Judge, Stanton provide power as SF Giants outmuscled by Yankees

SAN FRANCISCO — On Wu-Tang Night, it was the Yankees — and their fans — who brought the ruckus.

Logan Webb tossed seven innings after allowing four early runs, but Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton both hit two-run homers for New York as the Giants fell to the Yankees 7-3 on Saturday at Oracle Park, dropping their third straight and dipping back below the .500 mark.

“They’re leading the league in pitching, their leading the league in offense and they’re playing really good right now,” said Giants manager Bob Melvin. “So, yeah, presents its challenges.”

Chief among those challenges was Judge. A night after hitting two home runs in his first game at Oracle Park, Judge gave the Yankees an early 2-0 lead by blasting a 464-foot, two-run shot off of Webb that nearly cleared the left-field bleachers.

“He’s an MVP for a reason,” Webb said. “You can’t throw pitches over the heart of the plate. It’s the name of the game.”

New York (41-19) added two more runs in the third, extending the lead to 4-0. Juan Soto, drove in a run with a sacrifice fly that took Heliot Ramos to the warning track, and after the Giants (29-30) intentionally walked Judge, Alex Verdugo extended the Yankees’ lead with an RBI single.

Despite the rough beginning, Webb didn’t allow a run over the next four frames. The right-hander ended his night having thrown a season-high 108 pitches, allowing four runs across seven innings with six strikeouts to one walk.

“I think early in the game, I was getting behind on some of the hitters,” Webb said. “It’s tough when you do that against a lineup like that. I think I stuck to the game plan. I didn’t go away from that; I just started executing better.”

Added Melvin: “They made him work in the early innings, but recovered and kept us in the game.”

As Webb found his groove, the Giants found their offense.

Casey Schmitt, recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on Friday, created much-needed excitement for the home crowd in the bottom half, launching a two-run shot — his first homer of the year — to cut the deficit to 4-2. Schmitt cooly flipped his bat as he began his celebratory jog, a much-needed jolt of confidence given he entered play with a .318 OPS in 22 plate appearances.

“Whenever you come back like that and get off to a good start and have a good game, it should be good for your confidence,” Melvin said.

The Giants added another run in the fifth, largely thanks to a successful challenge.

With one out, Heliot Ramos tagged up from second to third when Schmitt flew out to center field. Second base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt determined that Ramos left early, allowing the Yankees to turn an inning-ending double play. San Francisco successfully challenged the call, placing Ramos at third with two outs. Two pitches later, Brett Wisely rolled a single into right field, cutting the deficit to 4-3.

While San Francisco got within striking distance, New York landed a haymaker in the top of the eighth. Verdugo extended the Yankees’ lead to 5-3 with an RBI single, then Stanton delivered the backbreaking blow with a two-run home run that gave the Bronx Bombers a 7-3 lead.

“We scored some runs and came back,” Melvin said. “Up until the eighth when they scored three, we felt pretty good.”

Those three runs were the most they’ve scored in a single game since LaMonte Wade Jr., who leads baseball in on-base percentage (.470), hit the injured list with a hamstring strain. The Giants have dropped three of their last four games with Wade out of the lineup, scoring seven total runs. Thairo Estrada is dealing with his own ailment now as well, having jammed his thumb several times in Friday’s 6-2 loss.

“It hurts, obviously,” Melvin said of Wade’s injury. “He’s one of the best hitters in the league at this point in time. We’ve had some injuries; probably no (one) more significant than him at this point. Not having Estrada in there either, it’s not our best lineup, but it was pretty competitive today until the eighth inning.”

The Giants will send Blake Snell (0-3, 10.42 ERA) to the mound on Sunday, looking to avoid being swept.