What we learned in Giants’ thrilling comeback vs. D-backs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
If you’ve ever wondered how a team could lose 21 consecutive games on the road … well, this is how.
The Giants trailed 7-0 after the top of the second inning on Monday night but roared all the way back, taking the lead on Mike Yastrzemski‘s grand slam with two outs in the eighth and handing the Diamondbacks a stunning 9-8 loss. It was their 21st consecutive road loss, and it came on a night when the Giants trailed big for the first three hours.
For the second time in a week, the Giants turned to an opener, but this time the move went south quickly. Zack Littell handed a four-run deficit to Sammy Long in the first inning and Arizona kept adding on. But the Diamondbacks’ pitching and defense was shaky in the middle innings, and the Giants finally got to them in the eighth.
Brandon Belt started it off with a double and Donovan Solano reached when third baseman Asdrubal Cabrera booted a grounder. Curt Casali, Gabe Kapler’s fifth pinch-hitter of the night, drew a walk to load the bases. Yastrzemski unloaded on a Humberto Castellanos pitch and gave the Giants their second Splash Hit of the night.
The Diamondbacks haven’t won on the road since April 25, but that’s not the Giants’ problem. They were happy to tack on another win as they continue to sit atop the NL West. Here are three more things to know:
Rough Opening Act
Littell had a smooth debut as the opener last week in Texas, but Tuesday’s performance was reminiscent of Nick Vincent’s nightmare inning when he became the first Giants opener of this era in 2018. Littell faced six batters and didn’t retire any of them, although he should have gotten an out on a high pop-up to center that dropped between three Giants.
Littell has been a very strong addition to the bullpen over the last few weeks, but only seven of his 17 pitches were strikes and he was charged with four earned on four hits and two walks. The thing is, as bad as the “opener” idea looked in that moment, there might not have been a right answer on this night.
The plan was to have Littell face a righty-heavy top of the lineup instead of Long, and while Littell got rocked, Long didn’t fare any better when the lineup turned over. He gave up two singles, two doubles and three runs when he faced the top five in Arizona’s lineup in the second inning.
Long Man
It seemed like half of Sacramento was in the seats for Long’s Oracle Park debut, which was a mixed bag.
Long came in with the Giants down 4-0, two runners on and no outs, and he masterfully got out of the jam with a strikeout and double play. The Diamondbacks hung three runs on him in the second inning, though, and got one more in the fifth. Long ended up going five innings of relief, allowing five hits and a walk while striking out three.
The crowd ate up every positive moment, though. Long even got a huge round of applause when he grounded out softly in front of the plate.
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Get Wet
The air went out of Oracle Park when the Diamondbacks took a 7-0 lead, but the Giants immediately got three of the runs back in the bottom of the second.
Steven Duggar had the momentum-shifter, hitting a screamer into McCovey Cove for his first career Splash Hit and — at the time — third this season by a Giant. The two-run homer was Duggar’s fifth, a career-high. He got to five in 100 at-bats this year after hitting six in his first 436 big league at-bats.
The blast got the crowd back in the game and was well-timed for Duggar. He had just seven hits in his previous 31 at-bats at a time when the Giants might soon be adding Alex Dickerson and Darin Ruf back to the roster.