Carlos Rodón and Austin Wynns propel SF Giants to 4-1 victory

SF Giants ace Carlos Rodón breezed through five innings and Austin Wynns knocked in three runs to lift San Francisco to a series victory over Atlanta.
Carlos Rodón and Austin Wynns propel SF Giants to 4-1 victory
Carlos Rodón and Austin Wynns propel SF Giants to 4-1 victory /
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The SF Giants have won four of their last five games after defeating Atlanta 4-1 to wrap up their three-game series against the reigning World Series champs. The Giants relied on another fantastic outing from ace Carlos Rodón and key offensive contributions from the bottom half of their lineup.

The Giants jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Facing veteran righty Charlie Morton, J.D. Davis got a two-out rally started with a single to left field. Then, recently promoted Willie Calhoun worked a nine-pitch walk to set the stage for catcher Austin Wynns.

Wynns has struggled mightily at the plate this season. Entering play on Wednesday, Wynns had a .580 OPS in 149 plate appearances this season. However, Wynns took an 0-2 fastball from Morton to right field for an RBI single.

Rodón surrendered his only run of the day in the subsequent half inning. Vaughn Grissom worked a lead-off walk, and a throwing error by Wynns trying to back pick Grissom at first base allowed him to advance into scoring position. Two batters later, Robbie Grossman recorded Atlanta's first hit of the game and evened the score at one.

The Giants answered in the bottom of the fourth inning, with the back half of their lineup leading the charge once again. David Villar and J.D. Davis doubled off Morton to give San Francisco a 2-1 lead.

SF Giants ace Carlos Rodon throws a pitch against the Atlanta Braves. (2022)
Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

Rodón only needed 71 pitches to complete five innings on Wednesday. He allowed the one unearned run on just two hits and a walk while retaking the National League lead in strikeouts, adding eight more to his season tally.

Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters after the game that the southpaw was removed as a precaution for a blister and cracked nail he has been dealing with. Kapler said he remains confident Rodón will make his next scheduled start.

Rodón set a new single-season career-high with his outing. As the Giants approach postseason elimination while Rodón is set for a massive contract this offseason, it still could make sense for both parties to limit his workload towards the end of the season to ensure he avoids a major injury.

The bottom of the Giants lineup got one more crack at Morton in the sixth inning. Villar was hit by a pitch and Brandon Crawford walked with one out in the inning. Atlanta's manager Brian Snitker decided to bring in right-handed reliever Jesse Chavez. Chavez immediately walked Davis to load the bases before Wynns recorded another huge two-out single, bringing a pair of runs around the bases to give San Francisco a 4-1 lead.

Kapler turned to Tyler Rogers, Scott Alexander, John Brebbia, and Camilo Doval to get through the final four innings. Brebbia worked around a pair of one-out singles in the eighth, and other than that, Atlanta never brought the tying run to the plate.

The SF Giants improved to 69-74 with their win on Wednesday afternoon and will have a day off on Thursday. However, things will not get any easier in their schedule with the Los Angeles Dodgers coming to town for a three-game series at Oracle Park over the weekend. First pitch for Friday's game is scheduled for 7:15 PM Pacific.


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Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).