Talking the talk and w***ing the w***

Giants 9, Dodgers 3

The most important swing of Monday’s game was the one that didn’t happen.

Rafael Devers stood in with the bases loaded and a 3-2 count. He fought off one high fastball and waited for another. This time the bat stayed on his shoulder. Ball four flew way above the zone, giving the Giants the lead in the least likely way possible.

That’s hardly hyperbole.

As Ken Rosenthal shared Monday, if the Giants’ 5.4% walk rate holds, it would be the lowest in 60 years. Of any team. Andrew Baggarly noted last week the Giants went 130 plate appearances between walks, a gap spanning Monday to Saturday. A whole work week, no walks. Couldn’t be me.

Finally the Giants could reap the rewards they had been missing out on. Three of their six walks came around to score. The line kept moving, setting up Willy Adames for two bases-loaded singles.

And that set up the Giants outfielders for a victory walk of their own, so they could do... this?

Up next: The Dodgers’ conveyor belt of aces keeps rolling as Yoshinobu Yamamoto (3-2, 3.09 ERA) squares off against anti-ace Adrian Houser (0-4, 6.19 ERA). First pitch at 7:10 pm.