By DANIEL DULLUM
Sports Radio Service
Sunday, July 3, 2016
sfgate.com photo: San Francisco Giants pitcher Albert Suarez fields a bunt single in the first inning vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday at Chase Field
PHOENIX, Ariz. – On the heels of the kind of bad outing relief specialists dread, San Francisco pitcher Josh Osich was looking for a chance to redeem himself the first chance he got.
That opportunity arrived on Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
On Saturday, Osich walked the one batter he faced – Jake Lamb – who scored on Wellington Castillo’s go-ahead home run in the eighth inning of a 6-5 loss. On Sunday, Osich fared considerably better, setting the Diamondbacks down in order in the 10th inning of an 11-inning 5-4 San Francisco victory.
Osich (1-1) retired Michael Bourn and Paul Goldschmidt on groundouts, and struck out Jake Lamb to pick up his first win of the season.
“It’s a mental thing,” Osich said. “No reliever wants to sit and dwell on what happened before. That was a tough part of their lineup too – they’re pretty good.
“Striking out (Lamb) was a big deal. I just want to get back out there, face the guy … and throw strikes this time!”
In the top of the 11th, Ramiro Pena, pinch-hitting for Osich, laced a hard line drive into the right-field corner off losing pitcher Enrique Burgos (0-1), scoring Jarrett Parker – who led off with a walk – from first base with the go-ahead run.
“First, I wasn’t sure if they’d have me bunt or not,” Pena said. “I was watching the third base coach (Roberto Kelly), he didn’t give me the bunt sign. So I looked for a good pitch to hit.
“I was trying to hit between first and second in that hole, and I got a good pitch,” Pena added. “I thought (Parker) might have a chance to score because the corners here are kind of tricky. And Parker can run.”
Pena hasn’t played since rolling his left ankle in last Wednesday’s game at Oakland. Coming into Sunday’s game, the switch-hitting outfielder was hitting .400 for San Francisco after his contract was purchased from Triple-A Sacramento on June 10.
“You get used to those pressure situations, and you learn how to come off the bench with a big AB and do the best you can,” Pena said, adding that his ankle “still isn’t 100 percent,” but doesn’t hurt as much with the win.
“It feels good to help us win, even if (the ankle) isn’t quite 100 percent. It’s good to do something positive.”
Santiago Casilla earned his 19th save, but it didn’t come without some drama. Yasmany Tomãs greeted Casilla with a base hit, was sacrificed to second by Phil Gosselin, and moved to third on a wild pitch. After Brandon Drury grounded out to third, pinch-hitter Wellington Castillo walked.
Casilla fanned pinch-hitter Peter O’Brien to end the threat, and move the Giants (52-32) to 20 games over .500.
Giants starter Albert Saurez gave up two earned runs in six innings before a series of five relievers worked the next five innings. He struck out five without a walk.
“Albert has really done a great job for us,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “He’s someone we want to keep around, obviously. He’s a great kid. He’s handled the long man role, a starting role. He’s been a pleasure to have around.”
With the victory, the Giants took two of the three games in the Valley of the Sun.
“It’s important in your division to try and take every series,” Bochy said. “We lost a tough one yesterday and now you’re fighting to take the series. Both teams fought hard today, and we found a way to win.”
Bochy added that even if a series isn’t within the NL West, ‘You have to get up for every team you play. Every game counts.”
The Diamondbacks tied the game at 4-4 on Jake Lamb’s 19th home run of the season, a line shot to right, just out of the reach of Mac Williamson. Scoring ahead of Lamb was Paul Goldschmidt, who reached on an error by Giants first baseman Buster Posey.
Two innings earlier, Goldschmidt homered to center field, just clearing the home run stripe above the 407-foot marker on a drive originally scored as a double, but overruled by second-base umpire Bill Miller.
Arizona took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second on consecutive doubles by Phil Gosselin and Brandon Drury (driving in Gosselin).
Williamson’s two-RBI single put the Giants ahead 2-1 in the third, scoring Grant Green and Brandon Belt. After Green and Belt hit back-to-back singles, Brandon Crawford was hit by a pitch with one out to load the bases.
The Giants extended their lead to 4-1 on Belt’s two-run double to left, scoring Saurez, who singled, and Ruben Tejada, who doubled.
D-Backs starter Robbie Ray struck out eight and walked two, but gave up four earned runs in his six innings. Tuffy Gosewisch, a Triple-A All-Star selection at Reno, had two of Arizona’s nine hits.
Arizona is fourth in the NL West at 37-47.
The Giants return home for a three-game series against Colorado, starting with a 1:05 p.m. July 4 contest. The probables against the Rockies are Jake Peavy (Monday), Madison Bumgarner (Tuesday) and Johnny Cueto (Wednesday).
GIANT JOTTINGS: 1B Brandon Belt’s fourth-inning double added to his National League-leading 26 two-baggers so far this season. … RHP Matt Cain (DL, right hamstring strain) made his first rehab start against the AZL Giants on Saturday, throwing 3 1/3 innings, striking out six and allowing two runs on three hits. … INF Kelly Tomlinson is a DH for Single-A San Jose and heads to Triple-A Sacramento Monday. … Sunday’s attendance was 26,171 – 81,713 (27,238 average) for the three-game series.
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