Arizona Diamondbacks Pinch hitter Pavin Smith thanks heaven above for the ability to hit the game winning walk off home run to defeat the San Francisco Giants in the bottom of the ninth inning at Chase Field in Phoenix on Mon Jun 3, 2024 (AP News photo)

Monday, June 3, 2024

Chase Field

Phoenix, Arizona

San Francisco Giants 2 (29-32)

Arizona Diamondbacks 4 (28-32)

Win: Ryan Thompson (3-2)

Loss: Randy Rodriguez(1-1)

Time: 2:12

Attendance: 21,551

By Stephen Ruderman

The Giants took another brutal defeat on the chin tonight at Chase Field for their fifth-straight loss, as their offense remained stagnant for the most part, and Pavin Smith hit a pinch-hit walk-off home run in the bottom the ninth to give the Arizona Diamondbacks a 4-2 win over the Giants in the series opener.

The Giants were looking to get a fresh start out on the road after suffering their worst loss of the season Sunday. Monday night, they would be up against the defending national league pennant winner Arizona Diamondbacks in the heart of the Sonoran Desert.

Right-handed Ryne Nelson made the start for Arizona, and he was perfect the first time through the Giants’ order, as he set down the first nine men he faced.

Bob Melvin decided to have a bullpen game for the Giants, and Erik Miller would do the honors as the opener. Miller immediately ran into trouble in the bottom of the first inning when Ketel Marte and Gabriel Moreno led off the inning with singles. Miller was then able to settle down, as he got former Giant Joc Pederson to fly out to center field, and he got Christian Walker to ground into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

Spencer Howard took the mound in the bottom of the second for the Giants, and he would not be so lucky. Lourdes Gurriel led off the inning with a line drive home run to left, and Arizona was still going. With one out, Eugenio Suarez hit a triple off the bottom of the wall in right-center, and two batters later with two outs, Blaze Alexander grounded a base-hit up the middle to knock in Suarez and make it 2-0.

Howard pitched a scoreless bottom of the third, and the Giants finally had their first base-runner when Brett Wisely singled to right to start the fourth. With one out and Wisely at second, Matt Chapman put the Giants on the board with a double out to the gap in left-center. The Giants were then looking to tie it, but Michael Conforto, who was in the lineup for the first time since May 11, popped out to second, and Heliot Ramos grounded out to second.

Spencer Howard then got into a groove. Starting with a Gurriel ground out to end the bottom of the third, Howard retired nine-straight until Melvin pulled him with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. Sean Hjelle came in for Howard and got Gurriel to ground out to end the inning.

Nelson remained mostly in control for the Diamondbacks. The Giants left Wisely at second in the top of the sixth, but with one out in the top of the seventh, Ramos tied the game with a long home run to right-center.

“I’m just trying to stay confident and stay positive all the time,” said Ramos. “Not everyday I’m going to feel the same, but I just want to make adjustments and keep going.”

“I think he already has [established himself here], really,” said Melvin. “From the minute he got here, [he has] played with a lot of confidence…..[we’ve] hit him everywhere in the lineup, from in the middle to leadoff, and [he] continues to play with a lot of energy. He’s playing great.”

Hjelle hit Corbin Carroll with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, and Alexander singled him over to second. Hjelle was then able to get out of it after Marte popped out to catcher Patrick Bailey.

Casey Schmitt started the eighth with a base-hit to center, and then Trenton Brooks grounded into a double play. That would be it for Ryne Nelson, who ate up seven and two thirds innings for Arizona. Diamondbacks Manager Torey Lovullo brought in Ryan Thompson, who got Brett Wisely to ground out back to the mound to end the inning.

Tyler Rogers pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth for the Giants, and Thompson was back out for the top of the ninth. Matt Chapman singled with one out, and with two outs and Ramos at the plate, Melvin put on the hit and run, as Ramos singled Chapman over to third.

The Giants were in position to take the lead. They initially did when Jorge Soler hit a ground ball down the line to third-baseman Eugenio Suarez, who made an off-line throw to first, and anx First Base Umpire Brian Knight called Soler safe. However, Lovullo challenged the play, and on review, Soler was out to end the inning.

It was another wasted opportunity for the Giants, as Randy Rodriguez came in to try and send this one into extra innings. Gurriel struck out swinging to start the bottom of the ninth, but Jake McCarthy blooped an opposite-field double to left, and Pavin Smith pinch-hit and hit a towering two-run walk-off home run to the right of straightaway center to end it.

Thompson got the win, and Rodriguez was shoved with the loss. This is the fifth-straight loss for the Giants, who now fall to 29-32, and this is the first time they have dropped five-straight this year.

Despite another rough ending, there were some positives in this game for the Giants. Ramos went 2-for-4, and he showed some range in the outfield with a couple of running catches.

“[I try to] be aggressive with my position, trust myself and trust my instincts,” said Ramos. “As long as they keep giving me the opportunity, I’m going to be grateful, and I’m gonna try and do what I do best: that is play baseball.”

Kyle Harrison (4-2, ERA 4.15) will try and be the stopper Tuesday night, as the Giants will try and get their first win in a week in Game 2 of this series. The Diamondbacks will start Blake Walston (0-0, ERA 2.16) First pitch will be at 6:40 p.m.

News and Notes:

Michael Conforto was activated off the 10-Day Injured List prior to the game. In a counter move, Blake Snell was placed back on the 15-Day IL.