D-backs win in 12, hand Giants 7th loss in row

Send a link to a friend  Share

[April 17, 2015]  SAN FRANCISCO -- Third baseman Aaron Hill smacked a two-out, two-run double to break a tie in the top of the 12th inning Thursday night, lifting the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 7-6 victory that extended the San Francisco Giants' losing streak to seven games.

After blowing leads in the ninth and 10th innings, the Diamondbacks (5-5) finally put the Giants away after right fielder Ender Inciarte greeted San Francisco's sixth pitcher, right-hander Sergio Romo (0-1), with a single to lead off the 12th.

Inciarte stole second with one out, and after the Giants intentionally walked first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, Romo got shortstop Cliff Pennington to pop out before Hill came through with his game-winning shot to left-center field.

Right-hander Randall Delgado (1-1), who stranded the Giants' potential game-winning run on third base to end the 10th inning, allowed a run in the last of the 12th on a two-out double by third baseman Matt Duffy. However, Delgado, the Diamondbacks' losing pitcher Wednesday at San Diego, retired second baseman Joe Panik on liner back to the mound to end the 4-hour, 20-minute game and record the win.

The Giants rallied twice to erase deficits and extend the game, scoring once in each the ninth and 10th innings before stranding the bases loaded both times.

Panik provided the ninth-inning tie with a two-out triple off Diamondbacks closer Addison Reed, driving in catcher Buster Posey.

After Diamondbacks center fielder A.J. Pollock put Arizona back in front 5-4 in the top of the 10th with a two-out, solo home run off San Francisco closer Santiago Casilla, Duffy squared the count a second time with a one-out RBI single in the bottom of the inning, scoring right fielder Gregor Blanco.

Pollock's homer was his first of the season and third of the night for the Diamondbacks. He earlier doubled and scored a run against Giants starter Madison Bumgarner.

The Diamondbacks also stranded the bases loaded in extra innings when Cuban rookie Yasmani Tomas, in just his second major league at-bat, grounded back to Giants left-hander Javier Lopez with the score tied 5-5 in the top of the 11th.

Inciarte, Pollock and shortstop Nick Ahmed had two hits apiece for Arizona, which evened its record at 2-2 on the current seven-game road trip.

The loss was the fourth in a row at home for the Giants (3-8), who became the first team in the majors to lose eight games. The 3-8 start matches the worst in the club's West Coast history; the losing streak is San Francisco's longest since 2010.

Panik had three hits, and Pagan, Posey and Duffy collected two apiece for the Giants, who have yet to win at home this season (0-4).

[to top of second column]

For much of the night, the story of the game was Diamondbacks rookie Archie Bradley, who outdueled World Series hero Bumgarner with the help of home runs from Mark Trumbo and Goldschmidt. The 22-year-old right-hander limited the Giants to two runs on four hits in 6 2/3 innings en route to what almost was a historic achievement.

Coming off a 6-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers and left-hander Clayton Kershaw in his debut, Bradley nearly became the first pitcher in major league history to beat the reigning Cy Young Award winner and World Series MVP in the first two starts of his career.

Bumgarner, who nearly lost a second straight after an Opening Day win over Arizona, surrendered four runs in seven innings. He gave up six hits and one walk while striking out four.

NOTES: The Diamondbacks' Cuban-born rookie, OF Yasmany Tomas, did not start for the second consecutive game since his call-up from Triple-A Reno on Wednesday. He came off the bench and went 0-for-1. ... The Giants took the field as one of only two winless teams at home this season, joining the Los Angeles Angels in that distinction. ... Thursday was Giants manager Bruce Bochy's 60th birthday. Asked before the game what present he would like, the veteran skipper responded, "It'd be nice to get a lot of runs." San Francisco totaled nine runs in the previous six games, all losses. ... Bochy began the night 8-9 in games on his birthday, a stat of which he was fully aware. "I don't want to put added pressure on them. I'm below .500 on my birthday," he said with a chuckle. "This is a big game. I tried to keep it a secret."

[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Back to top