SAN FRANCISCO – Diamondbacks outfielder Randal Grichuk hit two home runs in Arizona’s 8-7 win over the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Tuesday.
Grichuk has hit four home runs in his last four starts and has hit his stride at just the right time considering outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. landed on the injured list with a calf strain before first pitch on Tuesday. Before this stretch, Grichuk had hit just four home runs in 83 games after hitting at least 16 in every season since 2015 — except for his 12 in 2020.
Arizona took a 7-1 lead after Grichuk’s second home run – against right-hander Tristan Beck – fell just over the glove of a jumping Heliot Ramos in the fifth inning.
Randal Grichuk hits a home run for the second time tonight, extending @Dbacks Lead 🚀 pic.twitter.com/QL3ta3g6ai
— MLB (@MLB) 4 September 2024
His first home run, a two-run shot against Giants left-handed starter Kyle Harrison, was hit 410 feet to deep center field in the first inning. It reached one yard on the ninth pitch of the at-bat.
“The longer it goes, the better you get at timing, body awareness and mechanical adjustment from throw to throw,” Grichuk said. “Extending your hips longer, stride length… seeing throws you can spot earlier and avoiding throws outside the zone or swinging the balls better as the swing gets longer.”
He gave Arizona an early 3-0 lead and the D-backs followed suit, knocking Harrison out of the game in the third inning.
Grichuk has had 12 games with multiple home runs in his career, but Tuesday was his first since 2022. He is just one home run away from reaching 200 in his career.
Grichuk sends our bullpen a souvenir! pic.twitter.com/UF5ycgHbRe
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) 4 September 2024
“He’s hot, and when he’s hot, he can carry a ball bat,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “The two-run home run gave us some breathing room in the dugout. After a grueling series against the Dodgers (1-3) and a tough home game (2-5), we got an early lead. I think we felt better overall.”
The 33-year-old veteran’s playing time decreased in August because opposing starters had so many right-handed hitters because the D-backs played him strictly with Joc Pederson.
Lovullo has said Grichuk would like more playing time, and the veteran spoke openly about how difficult it is to stay in rhythm.
“I try to always be ready when I’m called. Fortunately, things are going well right now, so I hope it continues like this,” Grichuk said.
With Gurriel out, he’ll have to come up with something in left field, Lovullo said.
Grichuk starts against any left-handed hitter anyway, and he will play a key role in Thursday’s matchup with Giants left-handed ace Blake Snell. Lovullo mentioned that Pavin Smith should get more play in left field against right-handed hitters, but with his good hand, Grichuk might be able to get more opportunities until Gurriel returns.
“I’ve thought about it and I’ll look at some of the information that I have, some of the head-to-head matches that I have,” Lovullo said. “Gurriel will hopefully be out for another seven games… If that’s the case, I could see (Grichuk) starting some of those games, but we’ll see how it goes.”
