Susac swats out of slump with 1st and 2nd career Major League homers

SAN FRANCISCO -- More than halfway through his rookie season, Daniel Susac can finally say he’s gone yard in the big leagues.

The Giants’ young backstop crushed his first two career Major League homers to set the tone for a 16-3 romp over the first-place Brewers on Wednesday afternoon at Oracle Park.

Susac opened the scoring with a three-run shot off Brewers left-hander Thomas Pannone in the bottom of the second inning, smoking a low changeup over the center-field fence to collect the milestone blast.

“I knew it was going to come eventually,” said Susac, who entered Wednesday mired in a 4-for-36 (.111) slump over his last 16 games. “It was just putting in the work with [hitting coaches Oscar Bernard] and Hunter [Mense] in the cage. I’m trying to get back to the swing that I feel like I came into this year with. It’s just been a grind. I’ll keep trying to stay on it.”

The Brewers cut the deficit to 3-2 on a pair of RBI groundouts against ace right-hander Logan Webb, but the Giants put the game out of reach by erupting for seven runs in the bottom of the sixth. It marked San Francisco’s highest-scoring inning at home since their nine-run rally against the Angels on June 16, 2024.

With the Giants leading by double-digits, the Brewers decided to send infielder Andrew Vaughn to the mound in the bottom of the eighth inning. Susac took advantage of the chance to face off against a position player, driving a 2-0 curveball from Vaughn out to left-center field to secure his first career multihomer game.

Susac became the first Giant to record his first two homers in the same game since Jim Gott on May 12, 1985.

“When he’s cut it loose, it’s been very good,” manager Tony Vitello said. “I went on a rant the other day about [how] those guys live a tough life when you’re kind of trying to stake your claim and keep your locker in there. Sometimes guys alter who they are. I think he just needs to stay true to who he is because he’s shown at a high level in college and in Minor League ball, he can drive the ball.”

Susac was expected to serve as the Giants’ primary catcher following the departure of two-time Gold Glove-winner Patrick Bailey in May, but he hit a setback suffering a low back strain that forced him on the injured list for the second time this season on June 26.

He’s been in more of a timeshare with fellow rookies Drew Cavanaugh and Jesus Rodriguez since returning to action on July 17, but he could start earning more playing time if he regains the type of production that he showed at the start of the year, when he hit .478 (11-for-23) with a 1.152 OPS over his first 11 games of the season.

“I think it’s just a growing season for me,” Susac said. “There’s always something to learn from the good and bad.”

San Francisco (46-62) racked up 17 hits en route to taking two of three from the Brewers. Luis Arraez, who was playing in his final home game before Monday’s Trade Deadline, finished 4-for-5 with two RBIs out of the leadoff spot, giving him an MLB-best .331 batting average over 102 games this year.

The widely held assumption is that Arraez -- a pending free agent -- will be dealt in the coming days, but the All-Star second baseman said he’s trying not to dwell on what might be ahead for him.

“I just try to be focused and play my game,” Arraez said. “I don’t want to think about trades or anything. I just try to go out there and [do] my job.”

Regardless of what happens, Arraez said he’ll always be grateful for the chance to play in San Francisco, especially since the Giants were the only team that was willing to give him an opportunity to return to second base this year.

“Amazing,” Arraez said of his time with the orange and black. “They gave me a big opportunity to play second base. I really appreciate that. I want to say thanks to the organization for giving me the opportunity. I’m having fun there.”

Susac, Heliot Ramos (4-for-5, three RBIs), Jung Hoo Lee (2-for-6, three RBIs) and Christian Koss (2-for-5) also delivered multihit performances for the Giants, who will now hit the road for a seven-game swing through San Diego and Texas.