SAN FRANCISCO – At this rate, the Giants might want to hit up Denny’s for breakfast.
The Orange and Black broke out the big bats again Sunday as Rafael Devers smashed his first grand slam in a Giants uniform, highlighting an offense that has been cooking in recent days and providing the pivotal moment in San Francisco’s 8-5 win over the Chicago White Sox.
On a day when the Star Wars franchise was celebrated at Oracle Park, the Force clearly was on the Giants’ side.
At least on offense.
Devers, who has faced a ton of criticism since being acquired from the Boston Red Sox in 2025, had his breakthrough moment with San Francisco in the fifth inning.
After Willy Adames doubled leading off the inning, Luis Arráez was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game and Casey Schmitt walked. Devers, who had an RBI double in the first inning, followed with a towering home run to left that had the Oracle Park crowd buzzing.
Schmitt stayed hot with another home run and three RBI. Devers drove in five runs while six of the eight starting position players had at least one hit.
The Giants needed it on an afternoon when starting pitcher Robbie Ray wore down quickly after giving up a career-worst seven walks.
After White Sox leadoff hitter Chase Meidroth homered off Ray to begin the game, the Giants bounced back quickly and took a 2-1 lead following consecutive RBI doubles by Schmitt and Devers.
Chicago scored off Ray again in the fourth to tie it before Schmitt’s 11th home run of the season, a two-run drive in the third, put the Giants ahead 4-2.
The White Sox took advantage of Ray’s control problems and scored twice in the fifth for another tie.
Devers’ majestic drive in the fifth made sure there wouldn’t be another Chicago comeback.
Keaton Winn set down six batters to win. Caleb Kilian, the fourth of four relievers used by manager Tony Vitello, worked the ninth for his third save.
Here are the takeaways from Sunday:
Mama, there’s that man again
Schmitt has developed into a nightmare at-bat for opposing pitchers with his ability to square the ball up and hit with force. Some might argue the point but at this stage of the season Schmitt wields the most powerful bat in the Giants’ lineup.
His two-run home run off White Sox starter Noah Schultz on a 1-1 sinker in the third inning was a massive drive that extended San Francisco’s lead to 4-1.
The Giants did enough good things that the Schmitt bomb wasn’t the deciding factor but it was still a positive moment. It was Schmitt’s third home run in four games, seventh in May and 11th overall. He had an RBI double earlier in the game and finished 2-for-3, raising his average to .296.
Ray’s light dimmed
It’s been a rough week for the Giants’ No. 2 starting pitcher, and most of it was of his own doing.
Six days after getting tagged for a career-high 10 runs in a road start against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Ray served up another deep ball but that was the least of his worries. What had the left-hander in trouble all afternoon was a serious lack of control.
Ray set a career-high with seven walks in only four innings, nearly four times as many hits (two) he allowed. Three of the free-passes Ray issued came around to score, too.
Ray generally doesn’t use his health as an excuse, so he likely will go that same route, but obviously there is something keeping him from getting on track.
Rookie gets his first start
Rookie outfielder Victor Bericoto had quite a time playing defense during his first start in the majors, making a defensive gem after narrowly making another earlier in the game.
The 24-year-old from Venezuala just missed making a diving catch on Derek Hill’s double near the right field line in the first inning, but kept his poise and rebounded with a spectacular sliding catch on Luisangel Acuna’s sacrifice fly in the fourth.
The catch itself was noteworthy but Bericoto nearly pulled off a double play when he made a strong throw to third that nearly got Hill trying to advance from second base.
At the plate was a different story. Bericoto, who hit .299 in 43 games with Triple-A Sacramento before being elevated to the big-league club earlier this week, went 0-for-2 and didn’t get the ball out of the infield.