Webb goes seven strong innings as Giants rout Rays

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Logan Webb allowed one run over seven innings, Thairo Estrada homered twice and the San Francisco Giants cruised past the Tampa Bay Rays 11-2 on Saturday.

Webb (1-1) scattered six hits in his fourth start of the season. The 2023 NL Cy Young Award runner-up lowered his ERA from 4.86 to 3.80.

“A good solid seven innings out of him in the game where guys like him pitch well — a game that we needed,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said.

San Francisco had lost three of four.

LaMonte Wade Jr., Jorge Soler and Matt Chapman also homered for the Giants, who entered with a seven-game longball drought.

“We're happy with the win,” Estrada said through a translator. “I mean, especially the way the offense worked, Webb did a great job. Seems like everything worked for us today.”

It was the Giants' longest power outage since a seven-game stretch in June 2014.

“I think the home run thing was kind of festering here for a little bit, and as you see we have plenty of guys that can hit the ball out of the ballpark," Melvin said.

Rays catcher Ben Rortvedt pitched the final two innings and allowed one run and three hits. He struck out pinch-hitter Tyler Fitzgerald on a 75.6 mph pitch during a scoreless eighth and gave up Chapman's homer in the ninth.

“Look, it’s funny after the fact. In the moment, you really appreciate what the guy’s doing, and I know our bullpen does,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said.

Estrada hit a fourth-inning solo drive off Ryan Pepiot (1-2) and Wade added a two-run shot in the fifth that put San Francisco up 4-1.

Pepiot allowed four runs and five hits, including four for extra bases, over five innings. The Giants had three extra-base hits overall in their previous three games.

Mike Yastrzemski drove in two with a single and Patrick Bailey had an RBI double in a three-run sixth off Chris Devenski to make it 7-1. Soler hit an estimated 446-foot homer to center and Estrada connected on a two-run drive in the seventh off the right-hander.

Tampa Bay's beleaguered bullpen entered with the AL's highest ERA at 5.83.

Michael Conforto put the Giants ahead 1-0 with a run-scoring double in the first. He has 12 RBIs in 14 games.

Tampa Bay tied it at 1 on Yandy Díaz’s third-inning double-play grounder.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rays: OF Josh Lowe (right oblique strain) is set to play in extended spring training games Monday and Tuesday. He hit .292 with 30 homers, 83 RBIs and 32 stolen bases last season.

UP NEXT

Giants LHP Blake Snell (0-1) will pitch against the Rays for the first time at Tropicana Field on Sunday. Snell won the first of his two Cy Young Awards with Tampa Bay in 2018. He has faced the Rays once as an opponent — last year with San Diego, with whom he won his other Cy Young Award. Snell allowed two hits and struck out 12 over six scoreless innings against Tampa Bay on June 17, 2023. RHP Shawn Armstrong (0-1) will open for Tampa Bay and be followed by LHP Tyler Alexander (0-0), who was reinstated from the bereavement list Saturday.

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