The Oakland A’s Starling Marte slides below San Francisco Giants third baseman Wilmer Flores for a stolen base in the first inning at the Oakland Ring Central Coliseum (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND-LaMonte Wade came up with the biggest hit of the day for the San Francisco Giants when it was needed the most.

Wade came off the bench to pinch hit for Darin Ruf and launched a pinch-hit two-run home run off of Lou Trivino with one out nto the Budweiser viewing section of the right field seats in the top of the ninth inning, as the Giants defeated the Oakland Athletics 6-5 before a crowd of 36,230 at the Coliseum.

The Wade home run came after Buster Posey struck out for the first out of the inning, and then Brandon Belt, which then brought Mike Yastrzemski off the bench to run for Belt and he scored just in front of Wade on what proved to be the game-winning hit for the now 79-43 Giants.

Tyler Rogers pitched a perfect eighth inning, where he struck out two in the frame to pick up his fourth win of the season against just one loss.

Jake McGee came on to close it out in the bottom of the ninth inning, as he retired the Athletics in order for his 27th save.

Things did not start out good for the Giants, as Mark Canha reached third base on a fielding error by Wilmer Flores, who then scored on a Starling Marte double in the bottom of the first inning.

Coupled with the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 victory over the New York Mets, the Giants lead over the Dodgers stays at 1.5 games in the National League West.

After both Matt Olson and Mitch Moreland were retired by Kevin Gausman, Josh Harrison was hit by a pitch and then hit an opposite field single that scored both Marte and Harrison after the duo pulled off a double steal.

Kris Bryant got the Giants within one run in the top of the second inning, as he hit his 22nd home run of the season just out of the reach of Canha in left field. Ruf, who walked to lead off the inning for the Giants also scored on the two-run home run.

Gausman, who was looking for his 13th win of the season did not receive a lot of help from his offense nor his defense, as he went just 3.2 innings, allowing five runs (two earned), allowed six hits, walked just one and struck out five and he did not fare in the decision.

Jarlin Garcia came on to replace Gausman, and was effective, as he went 2.1 innings, allowing one hit and one strikeout before giving way to Dominic Leone.

The quartet out of the bullpen went the final 5.1 innings, allowing zero runs on two hits, not walking a batter and striking out four.

Things were looking for Sean Manaea, as he was in line for the win for the Athletics, but he did not go the required five innings, as he got into trouble in the top of the fifth inning.

Manaea got the first two batters of the inning out, but then he hit Brandon Belt and then walked both Ruf and Bryant and Bob Melvin decided that he needed to go to his bullpen.

Former Giants pitcher Yusmeiro Petit came on to replace Manaea, and immediately ended the threat, as he Flores to lineout to Tony Kemp to end the potential rally.

In all, Manaea, went 4.2 innings, allowing two runs on four hits, walking three and striking out three.

Harrison gave the Athletics a two-run lead in the bottom of the third inning, as he doubled to left field to score Matt Olson, who singled with one out.

Gausman did not help himself in the bottom of the fourth inning, as Sean Murphy singled to lead off the inning, then Kemp doubled to right field that sent Murphy to third base. After Elvis Andrus popped out for the first out of the inning, Canha walked to load the bases, Gausman then unloaded a wild pitch with Marte at the plate that allowed Murphy to score from third base.

After striking out Marte, Gausman was replaced by Garcia, who got Matt Olson to fly out to Ruf in left field to end the inning.

Andrew Chafin came on to replace Petit in the top of the seventh inning, and after Buster Posey to fly out for the first out of the inning, both Brandon Belt and Ruf hit back-to-back home runs to get the Giants within one run.

Going into that at-bat, Belt was 0-for-16 against Chafin; however, Belt got that elusive first career hit and launched his 17th home run of the season, one shy of his career high that he previously reached in 2015 and 2017.

This was the eighth time this season that the Giants have gone back to back during the 2021 season, and the second time this week.

After putting the first two runners on via singles, Jake Diekman was able to get out of the jam, as Curt Casali hit an attempted sacrifice bunt that Diekman caught, then Brandon Crawford was caught stealing between second and third, where he was tagged out by Harrison. On the play, Tommy La Stella moved up to second base.

Diekman was able to get out of the jam, as he got Austin Slater to strikeout to end the inning. It was a rough day for Slater, who went 0-for-5 on the afternoon.
Like Slater, Posey also went 0-for-5, as the top two hitters in the Giants lineup went a combined 0-for-10.

NOTES: After the dramatic victory, the Giants have now won 18 out of their last 25 games and are 22-12 since the All-Star break.

With four home runs on the afternoon, the Giants have now hit 186 home runs on the season and are now tied with the Toronto Blue Jays with the most home runs in the Major Leagues.

The Giants are now 37-25 (.597) away from Oracle Park, good enough for the second-best record in the Majors behind the Milwaukee Brewers, who are 42-21 (.667) away from American Family Field.

UP NEXT: Logan Webb goes for the Giants in the finale on Sunday afternoon, as he looks to win his eighth game of the season. Frankie Montas takes the mound for the Athletics, as he goes for his 10th win of the season.