Giants, Matt Moore beat Arizona, gain ground on Dodgers

The Giants were leading 4-1 in the eighth inning and Arizona loaded the bases against Sergio Romo when manager Bruce Bochy called on Casilla to face Yasmany Tomas, who had 14 homers in his past 30 games.

Casilla, who had thrown one pitch since Aug. 18, struck out Tomas with a fastball to strand three, then completed a four-out save despite allowing a ninth-inning solo homer to his tormentor, Jake Lamb.

With the Dodgers playing a doubleheader at Colorado, the Giants began the day at risk of falling as much as 3½ games out in the West ahead of a four-game series at Wrigley Field that begins Thursday.

Conor Gillaspie hit his second pinch triple in three games, Angel Pagan followed with a double and Buster Posey added a sacrifice fly.

The Giants had the bases loaded and one out when Brandon Belt, whose struggles to make contact continue, struck out ahead of an Eduardo Nuñez popup.

Posey and Hunter Pence did provide clutch hits in the first inning against Shelby Miller, just back from the minors.

Posey drove in a run with a double and Pence plated one with a single to give Matt Moore a 2-0 lead.

In his first start after a near no-hitter in Los Angeles, Moore carried that lead into the sixth, when the Diamondbacks turned an A.J. Pollock infield hit into a run.

Had it found grass, the Giants would have been in deep trouble, but Gorkys Hernandez, who started in center on the strength of his defense, made a backhanded catch as he leaped and crashed into the wall.

Pollock scored on a Welington Castillo grounder off Strickland, but the right-hander pitched a perfect seventh to preserve what was a one-run lead.