The day after a 13-run outburst, the Giants did just enough to get by.
After being one-hit for six innings, a Brandon Belt spark led the Giants to a walk-off win capped off by a much-needed Brandon Crawford single.
It was a 4-3, walk-off win over Arizona to take a series the Giants outscored the Diamondbacks 20-7.
It was another opener start for the Giants, as they continue to deal with the fallout of Anthony DeSclafani’s season-ending ankle surgery and Jacob Junis remains on the injured list.
While John Brebbia had a clean opening inning, it was not backed up by Sammy Long.
Long’s had an outstanding season thus far, entering with a sterling 2.43 ERA, but he got rocked in the second and third innings, failing to close out the third.
He allowed a brutal series of hits to open the second, with a double, single, then bases-clearing triple to give Arizona a 2-0 lead. Despite settling down to close the inning out without further injury, he was tagged again in the third, courtesy of a Ketel Marte solo shot to deep center field.
Aside from Long, the combined outing was impressive. Five other Giants pitchers combined for no runs, five strikeouts and just three hits over 7 1/3 innings.
It took San Francisco until the seventh to get an offensive jolt. They were, astonishingly, one hit up until that point.
The response began with a Brandon Belt solo shot, sent 419 feet to center field.
He continues a torrid, now four-game stretch since returning from injury. He’s 8-for-12 with two homers, four extra-base hits and three RBI.
His shot was one in the arm for the Giants. A Thairo Estrada single and Mike Yastrzemski double followed, with a David Villar sac fly scoring Estrada and bringing them to within a run.
The energy continued into the eighth, as a pinch-hitting Wilmer Flores tied the game with a golfed solo home run to deep left field.
After going half a season without a pinch-hit home run, the Giants now have three in the past week, courtesy of Darin Ruf, Belt, and now Flores.
A shaky Camilo Doval inning followed, but he did not relinquish a run.
That allowed Belt to open the ninth with a single against former Giant and current not-good pitcher, Mark Melancon. In normal circumstances, maybe the Giants would have pinch run for him.
But San Francisco had no players remaining on the bench, so a Mike Yastrzemski double moved Belt to third instead of ending the game.
Melcancon showed no interest in pitching to David Villar, walking him on four-straight pitches. That set up a Brandon Crawford date with destiny, during a stretch he’s been horrendous.
But even Crawford couldn’t resist a Melancon meatball, ripping a ball to right field, knocking off the glove of an outstretched Daulton Varsho and falling safely to end the game.
It likely would have ended even if Varsho caught the ball, but nothing is certain about a Brandon Belt tag up from third.
Before that ninth-inning at-bat, Crawford was 4-for-29 over his last 10 games. It was a long overdue positive play from him, and secured a series win against one of the National League West’s bottom feeders.
The win pushes San Francisco three games over .500 with a four-game series against the Brewers remaining before the All-Star break.
