SAN FRANCISCO — As Heliot Ramos settled back into Oracle Park on Friday afternoon, he got some great news.
Henry Ramos, his older brother, got called up by the Cincinnati Reds, and the two got to talk about a tantalizing possibility when they caught up after the move became official. The Reds visit Oracle Park at the end of August, which could allow the brothers to face off in the big leagues for the first time.
Given the way the last couple of nights have gone, the pressure to make that happen might now be on the older brother.
The younger Ramos hasn’t been able to stick with the big league club yet, but he hit his first homer on Saturday, and for a second straight night he blasted the hardest-hit ball of the night for a slumping Giants offense. After stinging a double 112 mph on Friday, Ramos hit a 110 mph homer on Saturday, providing one of the few highlights in a 9-3 loss to the Texas Rangers.
"Now I can tell my brother I hit my first one harder than him," Heliot said, smiling.
Does he remember how hard Henry's first was?
"Not 110," he said. "No chance."
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That's actually not quite true. Henry's first and only big league blast came late in the 2021 season for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and it left the bat at 109.5 mph. Both brothers are physically imposing as outfielders, and Heliot's natural gifts made him a first-round pick in 2017.
It feels like he has been around forever, but Heliot is still just 23, and the Giants are hopeful he has finally turned a corner. They saw a better approach in recent weeks and the young outfielder said he has been focused on swinging at better pitches.
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"I'm trying to stay consistent within the zone and what I swing at," Ramos said. "Everybody says that if you swing at good pitches, good things happen, right?"
Right now, the Giants will settle for any positive from a hitter. They went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and lost for the sixth time in the last seven games. Their best opportunity came early when they loaded the bases and knocked Andrew Heaney out of the game in the second inning, which seemed to catch them by surprise.
Austin Slater hit against a right-handed reliever even though there were four left-handed pinch-hit options on the bench. Asked about the move, Gabe Kapler said repeatedly that it was a reasonable question to have, but that it felt awfully early to remove a position player.
If any team would do it, it's these Giants, especially with a player who is a platoon piece anyway. Instead, Kapler stuck with Slater, who hit into an inning-ending double play. The Giants wasted two more good opportunities in the middle innings and ended up getting blown out.
They have scored just four runs in this series, and two of them have come from late rockets from a young outfielder who is less than two weeks removed from watching the Giants prioritize AJ Pollock. Pollock's injury opened the door, although maybe not for long. Mike Yastrzemski could be back as soon as Tuesday, which could force the Giants to choose between Ramos and Luis Matos. Neither has had a good year overall, but right now there's no doubt about who is swinging the hotter bat.
Ramos' first big league homer was resting in his locker after the game. He traded a bat and some other items for it, and he looked forward to a little good-natured trash talk when he got his brother back on the phone. If he keeps hitting rockets, he might be able to do it in person soon.
"I called him yesterday," he said. "I hope we're here together."
