San Francisco Giants’ Willy Adames (2) celebrates with Heliot Ramos, middle, and Jung Hoo Lee after a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in San Francisco, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025 (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

By Lincoln Juarez

SAN FRANCISCO–The Giants blasted five home runs Monday night and crushed 11-5 the Arizona Diamondbacks and took advantage of a Mets loss in Philadelphia to climb a game closer in the Wild Card standings now just three games back. Logan Webb hit the 200 strikeout mark on the season for the first time in his career and the energetic Giants bounced right back after dropping two close ones over the weekend in St. Louis. 

The Wild Card race was on Monday night at Oracle Park as the Giants took to the field against Arizona a few minutes after the Mets lost in Philadelphia, giving the Giants a chance to inch to three games back in the Wild Card standings. After losing the final two games of the series in St. Louis over the weekend, it became crucial for San Francisco to take advantage of the Mets loss. 

Logan Webb was the man the Giants sent to the mound to increase their odds at a win. Webb, who ranks first in the National League in innings pitched (178.2), also ranks fourth in strikeouts (194). Entering Monday night, he was 13-9 with a 3.17 era with a career 7-4 record against the Diamondbacks. He also entered Monday’s game six strikeouts away from what would be a career high in season strikeouts at 200. 

Webb threw a clean first inning setting the D-Backs down in order and the only offense that came in the first inning was a two-out double by Willy Adames in the bottom half. 

The scoring got started in the second inning when Arizona left fielder JJ McCarthy stepped up to face Webb with the bases loaded. He sat on a changeup and smothered it into Triple’s Alley clearing the bases for a three-run triple. Had it not taken a straight bounce off the wall in right-center field, the speedy McCarthy may have turned it into an inside-the-park grand slam. 

Trailing by three in the bottom of the second, the Giants rallied for a few runs of their own. Jung Hoo Lee hit his eighth home run of the season putting the Giants within one early on. The Giants keep showing their resilience and answer when they have to to keep themselves in ballgames. 

With two out and two men on in the top of the third, Blaze Alexander singled to right scoring Ketel Marte and the D-Backs had a two run lead, 4-2. 

Once again the Giants answered in the home third, starting with a leadoff walk to Devers followed by a Dom Smith home run to right two batters later. Nothing more than a 4-4 tie came from the third. 

Webb shut down the Arizona lineup in the fourth, fifth, and sixth including his 200th strikeout on the season, which ended the fifth inning, that earned him a standing ovation from the Oracle Park crowd. “I told Patty before the game I’m only six away but I’m not counting”, said Webb when asked if he knew that he hit 200 to end the fifth inning, but described hitting that mark as “really cool”. 

Still tied 4-4 into the home sixth, the Giants offense finally took control. With nobody out and the bases loaded Christian Koss lined a double down the right field line and all the way into the corner. Chapman and Matos both scored to make it 6-4 Giants.

The next batter Patrick Bailey hit a sacrifice-fly to left that brought home Jung Hoo Lee… 7-4 Giants. A batter later Heliot Ramos launched a ball deep into the left field bleachers to score him and Koss and put the Giants ahead by 5, 9-4. 

The Giants weren’t done yet as Matt Chapman stamped one into the bleachers in left in the seventh inning, adding to the lead. It was Chapman’s 21st of the year that extended the lead to six runs. 

Gabriel Moreno added one for the D-Backs in the eighth inning on a solo home run but Arizona was put down in order after that. 

In the home eighth, Patrick Bailey skied a fly ball to right that got over the arcade for another home run, the Giants fifth of the night, making it the most they have hit in a single game since July 31, 2021 vs. Houston when they also hit five. 

Tristan Beck tossed a scoreless ninth inning and the Giants found themselves three games out of a Wild Card spot with 18 games to play. 

Logan Webb was a workhorse again Monday evening, throwing 110 pitches in his 6 innings of work, giving up one earned and striking out seven. 

Giants fans will be keeping a close eye on the Mets game Tuesday before the Giants take on the Diamondbacks in game two of the series. 

RHP Zac Gallen (11-13, 4.77) vs. LHP Robbie Ray (10-6, 3.31) in game two at Oracle Park. 

First pitch at 6:45pm.