SAN DIEGO -- During the Giants’ seven-game homestand last week, Willy Adames mixed things up in batting practice. A screen was put up on the third-base side, forcing the right-handed hitter to work on pushing balls to the opposite field.
It didn’t take long for those drills to pay off on Tuesday.
Adames put a swing on the second pitch he saw in his fourth inning at-bat -- a 93.6 mph outside fastball from Padres starter Nick Pivetta -- and smacked it a Statcast-projected 399 feet at 105 mph over the fence in Petco Park’s right-center field.
“I feel every time I’m doing good, I hit the fastball the other way,” Adames said after the Giants’ 7-4 loss to the Padres. “Obviously, it’s not a feeling that I have been feeling since the season started, but it felt great today to hit the fastball that way. It gives me confidence.”
He should be feeling confident after that blast. It’s not easy to hit a home run to right-center at Petco Park at night. At 391 feet, it’s the deepest part of the ballpark. That, coupled with the marine layer coming in from the Pacific Ocean, creates the perfect conditions for fly balls to die.
But Adames’ didn’t.
Confidence is something that Adames has struggled to find consistently early in the season. But things have been looking up as of late for the Giants’ prized offseason free-agent signing. He was batting .185 as recently as April 18. But in his last 10 games dating back to April 19, Adames has hit .270 with six runs, seven RBIs, five walks and a .727 OPS. He also had a five-game hitting streak during the homestand.
That trend continued as the Giants went back on the road, with a 2-for-4 night that included the home run -- his second of the year -- and a double that he would later score from on an RBI single from Jung Hoo Lee. Adames’ six total bases on Tuesday were the most he’s collected in a game all season.
“I’ve been feeling better,” Adames said. “I’ve been working a lot. Putting a lot of swings in the cage, just trying to get that feeling back. I feel like after you get it back, it’s just, ‘Try to hold on until you can,’ but you know how baseball is, man. You just gotta ride the wave.”
It looks like Adames is starting to find his way, and LaMonte Wade Jr. is trying to join him.
Like Adames, 2025 has been a struggle for Wade to this point. He entered Tuesday slashing .110/.241/.219. But the metrics tell a different story.
Wade’s average exit velocity this season is at 90.6 mph, which is actually a tick above his career average. And his rate of both chasing pitches and drawing walks -- in the 99th and 90th percentile, respectively -- are still at an elite level.
So some of Wade’s struggles early this season have essentially boiled down to back luck. He’s drawing walks and he’s making hard contact. It just usually happens to be right at a defender.
Not on Tuesday.
In the top of the sixth inning, Wade reached across the plate for a slider and belted it down the left-field line for a two-out, two-RBI double. It brought the Giants to within a run, the closest they would get for the rest of the game.
“He’s been pretty unlucky,” manager Bob Melvin said of Wade. “I think his swings here in the last week or so have been a lot better. He’s doing the things that he normally does, and then has a really good at-bat against a good pitcher. Next thing you know, we’re a run behind.”
And while Wade’s still a ways off from where he wants to be, he’s keeping things in perspective as someone who’s played seven Major League seasons.
“Knowing that it’s April 29th,” Wade said. “... You go to September, October. That’s a long road ahead. Just got to trust the process. It’s ebbs and flows to this game, it’s a long season. You can’t get too high, can’t get too low. You just got to come in and keep putting the work in.”