Homers by Conforto and Flores help lead Giants past Rangers 5-2
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Michael Conforto hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the seventh inning, Wilmer Flores went deep twice for his first multihomer game of the season and the San Francisco Giants beat the Texas Rangers 5-2 on Friday night.
Logan Webb (5-5) won for the first time in four starts after allowing two runs and five hits with six strikeouts and no walks over seven innings while throwing 94 pitches.
With the game tied at 2, Conforto launched a 3-2 cutter from David Robertson (2-3) over Texas’ bullpen in right-center with one out.
“Someone said before the game that ‘Flo’ was going to hit one or two, and he hit two,” Webb said. “That was awesome. And obviously Mikey did it to go ahead. That was big time.”
It was Conforto’s first home run since missing 19 games because of a hamstring strain.
Heliot Ramos added an RBI single in the eighth among his three hits for San Francisco. He has been on base nine times in the last two games with one homer, four singles and four walks.
Camilo Doval pitched a perfect ninth for his 10th save in 12 opportunities for the Giants, who have won two in a row following a season-worst six-game losing streak.
The Rangers left only three on base in losing for the third time in four games.
The game pitted Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, who last season brought home the club’s first World Series title, against the franchise that he led to three championships.
“Couldn’t get much going,” Bochy said. “Couldn’t get guys on base. Makes it tough to win.”
Flores has three home runs in two games, including a grand slam at Arizona on Wednesday, among his four homers this season after leading the club with 23 last season. It was his sixth career multihomer game.
Flores said he stays patient and keeps working when hitting becomes difficult.
“I don’t allow myself to go crazy about baseball,” he said.
Flores had a chance to extend a 2-0 lead in the fifth, batting with the bases loaded and two outs. But Texas’ Jonathan Hernández, who relieved starter Michael Lorenzen one batter earlier and struck out Jorge Soler, got Flores to chase an 0-2 slider low and outside for strike three to end the threat.
The Rangers then tied it at 2 in the fifth on Robbie Grossman’s sacrifice fly to score Nathaniel Lowe and Ezequiel Duran’s single up the middle against a drawn-in infield to bring home Wyatt Langford.
Lorenzen gave up two runs on Flores’ homers in 4 1/3 innings, giving him a 1.50 ERA over his last five starts.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Giants: LHP Blake Snell (right groin strain) is scheduled to play catch Saturday.
Rangers: SS Corey Seager (left hamstring tightness) missed his first full game after coming out of Texas’ previous game in the second inning Wednesday night after grabbing at the leg on his way to first base. Bochy said Seager will miss “a couple days, three days.” … INF Davis Wendzel was recalled for infield insurance and OF Derek Hill was designated for assignment. … RHP Max Scherzer (offseason back surgery, thumb soreness) will throw 45-to-50 pitches for Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday in his second rehab appearance of the season, the first coming on April 24.
UP NEXT
Rangers LHP Andrew Heaney (2-6, 3.99 ERA) will seek his third consecutive win in Saturday’s middle game of the series. The Giants didn’t announce their starter.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
