Homer-happy Giants slug five more, pound White Sox 16-6

CHICAGO – J.D. Davis hit a grand slam in the ninth off mop-up reliever Hanser Alberto for his third hit, Michael Conforto cracked a three-run homer among three hits and the San Francisco Giants powered past the Chicago White Sox 16-6 on Thursday.

Mike Yastrzemski and Wilmer Flores each launched a two-run shot in San Francisco’s five-homer, 20-hit attack. Rookie catcher Blake Sabol hit the first home run of his career and added two singles to give him four hits in his first six games.

Hanser, who started at third base, served up Davis’ second career grand slam after giving up two singles and a walk. Davis finished with five RBIs and Joc Pederson drove in two runs as San Francisco finished a season-opening road trip at 3-3.

Tim Anderson had two RBIs for Chicago.

Guaranteed Rate Field is considered a longball-friendly park in warm weather, but the Giants teed off despite a 46-degree game-time temperature.

“I think even when it’s cold, it can still play hitter-friendly,” San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler said. “These guys have power and can hit the ball in the air and this is the type of stadium that’s going to reward them for taking good swings.”

The Giants launched 13 home runs in the three-game series on Chicago’s South Side, starting with seven in a 12-3 win on Monday. That tied a team record for a three-game series, set in 1961 against the Milwaukee Braves.

The Giants have 15 homers overall, the most in franchise history through their first six games since the team started keeping records in 1901.

Conforto, Yastrzemski and Davis each hit their second homer of the season and series on Thursday. Conforto, a former New York Met, signed with San Francisco in the offseason after missing 2022 recovering from right shoulder surgery.

The power surge is no surprise to him

“I think it’s all the guys taking great at-bats and good swings out there, over and over and over again, and the offense kind of finally broke out,” Conforto said. “We started the two games (in Chicago) that we put up a lot of runs and hit a lot of homers by not chasing, being really stingy with our approach in the zone and kind of forcing the pitcher to get into the heart of the plate.

“And we were ready when they did.”

Jakob Junis (2-0) threw four innings of scoreless, two-hit relief for the win.

Giants starter Alex Wood allowed three runs, two unearned, on six hits in his season debut. The side-arming left-hander was replaced by Junis after allowing consecutive singles to start the fourth and reaching 71 pitches.

The Giants roughed up Chicago starter Lance Lynn (0-1) for eight runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings.

“It was a long one,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “Obviously, Lance wasn’t at his best today. He left a couple of pitches up early.”

Conforto launched a three-run shot deep to right in the first. Sabol made it 4-0 in the second on a drive to right center.

Anderson’s singled in two runs the bottom of the second to cut it to 4-2.

Pederson’s bases-loaded single in the fourth upped the Giants lead to 6-2. Yastrzemski went deep to right in the fifth to chase Lynn.

Flores’ first homer of the season, off Jose Ruiz in the sixth, made it 10-3.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Giants: SS Brandon Crawford got the day off with left forearm tightness. Thairo Estrada started in his place. … Kapler said “it’s a longshot”” that OF Mitch Haniger (left oblique strain) would return by the end of the Giants upcoming opening six-game homestand. The Bay Area native signed with the Giants as a free agent in December.

White Sox: Slugger Eloy Jiménez, on the 10-day injured list (strained left hamstring), ran and played catch before Thursday’s game. He was hurt running from first to third on Monday. The team originally said Jiménez would miss two to three weeks, but on Thursday Jiménez said “I feel very normal today” and that he could pinch-hit or play if he weren’t on the IL. … 3B Yoán Moncada, who has hit safely in each of Chicago’s first six games (11-for-25, .440) got the day off.

UP NEXT

Giants: RHP Alex Cobb (0-0, 2.45) faces Kansas City RHP Brad Keller (0-1, 3.86) in San Francisco on Friday in the Giants home opener.

White Sox: RHP Lucas Giolito (0-0, 3.60) starts against Pittsburgh’s Rich Hill (0-1, 5.40) on Friday in the Pirates home opener.

WASHINGTON (AP) Lane Thomas singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the Washington Nationals sent the Philadelphia Phillies to their fifth straight loss, winning 8-7 after blowing a six-run lead.

The defending NL champion Phillies have just five victories in their last 18 games and are tied with the Nationals at the bottom of the NL East at 25-32.

“We’ve got to overcome it,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “We’ve got to play better, get consistent in all phases and keep moving forward.”

Alex Call drew a two-out walk against Connor Brogdon (2-1) in the eighth, stole second on a low pitch that catcher JT Realmuto couldn’t make a throw on and scored on Thomas’ single to right center.

“The way Lane’s swinging the bat, if you can get on second base, we can win the game,” Call said. “I look over and the ball’s in the dirt, he doesn’t catch it. Now I’m saying: ‘All right, Lane. Come on!’”

Kyle Finnegan (3-2) pitched 1 2/3 innings for the victory, stranding the tying run on second in the ninth.

Nick Castellanos homered twice, singled, doubled and drove in five runs for Philadelphia, which had scored just three runs in its past three games.

“There’s definitely a lot of positives as a group,” Castellanos said. “Showing some fight. It would have been really, really easy to lay down and allow the way the game started to be the way that it finished.”

Down 7-1 after four innings, Philadelphia tied it at 7 in the eighth. Brandon Marsh worked a nine-pitch walk against Mason Thompson leading off, and Drew Ellis singled with one out. Finnegan came on to face Kyle Schwarber, who hit a ground ball up the middle. Shortstop CJ Abrams fielded it behind it behind second base, touched second for one out, but threw wildly to first and Marsh came home with the tying run.

Castellanos’s second homer, a two-run shot to center in the sixth, pulled the Phillies to 7-3 and Marsh added an RBI single in the inning.

In the seventh, Schwarber doubled with one out and Bryson Scott reached on an infield single. Hunter Harvey came on and walked Bryce Harper to load the bases. Castellanos singled to center scoring two runs to make it 7-6.

Luis Garcia homered and Jeimer Candelario doubled twice and drove in three runs for the Nationals, who have won seven of 12.

Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler, coming off eight shutout innings against Atlanta, allowed seven runs on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings.

“This one’s on me really,” Wheeler said. “Guys battled back. Just couldn’t finish it out. We know who we have in this room and what we’ve got to do.”

Josiah Gray gave up four runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings for Washington.

Candelario doubled just beyond the reach of left fielder Schwarber to drive in the first of Washington’s two runs in the first.

In the second, Abrams hit a one-out drive to deep center that Marsh misplayed into a double. With two outs and two on, Candelario doubled off the wall in right center to make it 5-0.

Garcia ended Wheeler’s night with a solo homer in the fourth.

“When you come out the way we did, you’ve got to tack on,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “It didn’t happen tonight, but we got one more than the other guys.”

CANDY MAN

Candelario is 9 for 26 (.346) with four doubles, a home run, nine RBIs, five walks, and seven runs scored in his last seven games.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Phillies: Thomson said RHP Taijuan Walker played catch Friday and there are “no worries about his next start.” In a four-inning outing against the Mets on Thursday, Walker’s sinker velocity averaged 90.6 mph, down from 92.7 mph for the season. His fastball, splitter and curveball velocity also dropped.

Nationals: OF Victor Robles (back spasms) took batting practice on the field for the first time since going on the injured list. … LHP Sean Doolittle (elbow) gave up a run on two hits and struck out two batters in 2/3 of an inning working his second straight night for Class A Fredericksburg.

UP NEXT

Phillies: LHP Matt Strahm (4-3, 3.20) will start a bullpen game on Saturday.

Nationals: LHP MacKenzie Gore (3-3, 3.57) went seven innings and struck out a career-high 11 batters in his previous outing – a no decision against the Royals.

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