Jung Hoo Lee changed the game with one swing Tuesday night, sending a second-inning home run over the wall and giving the San Francisco Giants the early lead in a 3-1 win over the Athletics.
That run mattered because Robbie Ray gave San Francisco everything it needed after that, pitching 8.0 innings and allowing two hits and one earned run. In a low-scoring game, Lee's homer was the difference between a close contest and a comfortable finish, and it came when the Giants were looking for a lift.
The boost was built around a lineup decision that already had some risk in it. Tony Vitello sent Matt Chapman out as the leadoff hitter, even though Chapman had been hitting.077 with 11 strikeouts in his last seven appearances. That move still carried a reason: Chapman had gone there before on June 14 against the Chicago Cubs, and it worked, with a home run and two RBI in three at-bats.
Chapman’s season line,.243/.329/.713 with seven home runs and 42 RBI, shows why he remained in the mix despite the slump. But the real payoff Tuesday belonged to Lee, whose homer gave San Francisco the lead it kept, and it set up a Wednesday night turn with Tyler Mahle scheduled to pitch against Gage Jump. Mahle entered at 1-7 with a 6.04 ERA, while Jump was listed at 3-1 with a 2.37 ERA.
The Giants got the result they needed, but the lineup question is still hanging there. If Chapman stays in the leadoff spot, the next answer has to come from the bat, not the card.
