SEATTLE – Nothing would be more welcome for the San Francisco Giants than a strong second half, or even just a decent one. If Willy Adames is a driving force, all the better.

The Giants shortstop had a forgettable first half, but he burst out of the All-Star break with a grand slam to help the Giants thump the Mariners 7-0. Landen Roupp, continuing where he left off 11 days earlier, worked seven scoreless innings. 

Adames hasn’t fulfilled expectations after signing a seven-year, $182 million deal before last season, providing inconsistent offense and mediocre defense. He’d cooled off since a batch of homers from May 18-June 19, with two in the 19 games since, but in the first-half finale on Sunday he had a three-hit game, and on Friday he clocked the Giants’ eighth grand slam of the year, his second.

Now Adames has 16 homers and a shot at hitting 30 for the second year in a row. His recent uptick could pique interest before the trade deadline; a deal is unlikely, given the size and length of his contract, and he told the Chronicle before the game he hasn’t been asked to waive his no-trade clause. But if he’s on a power surge, it’s possible that contending teams could come calling. 

Still, Adames is batting .229 and, dealing with back trouble much of the season, he has sunk in the defensive rankings, second to last in Statcast’s outs above average among qualified shortstops at minus-11. His ninth-inning error was his 14th of the season, tied for second-most.

Rookie Bryce Eldridge, deemed off-limits for trades, drilled a two-run homer in the fifth. 

Roupp made it two straight strong starts, this time on extended rest after being skipped in the rotation before the break. He didn’t give up a hit until Josh Naylor’s two-out single in the fourth, and the Mariners never had a man in scoring position against him.

For a team such as the Giants, who are likely to trade No. 2 starter Robbie Ray any day now, Roupp appears just about ready to step up into that spot, if he can stay consistent. That’s been the struggle this season. Roupp has been streaky; he won five of his first six starts and a 2.55 ERA, then went 0-7 over his next 11 starts with a 5.87 ERA, some of that because of wonky delivery.

His last time out, after figuring out he was overrotating Roupp worked eight innings against the Blue Jays and allowed one run. Entering the night, Roupp was allowing a 28.2% hard-hit rate, the lowest in MLB, and allowing barrels (great contact) just 2.4% of the time per plate appearance, also the best mark in the league.

Rookie Drew Cavanaugh worked well with Roupp on a day the team’s only veteran catcher, Eric Haase, was designated for assignment, and he threw out a runner in the fifth and reached base four times.

Former Tigers closer Jason Foley, who came off the injured list on Sunday after missing a year and a half after shoulder-capsule surgery, made his Giants debut in the eighth and worked a scoreless inning with a strikeout. It was his first big-league appearance since Sept 27, 2024.

All-Star second baseman Luis Arraez, who’s played with a bruised right foot for several weeks, fouled yet another pitch directly off it in the seventh. He limped a bit but stayed in the game.