MINNEAPOLIS — Since Casey Schmitt and Patrick Bailey were called up, the rookies have seemingly done all the Giants’ heavy lifting. In a 4-1 series-opening win against the Twins on Monday, they handed the baton back to the veterans.
All of the first four Giants batters reached base and scored before making an out in a first-inning rally punctuated by a three-run home run by Michael Conforto, providing all the support San Francisco would need behind a patchwork of pitchers that held Minnesota scoreless for seven innings.
With Conforto’s big blast — a 413-foot shot into the bullpens in left-center — the Giants were able to capitalize on an erratic outing from Twins starter Bailey Ober. They had two men on base before they put a ball in play, thanks to leadoff walks from LaMonte Wade Jr. and Mike Yastrzemski. When J.D. Davis finally got a pitch to hit, he clobbered an RBI double — at 107.8 mph, the hardest-hit ball of the night — that drove in Wade and left two on for Conforto.
