Buster Posey's 18th homer helps Giants to ninth straight win

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Buster Posey is hitting, moving on the bases and catching with an encouraging strength in mid-September for someone who had hip surgery three years ago and chose to sit out the shortened 2020 season to protect his young family.

And he is determined to keep playing deep into October.

Posey homered in the first inning and beat out an infield single then scored the go-ahead run on an error in the third, and the San Francisco Giants beat the San Diego Padres 6-1 on Tuesday night for their ninth straight victory a day after becoming the first team in the big leagues to clinch a playoff berth.

“I feel good, I feel like my legs are underneath me,” Posey said. “I’ve been trying to implement that at the plate.”

Brandon Belt and Darin Ruf each hit run-scoring doubles and Tommy La Stella added an RBI single to back Anthony DeSclafani (12-6), who won for the first time in five starts since defeating Colorado on Aug. 13. The right-hander had allowed six earned runs over his previous 14 2/3 innings.

Belt, who proclaimed himself captain last week in Chicago, formed a ‘C’ with his hand after the eighth-inning double.

With nine straight wins, the majors-best Giants (95-50) have their longest winning streak since a 10-game unbeaten run from May 20-31, 2004.

Posey was part of the World Series championship teams of 2010, ‘12 and ’14 — and these Giants are showing signs of delivering another special postseason.

“You appreciate it for sure," Posey said. "But at the same time, all the guys have such a healthy urgency every day, so you can't sit back and reminisce at this point. There's still a lot of work and guys are getting to the ballpark each day and putting that work in and preparing and going out trusting that the work we've done leading to that is going to pay...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Buster-Posey-s-18th-homer-helps-Giants-to-ninth-16460053.php