DENVER -- Suddenly, the Giants are in the midst of their biggest power surge in nearly a quarter century.
Rafael Devers, Drew Gilbert and Willy Adames each went deep to propel the resurgent Giants to an 8-2 trouncing of the Rockies on Monday afternoon at Coors Field, marking the first time the club has homered in 15 consecutive games since 2001.
San Francisco (69-69) has now won eight of its last nine games to climb back to .500 for the first time since Aug. 10.
The Giants have struggled to score consistently for much of the season, but their offense finally seems to be firing on all cylinders, plating 69 runs over the club’s last nine games. Much of that damage has come via the long ball, which has helped breathe new life into the team heading into the final month of the regular season.
“We’ve got some guys that can swing it,” manager Bob Melvin said. “We have some guys that have some power. You look up and down our lineup, even guys like [Casey Schmitt], there’s a lot of guys that can go deep. When you’re playing well and you’re scoring some runs, typically that’s going to be a part of our game.”
The Giants came out swinging early thanks to Devers, who launched a 411-foot laser out to right field to open the scoring in the top of the first inning. Devers’ 29th home run of the season -- and his 14th for San Francisco -- rifled off his bat at 114.5 mph, making it the Giants’ hardest-hit long ball since Statcast began tracking in 2015.
The 28-year-old slugger batted only .219 with four home runs over his first 37 games with the Giants, but he’s regained his All-Star form in recent weeks, hitting .299 with 10 homers over his last 29 games.
“He’s a run producer, and we’re seeing why we made the trade,” Melvin said. “He’s a big part of why our offense is clicking right now.”
Still, Devers isn’t the only one swinging a hot bat right now. Gilbert finished 4-for-4 and extended the Giants’ lead to 3-0 with a two-run blast in the third, giving him five RBIs and seven hits in his last two games. The 24-year-old rookie’s second career home run happened to come off Rockies right-hander Chase Dollander, his former college teammate at Tennessee, which made his career day even sweeter.
“It’s always fun when you’re friends with someone and you get to compete against him,” Gilbert said. “I’ve just known him for so long. He knows it, and I know it. It’s just fun competition. Friendly competition. I’m sure he’ll have plenty of moments where he’ll get the best of me since we’re hopefully going to be in the same division for a long time.”
"I love him to death,” Dollander said. “He got me and kind of did what he usually does when he gets somebody, which is bat flip and stuff like that. That's just who he is. But I love him to death. This won't be the last time we face each other, so I'm looking forward to it."
Gilbert has appeared in only 18 games for the Giants since being recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on Aug. 8, but he’s quickly made his presence felt by bringing a youthful jolt of energy to the dugout. He fired up his teammates after clearing the fences in the third, prompting third baseman Matt Chapman to playfully restrain him by the neck as he roared in celebration.
“I feel like it’s kind of something that turns on once you’re in the heat of the competition,” Gilbert said. “I think I’m a little bit different off the field, but when you’re competing to win, emotions come out. I think it’s fun to get a good group of guys to make it easy to kind of come out of my shell and be who I am.”
Adames capped the Giants’ slugfest with another two-run shot to left field in the seventh. The 29-year-old shortstop now has a team-high 26 homers, leaving him four shy of becoming the first Giant to hit 30 in a single season since Barry Bonds in 2004.
Kai-Wei Teng, who was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday to replace the injured Carson Whisenhunt (back strain), earned the win after striking out eight and giving up two runs over 5 1/3 innings in his fifth appearance of the year for the Giants.