Webb 7 shutout IP, Giants beat Royals for 5th win in row, 4-2
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Logan Webb pitched five-hit ball over seven scoreless innings to win for the first time in a month, and the San Francisco Giants stretched their winning streak to five with a 4-2 win over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night.
Webb (6-2) struck out a season-high nine and walked three. He had been 0-1 in five starts since a May 13 win at St. Louis.
"That's what we expect," Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. "That's where he put the bar, and now we expect him to meet it."
Camilo Doval pitched the ninth for his ninth save in 11 chances. After a nine-pitch walk to Carlos Santana leading off, Doval retired Kyle Isbel on a lineout, then struck out Ryan O'Hearn and Nicky Lopez, topping 100 mph with seven of 22 pitches.
The Giants have not allowed more than two runs in any game during their winning streak.
"This something I know I talked a lot about last year," Webb said. "We feed off of that."
Kansas City has lost the first two games of the three-game series and 12 of 16 overall. At 20-41, the Royals have the worst record in the major leagues.
Kris Bubic (0-4) remained winless in eight starts this season, though he lowered his ERA from 9.13 to 8.36.
"You feed off your confidence, especially early on," Bubic said. "Once you get into a good rhythm early on, then you just try to keep that as consistent as you can."
Bubic gave up three runs, five hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings.
"Some of the best stuff we've seen from him, the whole mix," Royals manager Mike Matheny said. "One of the best fastballs we've seen from him all year, not just velocity-wise but location. Curveball was sharp, getting the swing and miss."
San Francisco took a 3-0 lead in the sixth. Luis González doubled and scored on Wilmer Flores' single. Darin Ruf added an RBI single and Tommy La Stella hit the first of two sacrifice flies.
Webb didn't allow a runner to reach scoring position until the seventh. With two on and two outs, Michael A. Taylor singled to right and González made a one-hop throw to catcher Austin Wynn, who tagged out a sliding MJ Melendez. González's 97.4 mph throw was the Giants' second-fastest for an outfield assist since Statcast started tracking in 2015, trailing only Austin Slater's at 99.6 mph on July 24, 2018.
"We've been working hard on my fundamentals and getting good reads," Gonzalez said of his work with .outfield coach Antoan Richardson.
Kansas City closed to 3-2 in the eighth against Tyler Rogers on a sacrifice fly by Bobby Witt Jr. — playing on his 22nd birthday — and Salvador Perez's RBI single.
La Stella hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom half against Scott Barlow.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Royals: LHP Gabe Speier and RHP Matt Peacock (both COVID-19) are scheduled to begin injury rehabilitation assignments with Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Speier, whose uncle is former Giants shortstop Chris Speier, hasn't pitched since May 28. Peacock has been sidelined since May 29.
Giants: 1B Brandon Belt (right knee) was activated from the 10-day IL and was expected to rejoin the lineup Wednesday. Belt pinch hit in the eighth inning and was grazed by the first pitch he saw from Scott Barlow. INF Donovan Walton was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento. ... RHP Alex Cobb (neck) threw the equivalent of three innings of batting practice to minor leaguers. Cobb last pitched for the Giants on May 29, when he allowed two runs and four hits over six innings in a no-decision at Cincinnati.
UP NEXT
RHP Jonathan Heasley (1-3, 3.62) starts Wednesday for Kansas City, and LHP Sam Long (0-1, 1.96) appeared to be San Francisco's most likely candidate to start.