Luis Matos hit his first major league home run, Joc Pederson collected a triple, single and two RBIs, and the host San Francisco Giants made it two straight over the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks with a 7-6 victory Saturday afternoon.
Blake Sabol drove in a pair of runs and Thairo Estrada scored twice for the Giants, who have moved within 1 1/2 games of the Diamondbacks in the National League West by winning 12 of their last 13 games.
Thanks to a bases-clearing double by Christian Walker in a four-run fifth, the Giants trailed 5-3 before responding immediately in the bottom of the inning with an Estrada single, Pederson RBI triple and Sabol sacrifice fly to draw even.
Matos then provided the game’s big blow, following a leadoff single by Brandon Crawford in the sixth with a blast over the left-field fence, producing San Francisco’s final scoring.
The rookie had gone 39 plate appearances (33 at-bats) this season before going deep for the first time.
The Giants’ bullpen protected the lead over the final three innings, with Tyler Rogers working a perfect seventh and eighth, striking out three. Camilo Doval survived a shaky ninth for his 22nd save.
Arizona got within 7-6 with two outs in the ninth on a run-scoring infield single by Lourdes Gurriel Jr., before Doval struck out Pavin Smith with runners at second and third.
Taylor Rogers (4-2), who threw a scoreless sixth, was credited with the win.
Merrill Kelly (9-4) took the loss, charged with seven runs (five earned) on 10 hits in five-plus innings. He walked two and struck out two.
Arizona led twice in the early going, initially after Ketel Marte launched his 13th home run of the season, a solo shot, off Giants opener Ryan Walker in the first.
San Francisco immediately got to Diamondbacks starter Kelly for two in the bottom of the inning on a Pederson run-scoring infield out and an RBI double by Michael Conforto. They added another in the third on a Sabol RBI single.
Arizona took its biggest lead with its four-run fifth, which included Marte’s second RBI of the game on a single that helped load the bases for Walker’s three-run hit.
Pederson finished with two hits, two RBIs and two runs for the Giants, who won despite getting outhit 12-10. Matos also had a single to go with his homer.
Walker had two doubles, a single and three RBIs, Marte two hits, two RBIs and three runs for the Diamondbacks, who dropped into a 3-3 tie with the Giants in the season series.
–Field Level Media
