Ramos, Slater pace Giants’ third consecutive win from top of lineup

ARLINGTON — When Heliot Ramos showed up at Oracle Park a few months after the Giants took him 19th overall in the 2017 MLB Draft, he went through the usual routine. He met with the media, took pictures on the field with then-GM Bobby Evans and other team executives, and got a tour of the facilities. And then Ramos sat in the dugout for a while with Bruce Bochy, the two smiling as they had a conversation about the young outfielder’s future.

As Ramos thought back to that day on Saturday afternoon, he noted how much has changed. He was well-built for a 17-year-old, but still much skinnier than he is today. There was no beard, or even a hint of facial hair. Bochy wore orange and black, and he has since retired, come back and won another title.

As Bochy’s Texas Rangers prepared for his old team to come to Globe Life Field this weekend, a lot of their focus was on Ramos. Right now he’s easily the Giants’ most dangerous hitter.

“He’s been swinging the bat well,” Bochy said before the series. “I saw this kid come up through the minors with the time I spent there when I retired and [was] watching guys. He’s a talented kid, has power, an arm, runs well. He’s a good athlete. We’ve got to try to get him out.”

The Rangers haven’t been able to do it often through 18 innings, although to be fair to them, the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks and plenty of others over the past month have had the same problem. 

Ramos had two more hits Saturday, and both were huge. His ringing RBI double in the first gave the Giants a lead and his two-run homer in the third was the difference in a 3-1 victory, their third straight after a six-game losing streak. 

“What do you say about Ramos?” manager Bob Melvin wondered aloud in his postgame. “He’s playing with a lot of confidence.”

That, Ramos said, is easy to do. He’s trusting his plan at the plate, and more often than not, it’s leading to hard contact or walks. He was confident when he returned to the big leagues. Batting .327 with six homers over the past month has only added additional layers. 

“Confidence happens when you’re making things happen,” he said.

Ramos now has driven in 23 runs in 28 games and bumped his OPS to .973, which ranks second in the National League among players with more than 100 plate appearances. The production has come in different forms, too. After giving him a chance to lead off in recent days, Melvin moved Ramos to the No. 2 slot so Austin Slater could bat first against a lefty. 

That’s been Slater’s usual spot in those matchups in recent years, but it wasn’t an automatic call given his early struggles. Slater made his manager look smart, scoring twice on Ramos’ extra-base hits. Melvin was particularly pleased with Slater’s ability to bounce back from an 0-2 count and draw a walk while leading off the game. That’s the type of plate appearance managers love even when they don’t lead to runs. 

Melvin talked before Saturday’s game about how he would like to find more stability at the top of his lineup. It would go a long way if Slater could find his old form against lefties, and the team’s longest-tenured player said he appreciated Melvin giving him the shot Saturday given his overall numbers this season. 

“It’s a lot of trust,” Slater said.

That’s what you generally get from more experienced managers like Melvin and Bochy. Before Saturday’s game, Bochy spent most of his time talking about his faith in underperforming Rangers like Adolis Garcia and Jonah Heim. He’s confident better days are ahead. 

Melvin has been rewarded lately for his patience with Wilmer Flores. He’s hoping that Slater is the next to break out, and perhaps the team’s new center fielder can help with that. Slater said his goal Saturday was simply to get on base for Ramos. 

“If he keeps this up, I think I’m going to be getting a lot more fastballs,” he said, smiling. “I’m okay with that.”

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