Conforto finding his stride, hits 4th HR in 6 games

SAN FRANCISCO -- It’s been a slow start to the season for Michael Conforto, but the 30-year-old slugger is beginning to reestablish himself as the impact bat the Giants hoped he would be.

Conforto’s go-ahead, three-run home run highlighted a six-run second inning that propelled the Giants to a 6-3 win over the Phillies in Monday night’s series opener at Oracle Park.

Alec Bohm opened the scoring with a two-run shot off left-hander Alex Wood in the top of the second, but the Giants quickly responded in the bottom half of the inning.

Rookies Casey Schmitt and Bryce Johnson singled to put a pair of runners on for Thairo Estrada, who bounced a grounder to shortstop Trea Turner. Turner threw to Bryson Stott to try to get the forceout at second, but Stott dropped the ball, allowing Estrada to reach on the error and load the bases with one out.

Wilmer Flores put the Giants on the board with a sacrifice fly to right field, and Conforto kept the rally going by crushing a first-pitch sinker from left-hander Bailey Falter over the left-field wall to make it 4-2. It was Conforto’s team-leading eighth home run of the year, and his first to the opposite field.

“I think today was just a good swing and being ready for a fastball first pitch,” Conforto said. “Not missing it, not fouling it back, staying inside and driving the ball. It’s what I’ve been working on. I’ve been trying to get to that spot, so it feels really good to execute on that one.”

The Giants, who are tied for fourth in the Majors with 63 home runs, have been overly reliant on the long ball to score runs this year, but they continued to pressure the Phillies with more timely hitting, as Mitch Haniger and Brandon Crawford added back-to-back RBI singles to cap the six-run outburst.

“It’s huge,” Conforto said. “That’s kind of what we’re working towards. Being able to not just rely on the homer, but manufacture runs and bring guys in just hitting singles all over the place because we’ve got great hitters all up and down the lineup.”

It proved to be more than enough support for Wood, who gave up two runs on four hits over 4 2/3 innings in his first start since returning from the injured list on Friday. Left-hander Scott Alexander was credited with the win after working 1 1/3 scoreless innings to help the Giants (18-23) snap their three-game skid and become the first Major League franchise to reach 11,500 wins.

After hitting only .168 with a .597 OPS through his first 31 games with the Giants, Conforto is now 8-for-21 (.381) with four home runs, one double and seven RBIs over his last six games. He also singled in the first inning off Phillies opener Connor Brogdon and drew a walk in the sixth off Andrew Bellatti to finally get over the Mendoza Line and boost his batting average to .205 with a .744 OPS.

“I like the way he’s swinging the bat,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “I kind of like the way he’s swinging the bat most of the season, except he’s been making better swing decisions of late. You’re seeing the combination of a really good swing and good swing decisions coming together at the right time and making more consistent hard contact.”

Conforto missed the entire 2022 season while rehabbing from right shoulder surgery before signing a two-year, $36 million deal with the Giants over the offseason. While he struggled to regain his timing at the plate after making his long-awaited comeback, the Giants were confident he’d eventually lock in the swing that produced a 128 OPS+ over his first six seasons with the Mets, including three straight (2017-19) with at least 27 home runs.

While he’s beginning to feel more like himself, Conforto believes there’s still work to be done to ensure he can maintain this level of production for the Giants moving forward.

“It’s been great hitting the ball out of the ballpark, but I still feel like I’ve got to keep working,” Conforto said. “I’ve got to keep doing the things that have brought me to this point. I’ve got a good routine in the cage now. Hopefully we can keep doing a lot more of that stuff. Hit the ball out of the ballpark, use the whole field and just be a tough out.”