Slugger’s three-run blast sets tone; Ray delivers steady outing as bullpen slams the door in 5–3 victory
Willy Adames provided the early thunder, Robbie Ray battled through five solid innings, and the Giants’ bullpen held firm as San Francisco edged the Diamondbacks 5–3 at Oracle Park on Tuesday night. The win gave the Giants their second straight victory to open the series and pulled them within two games of the Mets for the final NL Wild Card spot.
The decisive blow came in the bottom of the first. After Heliot Ramos and Rafael Devers worked back-to-back walks, Adames fouled a pitch off his own leg, took a moment to shake it off, then unloaded on the very next fastball. His 394-foot, three-run homer to left-center was his 28th of the season.
Adames has been red-hot, hitting .326 with 10 runs, a double, six homers, and 15 RBIs over his last 12 games, tying him for second across the majors. His production has been a major boost for San Francisco’s September surge.
Ray was in control early, striking out the side in the third inning and navigating traffic with limited damage until the fifth, when Arizona broke through with a pair of runs on doubles from Tim Tawa and Jordan Lawlar. Ray finished with five strikeouts across five innings, allowing just three hits and two runs to improve to 11–6 on the season.
Pat Bailey extended the Giants’ home run streak to 17 games with a solo shot in the fifth, his second straight game going deep. That blast pushed the lead to 5–2, giving the bullpen just enough cushion to finish the job.
The bullpen delivered again. Matt Gage faltered briefly in the sixth, but Joel Peguero entered to strike out two and strand the tying runs. Peguero, Joey Lucchesi, and Ryan Walker combined for four scoreless innings, with Walker nailing down his 15th save.
With the 5–3 win, San Francisco improved to 73–71 and is now 46–12 in games where they score at least five runs. The victory not only secured a series win but also brought the Giants closer in the NL Wild Card race.
The Giants will go for the sweep on Wednesday behind Carson Seymour.
The decisive blow came in the bottom of the first. After Heliot Ramos and Rafael Devers worked back-to-back walks, Adames fouled a pitch off his own leg, took a moment to shake it off, then unloaded on the very next fastball. His 394-foot, three-run homer to left-center was his 28th of the season.
Adames has been red-hot, hitting .326 with 10 runs, a double, six homers, and 15 RBIs over his last 12 games, tying him for second across the majors. His production has been a major boost for San Francisco’s September surge.
Ray was in control early, striking out the side in the third inning and navigating traffic with limited damage until the fifth, when Arizona broke through with a pair of runs on doubles from Tim Tawa and Jordan Lawlar. Ray finished with five strikeouts across five innings, allowing just three hits and two runs to improve to 11–6 on the season.
Pat Bailey extended the Giants’ home run streak to 17 games with a solo shot in the fifth, his second straight game going deep. That blast pushed the lead to 5–2, giving the bullpen just enough cushion to finish the job.
The bullpen delivered again. Matt Gage faltered briefly in the sixth, but Joel Peguero entered to strike out two and strand the tying runs. Peguero, Joey Lucchesi, and Ryan Walker combined for four scoreless innings, with Walker nailing down his 15th save.
With the 5–3 win, San Francisco improved to 73–71 and is now 46–12 in games where they score at least five runs. The victory not only secured a series win but also brought the Giants closer in the NL Wild Card race.
The Giants will go for the sweep on Wednesday behind Carson Seymour.
Chongwoo Chang / chongwoo.chang@baynewslab.com
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