SFGATE: Yaz homers on 30th birthday, Giants win 6th in a row

Yaz homers on 30th birthday, Giants win 6th in a row"
Published on August 24, 2020 at 05:45AM by By JOE STIGLICH, Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Mike Yastrzemski celebrated his 30th birthday with a go-ahead home run and the San Francisco Giants beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-1 Sunday for their sixth consecutive victory.

Trevor Cahill and four relievers held the Diamondbacks to five hits, and the Giants completed their first three-game series sweep of the season.

Yastrzemski drove a 3-2 pitch from Luke Weaver (1-4) into the Giants’ bullpen in center field leading off the sixth for a 2-1 lead. His birthday happens to fall on the same weekend as the birthday of his grandfather, Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski.

“You can’t write that stuff,” Mike Yastrzemski said. “It’s just been really fun to have these opportunities and just try to make the most of them. It’s been fun and we’ve been winning games.”

Alex Dickerson added a three-run homer off Hector Rondon in the seventh to provide cushion and make it a 5-1 game. Evan Longoria doubled home a run and Pablo Sandoval had a run-scoring single to round out San Francisco’s offense.

On a day the Giants cut one of their most beloved veterans in Hunter Pence, they got yet another big moment from Yastrzemski, a late-blooming outfielder who has flourished since breaking through with San Francisco last season when he hit 21 home runs.

He’s hitting .309 this season with a team-high 24 RBIs, and his seven homers are tied with Wilmer Flores for the Giants’ lead.

Cahill held Arizona to one hit over 5 1/3 innings, striking out eight, walking two and being charged with one run that scored after he left the game in the sixth.

Caleb Baragar (3-1) got the final two outs of the sixth and earned the win.

Weaver was strong early for the Diamondbacks, facing the minimum through four innings. He gave up two runs over 5 2/3 innings with five...