Heliot Ramos hit two home runs and drove in five runs to support Landen Roupp's dominant eight-inning performance on Monday night, leading the San Francisco Giants to a 10-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays at Oracle Park.
The victory snapped an 11-game losing streak for the Giants during Roupp's starts, marking his first major-league win since April 26.
Roupp limited Toronto to three hits and two walks while striking out five batters across a career-high eight innings.
The 27-year-old right-handed pitcher had been struggling with mechanics and efficiency over May and June, which raised his pitch counts and diminished the effectiveness of his sinking two-seam fastball.
"The last couple months, I was pretty slow with my front side, so just speeding that up a little bit and really just wanting to compete," said Roupp.
"I knew I needed to be better for the team. I haven't been great, shoot, the last six or seven outings.
So it was a really good feeling to go out there and compete and give the team a chance to win."
Roupp adjusted his approach by focusing on zone control and relying on guidance from teammate Logan Webb to sequence his pitches based on batter reactions.
"Honestly, it's just reading swings," said Roupp.
"Sometimes I read them wrong, but you can tell early on if they're sitting on a pitch or not.
I mean, I only threw 18 curveballs tonight. I get a little strikeout happy sometimes and that gets me in bad counts.
So I just wanted to pound the zone tonight."
Giants manager Tony Vitello praised the right-hander's competitive intensity and refusal to exit the game easily after throwing 105 pitches.
"I've still yet to shake his hand after that outing, which is kind of the norm after we pull a guy out of the game," said Vitello.
"If you'd have asked him to fistfight anybody on our team, even Ramos, he might have fist fought him to go back out there in the ninth inning.
So that is how competitive he is. If it gets directed in the wrong way, it can work against you.
But when he uses that fire to keep his house lit and warm instead of burning it down, he's capable of great things."
San Francisco's offense backed the pitching performance by scoring early against former Giants All-Star Kevin Gausman, who allowed seven runs in 5 1/3 innings.
Ramos led off the first inning with a triple and scored on a throwing error by Toronto shortstop Andrés Giménez.
Victor Bericoto contributed a two-run single in the sixth inning to knock Gausman out of the game before Ramos hit a three-run home run off reliever Tommy Nance.
Kazuma Okamoto hit a solo home run in the fifth inning for Toronto's lone run, ending a 29-inning scoreless drought for the Blue Jays.
Giants right-hander Trevor McDonald is scheduled to pitch the second game of the series on Tuesday, while Toronto has not yet announced their starting pitcher.
