SF Giants come up short of sweep against Arizona
SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants will have to be content with a good homestand as opposed to a great one.
Ketel Marte hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning and the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks avoided a sweep Sunday with a 5-2 win over the Giants before a crowd of 35,766 at Oracle Park.
In finishing a seven-game homestand against San Diego and Arizona at 5-2, the Giants fell to 44-34 in the N.L. West, 2 1/2 games the Diamondbacks, who improved to 47-32.
Marte’s home run came against reliever Tristan Beck, who took over for Anthony DeSclafani after the Giants starter pitched well for six innings but fell to 4-7. Ryne Nelson (4-4) was the winner for Arizona, giving up just three hits and one run in seven innings.
It was Marte’s 14th home run of the season. It brought home Jake McCarthy, who led off the inning with a walk against reliever Tristan Beck.
The Giants got within 4-2 in the eighth on a two-out RBI single by J.D. Davis against reliever Scott McGough, who had come in for Andrew Chafin to face the right-handed hitter. The Giants got the tying run to the plate in the ninth with Thairo Estrada batting with two on, but McGough got the final out on a one-hop force out to shortstop.
KETEL DOES IT AGAIN!!! pic.twitter.com/DF3DwlMJuS
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) June 25, 2023
Blake Sabol followed with a walk to put runners on first and second before Patrick Bailey poked a grounder fair inside the third baseline that Evan Longoria stopped on a dive. However, Sabol got caught between second and third and was tagged out in a rundown by shortstop Geraldo Perdomo for the third out of the inning.
The Giants didn’t score against Nelson until the bottom of the sixth. The Arizona right-hander hadn’t had a baserunner since Davis had walked with two out in the first until Thairo Estrada swung at a wild pitch for strike three and made it to first base with two out.
Nelson walked Michael Conforto, with Davis grounding a single to left to bring home Estrada.
DeSclafani gave up some loud contact early but departed after six solid innings, giving up two runs. He threw 78 pitches, 50 of which were strikes, with no walks and three strikeouts.
Arizona scored in the first on an RBI double by Christian Walker, who doubled to deep right center, scoring Marte, whose single to right at 107.2 miles per hour struck the fence with such force he couldn’t get to second.
McCarthy singled in another run in the second, scoring Alek Thomas, who drove double to left center at 110.3 miles per hour.
That would be it through the sixth however. It was a step in the right direction for DeSclafani, who in four previous June starts was 0-2 with an earned run average of 7.94 with 23 hits surrendered in 17 innings pitched.
NOTABLE
— Beck departed with one out in the top of the ninth in favor of Ryan Walker with an undisclosed injury, leaving with trainer Dave Groeschner. The Giants placed reliever Luke Jackson on the injured list earlier Sunday with lower back stiffness.
Walker retired the first hitter he faced before giving up a run-scoring single to Perdomo, walked Marte and then struck out Corbin Carroll looking for the third out.
— Kapler made his 28th challenge of the season in the second inning on a pickoff attempt at first base by DeSclafani. Jake McCarthy, who had singled in a run, was originally ruled safe. The replay showed otherwise, the 18th time a Kapler challenge has resulted in the original call being overturned. A later challenge in the seventh on a play at third was upheld, with Walker safe at third on a throw from Luis Matos.
— The Giants will spend the off day in Toronto, then play three games against the Blue Jays and three against the Mets before returning home July 3 for a three-game series against Seattle.