Despite continued struggles, Giants pull out win over Cards

[July 07, 2018]  Andrew McCutchen broke a seventh-inning tie with an RBI single Friday night, sending the San Francisco Giants to a 3-2 victory over the visiting St. Louis Cardinals at AT&T Park.

One night after getting blasted by the Cardinals 11-2 in the opener of a four-game series, the Giants broke a 2-2 tie in the seventh after Hunter Pence delivered a pinch-hit single against St. Louis reliever John Brebbia (1-2).

After leadoff batter Alen Hanson sacrificed Pence to second, the Cardinals intentionally walked Buster Posey, setting the stage for McCutchen's difference-making hit to left field.

Reyes Moronta (5-1), who came on to strike out Harrison Bader to end the seventh with the potential go-ahead run on third base, was credited with the win. Bader was the only batter Moronta faced, as he was the player lifted for Pence's pinch-hitting appearance.

Left-hander Tony Watson pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning before Will Smith needed just nine pitches in the ninth to record his third save.

After the teams traded second-inning runs, the Giants went up 2-1 in the sixth when Pablo Sandoval smacked his seventh home run of the season off Cardinals starter John Gant.

Gant was pulled at inning's end, having allowed two runs on five hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out five.

The Cardinals wasted no time getting even in the top of the seventh, however, with Kolten Wong tripling home Paul DeJong, who had singled with two outs.

Cardinals starting pitcher John Gant (53) pitches against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Those two had teamed for St. Louis' first run, as well, with DeJong scoring from first base on Wong's double.

Giants starter Dereck Rodriguez was taken out of the game following Wong's game-tying hit in the seventh. He worked 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out one.

Buster Posey had two hits for the Giants, who snapped a four-game losing streak despite scoring just three runs, giving them a total of eight in their last five games. They had seven hits Friday.

Wong had a double, triple and two RBIs for the Cardinals, who fell to 3-2 thus far on their nine-game trip.

Jedd Gyorko added two hits, including a triple, for St. Louis, which had as many triples as singles in the game (two each).

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