Giants take series from Athletics as Willy Adames shines
San Francisco Giants’ Willy Adames celebrates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Athletics, Sunday, July 6, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis) Sara Nevis/Associated Press
07.06.25 – Willy Adames homered and drove in three runs, as the San Francisco Giants take the game finale from the Athletics 6-2 on Sunday night at Sutter Health Park.
The Giants short stop was the driving force in the team’s win the previous night, too. With Matt Chapman back in the lineup and Rafael Devers joining the team last month, if San Francisco gets some consistent production from Adames, who has a knack for the RBI, the disappointing offense might look a lot different in the second half.
Adames is batting .318 with six homers and 19 RBIs over his past 25 games. In the past five, he’s 8-for-15 with a homer, eight RBIs and three walks.
Through the first 60 games, he was hitting .193 with five homers and 26 RBIs.
“I feel like you have to have a good week or two weeks and then it comes, and I didn’t have that from the start until June, mid-June,” Adames said. “That’s how it goes sometimes. Unfortunately, it took too long this year, you know? Fans were worrying. Everybody was worrying. I was worrying. My parents were worrying.
“I was like, ‘Chill out, chill out. It’s a long season. You’re good.’ But we were winning. I felt it more when we were losing. When I’m not doing good and we’re losing — you can’t have that.”
2025.07.06 (Giants vs Athletics) See Full Highlights
San Francisco Giants’ Luis Matos lashing a two-run ground-rule double during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Athletics, Sunday, July 6, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis) Sara Nevis/Associated Press
2025.07.06 (Giants vs Athletics) See Full Highlights
2025.07.06 (Giants vs Athletics) See Full Highlights
With Adames catching fire, the Giants took two of three games against the A’s, their first series win since June 20-22 against Boston. Despite losing eight of 13, San Francisco is tied with San Diego for the third wild-card spot.
“I think it’s a great sign,” Adames said. “Obviously now we kind of have the whole team almost healthy, and then guys can keep building from this.”
One who might is Tyler Fitzgerald, who, like Adames, has struggled much of the first half and who might cede playing time, or even a roster spot, to Casey Schmitt when Schmitt comes off the injured list on Monday. Sunday, though, Fitzgerald hit his first homer since April 17, ending a 142-at-bat streak without one — 155 if you include his brief stint with Triple-A Sacramento last month.
“Man, I felt like it was never going to come,” he said.
Even then, it wasn’t easy — it ticked off Tyler Soderstrom’s glove in left before going over the fence. “I thought I got nothing at first, and then I saw him jump up there,” Fitzgerald said.
2025.07.06 – Giants vs Athletics (NBC Sports Post Recap)
San Francisco Giants pitcher Hayden Birdsong throws to the Athletics during the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, July 6, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis) Sara Nevis/Associated Press
2025.07.06 – Giants vs Athletics (NBC Sports Post Recap)
2025.07.06 – Giants vs Athletics (NBC Sports Post Recap)
“We know he’s got that kind of power,” manager Bob Melvin said of Fitzgerald’s 15 homers in 96 games last season. “He was given a great opportunity this year based on what he accomplished last year, and a lot of it had to do with how he swung the bat. He’s just had a tough time kind of finding his way consistently. A swing like that hopefully does a lot for his confidence, because up until that point, he was having a difficult time.”
Giants starter Hayden Birdsong threw nearly as many balls as strikes, yet eked out five innings and gave up only one run.
“Birdie was a little off with his command, he finished kind of 50-50 ball-strikes, but found a way to get outs when he needed to,” Melvin said, “and I think that’s progress from what he’s been dealing with here recently.”
When Birdsong issued two four-pitch walks in the first, it looked as if he might not have a long night. But he struck out Shea Langeliers to end that inning, then struck out all three men he faced in the second. The third inning was another trial, as he walked two and had to face Langeliers with two outs and the bases loaded but got him to fly out to left.
The only run he allowed came on Tyler Soderstrom’s homer leading off the fourth, and he struck out six. “I don’t know how I did it,” he said. “I battled a little bit. I’m happy I got through five.”
Birdsong walked five in all, and only 46 of his 90 pitches were strikes. Over his past three starts, he’s walked 13 but allowed only 10 hits. He’s been a little homer-vulnerable; Soderstrom’s was the sixth he’s given up in his past five outings.
2025.07.06 – Giants vs Athletics (Locked On Post Recap)
San Francisco Giants’ Tyler Fitzgerald points to the sky after hitting a solo home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Athletics Sunday, July 6, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis) Sara Nevis/Associated Press
2025.07.06 – Giants vs Athletics (Locked On Post Recap)
2025.07.06 – Giants vs Athletics (Locked On Post Recap)
A’s starter Jacob Lopez struck out seven in a row in the early innings — he’s the first A’s starter to do so in the expansion era, since 1961, according to Elias Sports — with both starters possibly getting some help with the sun glaring off the batter’s eye in center. The Giants did get one run in the first via Adames’ bases-loaded walk. Lopez got ahead of Adames his next time up, leading off the fourth, and Adames blasted a slider over the wall in center.
No. 9 hitter Andrew Knizner, the Giants’ backup catcher, opened the team’s big inning against Lopez with a base hit. With one out Rafael Devers reached on a dribbler toward first, and Wilmer Flores followed with a soft single to right to load the bases; none of them registered over 72 mph. With two outs, Adames did his force-in-a-run walk thing again, and Luis Matos provided the only hard hit of the fifth inning, lashing a two-run ground-rule double at 102.2 mph.
Camilo Doval made things uncomfortable for the Giants in the ninth, loading the bases with one out and allowing a run before getting Jacob Wilson to ground out to end it.
UP NEXT
Giants: RHP Landen Roupp (6-5, 3.48 ERA) faces Phillies LHP Cristopher Sanchez (7-2, 2.68) on Monday.
Athletics: LHP Jeffrey Springs (6-6, 4.07) pitches against Braves RHP Didier Fuentes (0-2, 9.00) on Tuesday.
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