ bullpen after Hayden Birdsong failed to retire a single batter on Monday.
The Giants opened up the scoring with four runs in the top of the second. Chapman drove in the game’s first run on a triple that missed being a home run by inches, then scored on a sacrifice fly from Flores. Schmitt’s no-doubt solo homer and Heliot Ramos’ sacrifice fly expanded the lead to 4-0.
San Francisco grew its advantage to 5-0 in the fifth on Adames’ RBI single to drive home Devers, then landed a haymaker in the seventh to balloon its lead to 9-0. After Devers’ single knocked in Ramos — who ran through a stop sign but still scored — Flores elevated the game to blowout status with a towering three-run blast.
Despite opening up the road trip with four straight losses, the Giants can secure a happy flight back to the Bay Area as Justin Verlander takes the hill on Wednesday in search of his first victory with the black and orange.