Three days ago, the Giants entered Phoenix looking to build off a 7-3 homestand. But they had blown a ninth-inning lead to avoid sweeping the Colorado Rockies to close the 10-game stretch, halting momentum from a four-game winning streak. As they traveled to play the National League West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks, two questions hovered: would that 9-8 loss to the Rockies leak into the weekend series, and could the Giants string together road wins?
Three days later, and the answer is a resounding yes.
The Giants completed a sweep of the Diamondbacks with a 9-6 win Sunday afternoon. San Francisco controlled the matchup from Game 1 to Game 3, outscoring the Diamondbacks 18-7 altogether.
The Giants lineup picked up Derek Holland, who has been a stabilizing force in a rotation decimated by injuries, as he lasted only three-and-one-third innings after allowing three runs Sunday. Joe Panik got the scoring started when he singled to right field to score Nick Hundley in the top of the second inning. The Diamondbacks tacked on two runs to take a 2-1 lead, but the Giants responded with a two-run third inning via RBI singles from Hundley and Austin Slater.
Then Holland started the fourth inning by hitting the first double of his career up the right field line.
Derek Holland collects the first extra-base hit of his career ? pic.twitter.com/4Ys7wlt57T
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) July 1, 2018
Brandon Belt later knocked in Holland with a double of his own to extend the Giants’ lead to 4-2. The Diamondbacks narrowed the margin with a Jarrod Dyson RBI single, but the Giants exploded with a four-run fifth inning to gain separation. Panik hit an RBI single, Hunter Pence followed with a a double to left field to score two more runs, and Belt singled to score Pence, giving the Giants an 8-3 lead.
The Diamondbacks narrowed the margin to three with Paul Goldschmidt’s two-run homer. Brandon Crawford hit a double in the eighth inning to give the Giants a 9-5 lead.
Giants reliever Mark Melancon struggled to end the game, though, allowing three straight hits in the ninth inning to make the score 9-6. With men on first and third, the Diamondbacks brought the tying run to the plate in third baseman Jake Lamb. Giants manager Bruce Bochy summoned left-handed reliever Will Smith to solidify the final out, and he did with a four-pitch strikeout.
The Giants bats prevailed this weekend, recording 16 hits one day after they had 12. Prior to this series, they had not strung together consecutive games of scoring at least seven runs since mid-May.
San Francisco’s most recent homestand showed glimpses of a team starting to align. But its success at home has juxtaposed with its struggles on the road all season long. The Giants’ 26-14 record at AT&T Park is tops in the National League, while their 16-26 away record entering the Diamondbacks series was last. The Giants had not completed an away series sweep since early May.
But their success traveled in three convincing wins that closed the NL West gap, with the now second-place Giants trailing the Diamondbacks by just 2.5 games.
In a 162-game marathon, it’s important not to overreact, especially in early July, but this was the Giants’ most important series win of the season. Divisions can not be won at this point in the year, but they can be lost.
The Giants will conclude their six-game road trip with a three-game series at Colorado starting Monday.