SAN DIEGO — The days of this being AT&T Park South are over. There were maybe 5,000 people actually at Petco Park on Monday night, and the usual large swatches of orange were missing. You can’t blame any fans who took this trip off their calendar sometime over the past six weeks.
But the Giants have kept it circled, and not just because of all the taco spots within walking distance of the team hotel. Manager Bruce Bochy has tried to be respectful of games with contenders, trotting out lineups that included plenty of veterans. The first night against the last-place Padres allowed for some extra time for his rookies, and man, did they take advantage.
Andrew Suarez would have been in the lineup regardless, and he continued a strong first season with a career-high 7 2/3 innings in a 4-2 win over the Padres. Left fielder Chris Shaw had his first career three-hit game, giving him five in two days. Aramis Garcia looked at home in his first start at first base and drove in a run with a hard single. Right fielder Austin Slater cut a runner down at second with one of the best throws of the year by a Giant.
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“They did a great job,” Bochy said. “It started with Suarez, what a great job he did. He really had a good fastball going, good movement on it. Shaw, a nice game by him, and a big hit by Garcia. It was good to see the kids playing well.”
The biggest leaps in recent days have come from Shaw, who looked lost at the plate for his first 25 big league plate appearances but has been locked in the last couple of days. Shaw said he made an adjustment, starting his swing earlier. He lifts his leg when the pitcher lifts his leg, a tweak he used earlier in his career.
“It allows me a ton of time,” he said.
On Monday, Shaw used those split-seconds to shoot the ball all over the field. He had a single and double to left and pulled a hard double down the right field line. The final hit came off a lefty reliever, and was enough to have his manager doing a little extra noodling late at night. Bochy said he will think about using Shaw against either lefty Joey Lucchesi on Tuesday or Robbie Erlin on Wednesday.
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If Shaw does get a start against a lefty, that’ll be another milestone to check off the list. Monday’s game also showed that he still has room to grow in other departments. After the double, Bochy put Gorkys Hernandez in for defensive purposes. He said Shaw has come a long way and done a good job out there, but it’s clear the staff would like to see more.
In right field, Slater continued to show that he has the tools to handle either corner spot. His throw to rob Franmil Reyes of a double was one of the defensive highlights of the season for the Giants.
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They have not, in recent years, had any types of arms in the outfield. Slater’s is clearly different.
“That’s one of the more impressive plays and throws I’ve seen,” Bochy said. “It’s not like he took his time to gather himself to get a lot on it. It was all arm. He’s going away from second base and he wheels and fires a bullet right on the money.”