Brandon Crawford hit a two-run double and Alex Wood won for the first time since May 10 as the San Francisco Giants notched a 6-2 victory over the visiting Kansas City Royals on Monday night.
Austin Slater and Luis Gonzalez each scored twice as the Giants captured the opener of the three-game set to increase their winning streak to four games.
Wood (4-5) allowed two runs and four hits over six innings. The left-hander struck out five and walked one while ending a five-start winless stretch.
The Royals had six hits while losing their third straight game to fall 20 games below .500.
The Giants managed just five hits but took advantage of nine walks.
San Francisco pushed across the go-ahead run in the sixth inning.
Slater walked against Royals left-hander Amir Garrett (1-1) to start the inning and moved to second on a wild pitch. One out later, Thairo Estrada hit a sharp single to center to score Slater.
In the seventh inning, Kansas City right-hander Arodys Vizcaino issued one-out walks to Darin Ruf and Slater. Crawford followed with a hard-hit ground double inside the first base line to score both runners and make it 5-2.
San Francisco added an insurance run in the eighth as Gonzalez hit a two-out double off right-hander Josh Staumont, took third on a wild pitch and continued home on a throwing error by Royals catcher MJ Melendez.
Right-hander Mauricio Llovera, left-hander Jake McGee and right-hander Camilo Doval each tossed a scoreless inning of relief for the Giants.
Kansas City scored twice in the third inning off Wood.
Carlos Santana walked and moved to third on a double to left by Emmanuel Rivera. Whit Merrifield’s sacrifice fly scored Santana, and Rivera came home later in the inning on an infield single by Bobby Witt Jr.
San Francisco tallied twice in the bottom of the third after Kansas City right-hander Brady Singer lost his control and issued four consecutive walks.
Austin Wynns doubled with two outs before Gonzalez and Mike Yastrzemski walked to load the bases. Singer then walked Ruf to force in one run and Joc Pederson to score another.
Singer walked five in five innings. He gave up two runs on two hits and struck out five.
–Field Level Media