LOS ANGELES — Giants pitcher Jeff Samardzija allowed his 29th homer Friday night, matching his career high.
In yet another sign of how quickly the game has changed, when Samardzija surrendered the same number two years ago with the White Sox, only five major-league pitchers gave up more. This year, Samardzija is not even in the top 15.
Several desirable pitchers, including Ervin Santana, Jeremy Hellickson, Marco Estrada and Gerrit Cole, have allowed 30 or more.
Samardzija made great strides in 2017 cutting down on walks.