Diamondbacks blank Giants behind timely hitting

Photo credit: @Dbacks

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Friday, May 17, 2019

PHOENIX — It was Game of Thrones Night Friday at Chase Field, pitting Team Giant vs. Team Diamondback.

Team Diamondback got timely hits when necessary, while Team Giant did not.

David Peralta’s fourth-inning home run, followed by two extended rallies, gave Arizona a 7-0 NL West win over visiting San Francisco.

The Giants stranded 10 baserunners.

“We just didn’t get that big hit when we had runners out there,” Giants Manager Bruce Bochy said of his team’s scoring chances in the second, third, sixth, seventh and eighth innings. “We tried to get things rolling and just didn’t get it tonight.”

With one out in the Arizona fourth inning, David Peralta broke up the scoreless deadlock with a home run to left-center, just left of the 413-foot marker. It was Peralta’s seventh homer of the season.

San Francisco loaded the bases with one out in the sixth on consecutive singles by Buster Posey and Brandon Belt and a walk to Pablo Sandoval, but Arizona reliever Yoshihisa Hirano replaced starter Merrill Kelly (4-4), struck out Brandon Crawford, and Kevin Pillar flied out to right.

The Diamondbacks added two runs in the bottom of the sixth. Jarrod Dyson walked and scored two batters later on Adam Jones’ double down the left-field line off San Francisco starter Jeff Samardzija.

“(Samardzija’s) been one of the top pitchers for a long time,” Jones, who was 3-for-4 with an RBI, said. “So, when you get an opportunity to score off of them, you have to. Same thing tomorrow night against (Madison) Bumgarner. They’re very stingy with runs.”

Ketel Marte then greeted Giants reliever Reyes Moronta with a broken-bat infield single, driving in David Peralta, who was intentionally walked prior to the double by Jones.

Samardzija (2-2) gave up three earned runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings, didn’t strike out anybody, and issued three walks.

“Shark threw well,” Bochy said. “He kept us in the game and gave us a chance. He had good command and was doing a nice job. He gave up that walk (to Dyson) right before the big hit by Jones and he’d like to have that one back.”

Arizona tacked on four more runs in the seventh off reliever Derek Holland after loading the bases. After Alex Avila walked, pinch-hitter Wilmer Flores singled and Dyson was hit by a pitch, Eduardo Escobar delivered a three-run triple. Peralta followed with an run batted in when he reached on an error by Belt at first.

In between the Dyson and Peralta at-bats, Bochy was ejected for the third time this season following an argument with home plate umpire Andy Fletcher.

“You can’t argue a check-swing,” Bochy explained about his 77th career ejection. “

Kelly struck out four and walked one while giving up six hits in 5 1/3 innings.

“I’ve been very impressed with him,” Jones said of Kelly, who pitched in the Korean League for four years before joining the D-Backs this season. “He knows how to use his defense, works fast and throws strikes.”

Joe Panik was 2-for-4 with two doubles for San Francisco. Posey and Belt each collected two hits.

Madison Bumgarner (2-4, 4.04 ERA) is on the hill for the Giants on Saturday, while the Diamondbacks have yet to announce their starters for either Saturday or Sunday.

GIANT JOTTINGS: Giants C Buster Posey was activated prior to the game from the concussion injured list. Posey had missed San Francisco’s last six games after taking a foul tip off his mask on May 5 in Cincinnati. … Fox Sports Arizona took a moment to wish a happy 71st birthday to former White Sox 1B Carlos May, the only MLB player in history to wear his birthday on the back of his jersey.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Belt, Posey expected back in the lineup tonight in Arizona

Photo credit: @mercnews

On the Giants podcast with Michael:

#1 Giants manager Bruce Bochy said he kept first baseman Brandon Belt out of the lineup due to his inflamed knee Bochy says Belt is listed as day-to-day.

#2 Belt has had two knee surgeries. He went 0-3 with a walk on Tuesday night against the Toronto Blue Jays. Did his 0-for-3 have something to do with his knee being inflamed?

#3 The bobblehead for Pablo Sandoval reads “Let Pablo pitch” but someday the bobblehead for Giants pitcher Shaun Anderson will read “Let Shaun hit” because two hits in his first MLB game and some solid hitting would make only teammate Madison Bumgarner proud.

#4 Buster Posey is expected to be in the lineup on Friday night to open up the series with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was out with a concussion for seven days. How cautious will the Giants and Posey be about his return?

#5 Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto is doing a 40-pitch bullpen session as he catches up with the team in Arizona. Bochy said he’s not sure if Cueto will be back this season after having Tommy John surgery, but he wants to see how and where Cueto is at in these bullpen sessions.

Join Miguel for the Giants podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants head down to the desert to take on the D-backs

Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Harness

For what it’s worth, the Giants have won two of their last three games, and they will take that bit of momentum with them as they head to Arizona.

There they will play a three-game weekend series with the Arizona Diamondbacks, which starts Friday night at Chase Field.

While the Diamondbacks are in the middle of the pack, the Giants now sit in the National League West cellar, two games behind the four-place Colorado Rockies, as well as 9 ½ games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the division’s top spot.

The Giants will attempt to make up some ground in the division starting Friday night, as another guy trying to get things back on track, Jeff Samardzija (2-1, 3.51 ERA), takes the hill against Arizona righty Merrill Kelly (3-4, 4.70 ERA).

Samardzija appeared to be on the right path after shutting out the Dodgers over five solid innings while giving up only a pair of hits on Apr. 29. However, since then, he has had a pair of subpar outings – both against the Cincinnati Reds – giving up four runs and three runs over five and four innings, respectively.

Meanwhile, he gave up a season-high three home runs in a no-decision effort at Cincinnati on May 5.

Kelly has lost his last two outings, but his most recent defeat was more of a hard-luck one than anything else. He went seven strong and gave up three runs in a 6-4 loss to the Atlanta Braves last Saturday. It was major bounce-back from his previous start, during which he was bombed by the Tampa Bay Rays, giving up seven runs and going only four runs.

Madison Bumgarner (2-4, 4.04 ERA) is another looking to get some kind of consistency, and he will go on Saturday opposite Diamondbacks righty Zack Godley (1-3, 7.65 ERA).

He has gone seven innings twice – his season debut March 28 and then on Apr. 13 – but has not gone past six since, and he has yet to string together solid outings. Meanwhile, Godley has gone between starting and going to the bullpen, even picking up a save last Wednesday against Tampa Bay. In his previous outing on Tuesday, he went two innings and gave up three runs on three hits in a loss to Pittsburgh.

Hernandez saves the day with a walkoff; Giants shutout the D-Backs 1-0

Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — When the San Francisco Giants needed the biggest hit of the game, they turned to the spark plug of the first half, Gorkys Hernandez.

After sitting on the bench for eight and a half innings, Hernandez hit a single to left field in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Giants defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 1-0 before a crowd of 37,276 at AT&T Park on Tuesday night.

With the victory, the Giants are now six games behind the D-Backs, who are now with the Colorado Rockies atop the National League West, while the reigning National League Champion Los Angeles Dodgers are a game behind.

This was the first walk-off hit of Hernandez’s career, as the Giants have won four in a row and six out of their last nine since being swept by the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark from August 17-19.

As for the first-place D-Backs, this was their fourth loss in their last five games and it was seventh time this season that they have been shutout.

The Giants have held the D-Backs scoreless over the past 23 innings, as the D-Backs last scored in the bottom of the fifth inning of the series finale on August 5.

Steven Duggar came up huge on both the offensive and the defensive sides of the diamond in the shutout win for the Giants.

After Austin Slater grounded out for the first out of the inning, Duggar drew a walk against losing pitcher Brad Ziegler. Then Nick Hundley singled to left field, and Duggar rounded second and was heading to third before putting on the breaks and slid back into second.

It was on that play where Duggar slid into second that showed everyone why the Giants called him up to be their everyday center fielder, as he jammed his shoulder into the ground and after stretching for the training staff, Bruce Bochy and others, Duggar did a few stretches and stayed in the game. Alen Hanson was announced as a pinch hitter, but Torey Lovullo countered with left-hander Jake Diekman and Hernandez was called onto pinch-hit and he came up with the biggest hit of the night to win the game for the Giants.

Duggar came up huge on defense in the top of the eighth inning, as he cut off a ball hit by David Peralta, threw to Brandon Crawford, who in turn, threw to Hundley to get Nick Ahmed at the plate after he went through the stop sign of third base coach Tony Perezchica.

Madison Bumgarner was sharp once again, as he went seven innings, allowing just four hits, walking four and striking out five, as he did not fare in the decision.

Bumgarner got into jams in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, but it was vintage Bumgarner and he got out of all the jams unscathed.

Ketel Marte led off the top of the fifth inning with a double, but then Bumgarner regrouped to get Jeff Mathis and Clay Buchholz, but then John Jay walked and then A.J. Pollock flew out to Duggar in center for the final out of the inning.

Things got real dicey in the top of the sixth inning, as Bumgarner gave up a base hit to Paul Goldschmidt off the left field wall that kept Goldschmidt at first base and then walked Eduardo Escobar. Bumgarner got Steven Souza for the first out, but then Ahmed singled to load the bases.

Evan Longoria made a heads up on a Marte hit ball, as he threw to Hundley for the second out of the inning and the inning nearly came out of control, as Brandon Belt snared the Hundley throw before it went into the outfield to give the D-Backs the lead. Bumgarner then got out of the jam, as he got Mathis to fly out to Duggar to end the inning.

Once again, things got a little hairy in the top of the seventh inning, as Bumgarner fanned Buchholz for the second time, but then Slater lost the ball in the lights for a three-base error that allowed Jay to get to third base. Pollock then walked, but Goldschmidt, who just feasts on Giants pitching, was not able to get the run across, as he popped out to Joe Panik for the second out of the inning and then Escobar grounded out to Panik to end the seventh inning and yet another escape for the Giants and Bumgarner.

Buchholz also went seven innings, allowing just five hits, walking two and striking out three, as like Bumgarner, he did not fare in the decision.

It was a tough start to the night for Panik, as he grounded into a double play just moments after it looked like Andrew McCutchen stole second base in the bottom of the first inning, but Panik fouled the Buchholz pitch back to the screen.

Two innings later, Panik hit a ball to centerfield that sent McCutchen to third base and it looked like Panik got into second safely; however, Lovullo challenged the call and after a nearly two-minute review, the call was reversed and Panik was called out to end the inning.

NOTES: This was the Giants’ 12th shutout of the season, and their sixth at home.

It was the third time this season that they have shutout their opponents in back-to-back games, as they shutout the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first two games of the season, then the Philadelphia Phillies on June 1-2 and now the D-Backs.

This was the ninth walk-off win of the season for the Giants, and the first since Buster Posey singled in the bottom of the 13th inning to defeat the Chicago Cubs on July 11.

UP NEXT: The Giants and D-Backs close out their series with a Wednesday night finale at 7:15 pm PDT.

Dereck Rodriguez looks for his seventh win of the season on Wednesday night, as he takes the hill in the series and season finale against the D-Backs, who will send 13-game winner Zack Godley to the mound.

Giants rookie Dereck Rodriguez to miss Friday’s start against the Reds

Photo credit: @McCoveyChron

By Jeremy Harness

The little brouhaha between Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig and Giants catcher Nick Hundley claimed a casualty. And the Giants will feel that starting Friday night.

That’s because starter Dereck Rodriguez expected to take the mound in Friday’s series opener against the Cincinnati Reds at the Great American Ball Park, but he was hurt in Tuesday’s skirmish, as he strained his right hamstring. As a result, he will miss at least this start, and he was also placed on the 10-day disabled list.

In the meantime, righty Casey Kelly (0-1, 1.42 ERA) will start in Rodriguez’s spot, as he will go opposite Reds right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (6-3, 4.46 ERA). DeSclafani has been on a roll lately, winning his past two starts and going seven innings each time.

He shut out the Arizona Diamondbacks in a 3-0 win last Friday, as he gave up only three hits as he struck out nine guys and did not walk a single batter. Six days before that, he surrendered only a run on six hits in a 7-1 win over Washington.

The Giants will bring out Madison Bumgarner (4-4, 2.71 ERA) on Saturday against the Reds’ Matt Harvey (5-7).

Bumgarner has started to hit his stride these days, as he has given up a total of three runs over his last three starts. However, he has only one win out of those three to show for it, as he was stuck with a pair of no-decision in each of his past two starts.

Harvey (5-7, 5.19 ERA), on the other hand, has gone the other way, going 0-2 in his last four decisions, although he did go seven strong last Saturday and gave up only two runs in a win over Arizona. He, however, was stuck with a no-decision.

Longoria, bullpen lifts Giants past D-backs 3-2 to earn series split

Photo credit:

By Daniel Dullum

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Evan Longoria’s tie-breaking solo home run in the top of the eighth inning lifted the San Francisco Giants to a 3-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field Sunday, salvaging a split of the four-game weekend series.

While San Francisco remains five games back in the NL West race, Arizona fell into a tie with the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place. The Colorado Rockies are in third place, two games behind.

The win gives the Giants a 4-2 road trip mark as they head home to host the Houston Astros in a two-game interleague series starting Monday.

“It was a well-pitched game by us,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “(Derek) Holland did a great job, the bullpen did a great job, and it made for a good road trip. It’s been a while for us to have some success on the road.”

Longoria was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a double while extending his hitting streak to eight games. Andrew McCutchen was 1-for-2 with two walks.

“Cutch had a great series, Buster is swinging the bat well,” Bochy said. “That’s what it’s going to take. We scored enough runs, but (D-Backs starter Robbie Ray) was tough too. We found a way to get some runs.”

On Longoria’s recent success, Bochy said, “He seems more balanced up there. It looks like he’s seeing the ball well. … He’s a good hitter and it’s good to see him come back off the rehab and find his swing.”

The reconstituted bullpen got the job done for San Francisco. Ray Black (1-0) threw a 1-2-3 seventh and picked up the win. Tony Watson and Sam Dyson each logged a scoreless inning, and closer Will Smith struck out two of the three hitters he faced in the ninth to earn his seventh save.

“(The bullpen) all did a great job,” Bochy said. “Dyson came in with a tough situation and found a way to get out of it. Our pitching was there and we needed it.”

“We were sitting pretty good with the bullpen today. Those guys got some needed rest after getting worked pretty hard in that San Diego series. They were all fresh.

With one out in the eighth, Longoria sent a 2-ball, 2-strike delivery from Archie Bradley (3-3) over the left-center field fence near the 413-foot marker for his 12th home run of the season, breaking the 2-2 deadlock.

In the bottom of the eighth, the D-backs loaded the bases on a single by pinch-hitter Daniel Descalso, a walk to Paul Goldschmidt and Steven Souza was hit by Dyson pitch. With two out, Ketel Marte flied out to left, ending the D-Backs’ rally.

Steven Souza’s third home run of the season opened the scoring for Arizona in the second inning. San Francisco tied the game at 1-1 in the third when Andrew McCutchen singled with two out and scored on Evan Longoria’s single to center.

Arizona took a 2-1 lead in the fourth when Eduardo Escobar hit a leadoff double and scored on Marte’s base hit. But the Giants tied the game at 2-2 in the sixth when Longoria doubled and scored when Nick Hundley tried to stretch a single and was thrown out at second.

Both starters went 5 1/3 innings. The Giants’ Derek Holland struck out six, walked two and gave up two earned runs on three hits in 5 1/3 innings. Robbie Ray struck out eight and walked four while giving up seven hits.

“This is a tight race and we have to get things going,” Holland said. “It’s a great division and this is going to be a great race.

“But we really have to focus on ourselves. We’re playing great ball right now and keep playing our game every day from here on out.”

GIANTS JOTTINGS: The Athletic reports that the Astros will be without Jose Altuve, who will not be activated from the 10-day disabled list (sore right knee). … Attendance on Sunday was 27,884.

UP NEXT: The Giants will return home to host the Astros Monday night at 7:15 pm PDT.

San Francisco will start right-hander Dereck Rodriguez (5-1, 2.59) against Houston’s Charlie Morton (12-2, 2.90) on Monday, and left-hander Madison Bumgarner (4-4, 2.97) on Tuesday against Astros lefty Dallas Keuchel (9-9, 3.61).

Ahmed homers twice as D-backs pound Giants 9-3

Photo credit: @SnakeNewss

By: Daniel Dullum

PHOENIX, Ariz. – In the midst of a career year, Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed went yard twice versus the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, sparking the D-backs to a 9-3 win over the Giants at Chase Field.

“I don’t know the percentages, but I think a team is more likely to win when it scores first,” Ahmed said. “We just try to jump out, attack early, and we’ve done a good job of that lately.”

Ahmed was 3-for-3 with a walk, three runs scored, and four runs batted in. Steven Souza added a double, triple and three RBIs, and Ketel Marte hit his 10th home run of the season as part of Arizona’s 12-hit attack.

On his newfound power stroke, Ahmed said, “I always knew I had it in there. It’s just taken a little bit longer than some other guys to pull it out. It’s a matter of putting myself in a good position to see the ball really well and use my athleticism to attack the pitches I want to swing at.”

The D-backs’ second straight win over the Giants moved kept them in first place in the National League West race, ½ game ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Fourth-place San Francisco fell to .500 and trail Arizona by six games.

Clay Buchholz (5-1) struck out eight and walked two while giving up two earned runs on seven hits over six innings.

“After the first inning, I felt really good with the mix,” Buchholz said. “I ran into a long inning in the second and gave up the solo homers, but I was able to keep them off the bases after that.”

The D-backs jumped on Giants’ starter Andrew Suarez (4-7) early and often, sending eight hitters to the plate while building a 5-0 first-inning lead. The big hit came with two outs when Souza tripled down the right-field line, driving in David Peralta (who singled) and Paul Goldschmidt (who walked).

Ahmed followed with a single to drive in Souza, and Marte completed the damage with a two-run home run to left-center.

“(Suarez’s) stuff is really good. I think it’s his command more than anything,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “He was a little off, and you look at his ball-strike ratio early, he just wasn’t sharp.

“We gave up a lot of runs with two outs and it became an uphill climb for the guys,” Bochy continued. “We just needed that one hit to keep it moving. We had a lot of good at-bats with deep counts, but we just can’t get that one more hit to keep it going.”

The Giants used the long ball to cut into the D-backs’ lead. Andrew McCutchen homered to left to lead off the third, and Steven Duggar’s first career home run pulled San Francisco to within 5-2 with one out in the fourth.

The Giants’ fourth-inning threat continued with two out when McCutchen singled and went to third on Hernandez’s double. But Evan Longoria struck out.

The D-backs added three more runs in the fifth inning on an RBI double by Souza and Ahmed’s 15th home run of the season, a two-run shot that extended Arizona’s lead to 8-2. Ahmed closed out Arizona’s scoring with a solo homer off Giants reliever Derek Law – his 16th – to lead off the eighth.

McCutchen, 5-for-5 with a double and home run, tacked on the Giants’ final run with an RBI single in the ninth.

The Giants did get some good news regarding Buster Posey. The veteran catcher took Saturday off and, according to Bochy, would play Sunday at first base. Posey left Friday’s game in the third inning after experiencing concussion symptoms.

“Buster is fine,” Bochy said. “He’s penciled in for first base on Sunday.”

Probable pitchers for the series finale on Sunday involve a pair of lefthanders – Derek Holland (5-8, 3.90) for San Francisco and Robbie Ray (3-2, 5.05) for the Diamondbacks.

GIANTS JOTTINGS: Prior to Saturday’s game, the Giants called up RHP Pierce Johnson and RHP Derek Law from Triple-A Sacramento while optioning INF Kelby Tomlinson and RHP Chris Stratton (Friday night’s starter) to the River Cats. … Arizona won a video replay challenge in the third inning when San Francisco’s Gorkys Hernandez was initially ruled safe on a wide throw from 3B Ketel Marte. The call was overturned and ruled that 1B Paul Goldschmidt applied a sweep tag before Hernandez reached the bag. Time of the review was 52 seconds. … Prior to the game, the Diamondbacks announced their 20th anniversary team: Manager – Bob Brenley, 1B – Paul Goldschmidt, 2B – Jay Bell, SS – Tony Womack, 3B – Matt Williams, OF – Luis Gonzalez, Steve Finley and A.J. Pollock, C – Miguel Montero, SP – Randy Johnson, Brandon Webb, Curt Schilling, Patrick Corbin and Zack Grienke, RP – Jose Valverde and Brad Ziegler. … Attendance was 38,033.

UP NEXT: The Giants and D-backs will conclude their series Sunday afternoon at 1:10 pm PDT.

Posey exits game early; D-Backs hold off Giants 6-3

Photo credit: @SFGiants

By: Daniel Dullum

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Friday night, it was Arizona’s turn to forge a long, productive inning – highlighted by a milestone home run by Paul Goldschmidt–as the Diamondbacks evened their weekend series with San Francisco by downing the Giants 6-3 at Chase Field.

Of a bigger concern to the Giants, though, is the condition of catcher Buster Posey, who left the game in the third inning following a base hit for what the team called “concussion conditions.”

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said, “Buster got a little lightheaded when he got to first base. …It was a foul tip in the first inning when Goldschmidt was up. He just felt it and that’s why he came out.”

“He’s showing better and we’ll monitor Buster overnight, tomorrow. He’ll be off (Saturday) and if all goes well, he could be back in there Sunday. Right now, it’s just important that we keep an eye on him.”

Bochy said he didn’t think the Giants would call up another catcher. “We’re going to err on the side of caution with Buster. We’re not taking any risks.”

With the victory, the D-Backs pulled back into a tie with the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the NL West, two games ahead of Colorado and five in front of San Francisco.

D-Backs starter Patrick Corbin (8-4) struck out eight without a walk in six innings while giving up three runs on seven hits.

“To be able to get through six, I’m happy with that,” Corbin said. “I felt good. The pitch count got a little high early, but the offense did a great job putting up some runs.”

The D-Backs roughed up Giants starter Chris Stratton (8-7) by sending 11 hitters to the plate in the first inning. Stratton lasted until the fourth, when Arizona loaded the bases with no one out.

Stratton gave up six earned runs in three-plus innings on 10 hits. He struck out four and walked four.

“(Stratton) was just off with his fastball command,” Bochy said. “His stuff is fine. What he needs is some confidence and you don’t quite see that with him right now.”

San Francisco manufactured a run to take an early 1-0 lead. Back-to-back one-out singles by Posey and Evan Longoria set up Austin Slater’s RBI single to center that brought Posey in from second.

With one out in the bottom of the first, Goldschmidt belted career home run No. 200, tying the game at 1-1. Goldschmidt sent a towering opposite-field drive toward the right-field foul line.

Goldschmidt said home run No. 200 “meant no more than No. 199.”

“I could care less,” Goldschmidt said. “I just go up there and try to help us win. I’ll care more about the number when my career is over.”

From there, the D-Backs batted around, scoring five runs while sending 11 hitters to the plate. Eduardo Escobar’s base hit drove in David Peralta, who followed Goldschmidt’s homer with a single. An RBI walk issued to Alex Avila (batting .171) and Corbin’s two-RBI single completed the rally.

“It’s a really good thing if you get to hit in the first inning,” Corbin said. “I was behind 0-2 and I was just trying to put the bat on the ball and hope for a good thing to happen.”

In the third inning, the Giants cut the D-Backs’ lead to 6-3. Brandon Crawford’s groundout scored Nick Hundley from second, and Slater’s RBI single to center scored Longoria, who singled. Hundley was pinch-running for Posey.

Stratton was chased after the Diamondbacks loaded the bases to start the bottom of the fourth. But reliever Ty Blach retired Escobar on a pop foul and Daniel Descalso grounded into a double play.

After Corbin departed, Yoshihisa Hirano, Archie Bradley and Brad Boxberger shut down the San Francisco offense, retiring eight of 11 hitters.

Boxberger gave up two-out singles to Hunter Pence and Steven Duggar in the ninth, but retired pinch-hitter Gorkys Hernandez on ground out to earn his 26th save.

“We came out of it all right,” Bochy said. “Our bullpen guys did a decent job of keeping us in the game. We had the tying run at the plate in the ninth.”

Peralta was 3-for-4, and A.J. Pollock and Jon Jay both collected two of Arizona’s 12 hits. Posey, Slater and Evan Longoria each had a pair of hits for the Giants.

“It was a good win,” Goldschmidt said. “We were able to get that lead, hold on, and we’ll try to go out there and do it again tomorrow.”

GIANTS JOTTINGS: The Diamondbacks are hosting an alumni game to celebrate the team’s 20th anniversary on Saturday prior to the regular game, which starts at 5:10 p.m. PDT … Probables for Saturday are LHP Andrew Suárez (4-6, 4.11 ERA) for San Francisco and RHP Clay Buchholz (4-1, 2.65 ERA) for the D-Backs. … Attendance on Friday was 27,581.

UP NEXT: The Giants and D-Backs face each other again Saturday at 5:10 pm PDT.

Giants use big eighth inning to upend Diamondbacks 8-1

Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Daniel Dullum

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Starting pitchers Madison Bumgarner of the San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks’ Zach Grienke each threw well enough to win in a much-anticipated Thursday night pitching duel at Chase Field.

As he’s done in the past, it was Bumgarner’s bat that helped himself, and the Giants to an 8-1 win – sparked by a five-run eighth inning rally – that keeps San Francisco’s dim National League playoff hopes alive.

Bumgarner (4-4) also worked out of bases-loaded jams in the first two innings. He gave up one earned run on seven hits, struck out five, and walked three over his five innings.

“This was one of those games where it felt like we had our backs against the wall the whole time I was out there,” Bumgarner said. “Obviously, that’s not the way I wanted to draw it up and wound up working twice as hard in five innings.

“But those types of games are gratifying to keep your team in it. It seemed like (Arizona) had guys in scoring position every inning I was out there,” he added. “I just had to grind it out, make pitches and don’t give in.”

Giants manager Bruce Bochy said, “What a great job (Bumgarner) did. He did a great job of keeping them at bay in a one-run game. They had guys on base every inning and he found a way to work out of it. He didn’t give in.”

“That’s a hard night’s work – over 100 pitches in five innings. And it was hot out there (83 degrees inside), even though we were indoors.”

The Giants’ bullpen – Mark Melancon, Ray Black and Ty Blach retired 12 of the last 15 Arizona hitters over the last four innings.

“I like Ray Black’s poise out there,” Bochy said. “Here’s a young kid that gets called up and has a rough outing his first game, but he bounced back and he’s been solid. He’s pitching with a lot of confidence.”

The Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers entered Thursday’s play tied for first in the NL West, one game ahead of third-place Colorado and five ahead of the fourth-place Giants.

The Dodgers thumped Milwaukee 21-5, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Colorado Rockies 6-3, moving Los Angeles into first place, one game ahead of Arizona and five games ahead of the Giants.

Buster Posey, Gorkys Hernandez and Austin Slater each collected two hits in the Giants’ 11-hit attack.

San Francisco surged ahead to stay at 2-1 in the top of the fourth when Austin Slater doubled and scored on Bumgarner’s single to left.

“I just didn’t want to strike out,” Bumgarner said.

Hunter Pence’s pinch-hit sacrifice fly to center in the sixth drove in Slater, extending the Giants’ lead to 3-1. Slater walked, went to second on a wild pickoff throw by Diamondbacks reliever Jake Diekman and to third on a wild pitch on a walk to Steven Duggar.

San Francisco broke the game open with a five-run rally, batting around in the eighth. Posey led off with a double, followed by a one-out intentional walk to Brandon Crawford and back-to-back singles by Hernandez and Alen Hanson, chasing Arizona’s newly re-acquired reliever Brad Ziegler.

Slater added a two-RBI single that also allowed Hanson to score on an error. Duggar followed with a run-scoring single, as San Francisco sent 10 batters to the plate, finishing the inning with an 8-1 lead.

“It was good to get that big inning,” Bochy said. “We got some big hits from guys as we want to use them.”

Evan Longoria’s two-out solo home run down the left-field line – just inside the foul pole – put the Giants up 1-0 in the top of the first inning. It was Longoria’s first home run since hitting two on May 29 at Colorado.

Arizona loaded the bases against Bumgarner in the bottom of the first with a leadoff double by David Peralta, followed by walks to Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollock. But Steven Souza lined out to Longoria at third for the second out and Nick Ahmed grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the threat.

“(Longoria) really saved us with that play he made,” Bochy said. “That stops a rally, and if that ball gets through, they get momentum going. And with that home run, it was good to get on the board early facing the Pitcher of the Month. Grienke’s been throwing the ball so well, and we found a way to scratch and claw to get a couple of runs.”

Bumgarner also struggled in the second inning. After Ketel Marte walked, he advanced to second when Bumgarner balked on a pickoff throw. One out later, Grienke’s line drive eluded Longoria, allowing the D-Back pitcher to reach on a single, followed by a base hit by Peralta to load the bases.

Eduardo Escobar, acquired from Minnesota before the non-waiver trade deadline, delivered a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Marte to tie the game at 1-1.

“Obviously, I don’t want them to load the bases ever, especially the first two innings of a game,” Bumgarner said. “To get out of that and keep it close there, we never lost the lead, so that was good.”

Greinke (12-6) surrendered two earned runs on four hits over six innings, with five strikeouts and one walk. David Peralta was 4-for-5 with a double for Arizona.

GIANTS JOTTINGS: LHP Madison Bumgarner celebrated his 29th birthday on Aug. 1. … Attendance at Chase Field was 22,980 for the opening game of the four-game series. … Friday’s starters are RHP Chris Stratton (8-6, 5.14) for San Francisco against LHP Patrick Corbin (7-4, 3.26).

UP NEXT: The Giants and Diamondbacks continue their series Friday night at 6:40 pm PDT.

Giants complete sweep of D-backs with 9-6 win

Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Sunday, July 1, 2018

PHOENIX, Ariz. – The San Francisco Giants had its bats going Sunday, completing its three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks with a 9-6 win and a 16-hit attack at Chase Field on Sunday.

Yet, it was a defensive gem that helped make it possible. That, and a key pinch hit from Hunter Pence.

By sweeping the D-backs, San Francisco pulled to within 2 ½ games of first-place Arizona in the NL West race.

“It started with our pitching,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “Today, (Derek) Holland wasn’t quite on top of his game and worked pretty hard out there, but he kept us in the game. It was timely hitting too; the guys got some big hits. Our defense, the bullpen, everything.

“To win all three, you have to play really good ball, especially against this team.”

In the fourth inning, the D-backs closed their deficit to 4-3. With two out, a run in and bases loaded, Christian Walker sent a scorching grounder down the right field line that first baseman Brandon Belt snared on the edge of the outfield grass.

Belt’s throw to Cody Gearrin, sprinting from the pitcher’s mound, beat Walker and snuffed out the Arizona rally.

“Holland had 90 pitches at that stage,” Bochy said. “That was a huge out, a huge play. At first, I thought it was going to get through, but that was a beautiful play that Belt made.”

Pence, pinch-hitting for Gearrin, greeted D-Backs reliever Silvino Bracho with a two-run double down the left-field line, driving in Austin Slater and Joe Panik. Two batters later, Pence scored on Brandon Belt’s base hit.

“Hunter is our spiritual leader,” Bochy said. “I know his role has changed and it’s not easy. He went up there today and delivered for us. It’s going to take everybody and these guys need to know that – off the bench or playing regularly.

“Hunter has such a great attitude. He just wants to do anything he can to help the club win.”

San Francisco broke the game open with a four-run rally in the fifth, chasing D-backs starter Zack Godley (9-6) and taking an 8-3 lead. After Godley issued back-to-back walks to Alen Hanson and Slater, Panik’s RBI single to center scored Hanson, setting up Pence’s pinch-double.

Paul Goldschmidt’s two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh off Giants reliever Pierce Johnson – his 18th of the season – pulled Arizona to within 8-5. Goldschmidt homered after Nick Ahmed led off with a triple.

In the ninth, pinch-hitter Austin Jackson doubled and scored the Giants’ ninth run on Crawford’s two-out double. The D-backs responded with a run in the bottom of the ninth on John Ryan Murphy’s two-out RBI single off Mark Melancon.

With runners at first and second, Will Smith replaced Melancon and struck out Jake Lamb to earn his second save.

“Melancon’s stuff is fine,” Bochy said. “He’s still finding his way, I think, a little bit. His confidence will grow the more work that he gets. With all the time that he missed, I think he’s still trying to get to mid-season form.”

Noting that the bullpen is in flux, Bochy said, “We’ll use everybody. We have guys that are interchangeable and can pitch the seventh, eighth or ninth. We’ll mix it up.”

The Giants manufactured a run in the second inning to open the scoring. Nick Hundley walked, moved to second on Pablo Sandoval’s single, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Joe Panik’s base hit.

An alert play by D-backs catcher John Ryan Murphy squelched the rally. When Holland’s swinging bunt died in the dirt a foot in front of the plate, Murphy pounced on it and fired a strike to shortstop Nick Ahmed to start an inning-ending double play.

Arizona answered by taking a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second. After Murphy walked and Lamb doubled, Chris Owings hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Murphy. With two out, Jerrod Dyson sliced a bloop single to left, scoring Lamb.

San Francisco scored twice in the third to regain the lead at 3-2. Gorkys Hernandez led off with a base hit, and after Belt flied out to center and Andrew McCutchen struck out, Brandon Crawford singled before Hundley delivered a base hit to score Hernandez.

Holland helped himself in the fourth when he led off with a double and scored on Belt’s one-out single, extending the Giants’ lead to 4-2.

The D-backs cut their deficit to 4-3 in the fourth when Lamb scored on Dyson’s one-out single. Arizona loaded the bases with two out, and after Holland was replaced on the mound by Cory Gearrin (1-1), the D-backs failed to capitalize.

Hundley was 3-for-5, while Belt, Crawford, Slater and Panik each collected four hits. Dyson, Ahmed, Walker, Murphy and David Peralta each had two hits for Arizona.

San Francisco used seven pitchers in a game where neither starting pitcher lasted past the fourth inning. Gearrin faced one batter to get the win.

Godley gave up seven of San Francisco’s nine runs – all earned – on nine hits in four-plus innings.

After winning the first two games with its pitching, Bochy felt it was important to win one by outhitting the opposition.

“Over the course of a season, you’re going to have starters that occasionally aren’t on top of their game,” Bochy said. “So, you have to slug it out with the other club occasionally and put some runs on the board. They did that today.”

The Giants’ road trip continues Monday through Wednesday in Denver against the Colorado Rockies. San Francisco’s probables for the series, in order, are Madison Bumgarner (1-2), Chris Stratton (8-5) and Andrew Saurez (3-4).

GIANT JOTTINGS: 3B Pablo Sandoval left Sunday’s game after being hit by a pitch in the third inning. Sandoval suffered a right elbow contusion; X-rays were negative. … RHP Jeff Samardzija (right shoulder tightness) is scheduled to start for Triple-A Sacramento on Monday, and RHP Johnny Cueto (right elbow sprain) is slated to throw a bullpen session on Monday. … Attendance at Chase Field Sunday was 29,721 for the three-hour, 45-minute contest.

UP NEXT: The Giants will travel to Colorado to take on the Rockies. Game 1 is Monday night at 5:40 pm PDT.