SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — LaMonte Wade Jr. hit a game-winning sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th inning and the San Francisco Giants rallied past the Cleveland Guardians 6-5 on Wednesday in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Xzavion Curry (3-4) walked a pair to load the bases with no outs. Wade hit a fly ball to left and Patrick Bailey beat a strong throw from left fielder Steven Kwan, sliding under Bo Naylor’s tag at the plate. The call was upheld upon video review.
“There's a bunch of fighters in that room and those guys are consistently battling," Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. "I think we're going to look at this game at the end of the season and believe that it's very meaningful.”
J.D. Davis tied the game in the eighth with a towering three-run homer to left off Guardians reliever Eli Morgan.
“It was just a matter of a coin flip if it was going to go out or not,” Davis said. “I knew it was going to be a sac fly, but once Kwan started backing up, backing up, and finally hit the wall, I was like, ‘Wow, this is a three-run home run. Different ballgame right now.’ So I was fortunate.”
Camilo Doval (6-4) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn his first win since Aug. 20.
José Ramírez hit his 215th career home run, tying Larry Doby for seventh in Guardians history.
Josh Naylor added an RBI single, as every Cleveland starter had at least one hit.
Luis Matos and Wilmer Flores had RBI singles for the Giants (75-71), who moved within one game of Arizona for the final NL wild card spot. The Diamondbacks were scheduled to play at the New York Mets on Wednesday night.
Cleveland built a 4-0 lead in the first inning on Ramirez's two-run homer and a throwing error by third baseman Casey Schmitt that led to two more runs.
Matos cut the lead to 4-1 with an RBI single in the bottom of the first.
“We had a couple of chances and didn’t expand (the lead),” Guardians manager Terry Francona said. “You give a good team free bases and sometimes they make you pay.”
FOR STARTERS
Guardians rookie Logan Allen allowed one run and five hits in five innings. The left-hander struck out five and walked three.
“Happy to get through five,” Allen said. “Happy to kind of settle in there after what was a shaky first inning. Happy with the outing, but tough with the way it ended.”
Fellow rookie southpaw Kyle Harrison was charged with five runs, three earned, in four innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Guardians: OF Ramón Laureano returned after missing three games with a jammed left thumb. Laureano went 1 for 5 with a double. ... RHP Triston McKenzie (sprained right elbow) was scheduled to make a rehab start for Double-A Akron on Wednesday night.
Giants: Davis started at first base after missing Tuesday’s game with lower back tightness. ... Bailey was activated from the 7-day concussion injured list and went 1 for 4. ... OF Michael Conforto (strained left hamstring) is expected to return from the 10-day IL at some point next series, according to Kapler. ... RHP Cole Waites underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and is projected to return to play in 12 to 16 months.
ROSTER MOVE
The Giants optioned C Joey Bart to Triple-A Sacramento.
UP NEXT
Guardians: RHP Lucas Giolito (7-13, 4.89 ERA) opens a three-game home series against Texas on Friday. Giolito is 0-2 in two starts with Cleveland, allowing 13 earned runs in 10 innings. The Rangers hadn’t announced a starter.
Giants: RHP Logan Webb (10-12, 3.40) opens a four-game series at Colorado on Thursday opposite RHP Chase Anderson (0-5, 6.49). Webb pitched six scoreless innings Saturday in a 9-1 win over the Rockies in San Francisco.
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