Mike Yastrzemski tied it with a two-out, two-run ninth inning home run and the Giants scored three in the 10th Wednesday to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-5 and finish a three-game road sweep.
The free runner in the top of the 10th inning, Yastrzemski scored the lead run on a one-out single by Thairo Estrada against losing pitcher Steven Matz, and Wilmer Flores followed with another run-scoring single after Estrada had stolen second base.
With two outs, LaMonte Wade Jr. delivered another run-scoring single to give the Giants a three-run lead. Camilo Doval then recorded his 18th save with the tying run at the plate with Tyler Rogers getting his first win against four losses.
Down to their final strike in the ninth inning against closer Giovanny Gallegos, Yastrzemski worked the count to 2-2 before unloading a 417-foot home run to tie score 5-5. The blow scored Wade, who opened the inning with an eight-pitch walk and was Yastrzemski’s eighth of the season and second in two days.
It was the 11th road win in their last 13 games for the Giants, who improved to 36-32, with the Cardinals falling to 27-42.
It was Yastrzemski who brought the Giants to within 5-3 with a run-scoring single in the seventh inning.
Luis Matos, making his major league debut in center field, had a first-inning single in the first inning and was 1-for-3.
As nice as it is to score two runs in the first inning, the Giants couldn’t help but feel they should have come away with more.
Austin Slater opened with a single, with Matos hitting his first-ever major league pitch for a ground ball single to left and Thairo Estrada hitting a single for a 1-0 lead. Wilmer Flores walked to load the bases, with Patrick Bailey driving in a second run with a single.
The bases were still loaded and no one was out, but Montgomery avoided the huge inning by getting Wade to ground into a force play at the plate and then retire Casey Schmitt on a ground ball double play to end the inning.
After striking out the side in the first inning, starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani ran into instant trouble in the second with Nolan Arenado leading off with a single. He struck out Jordan Walker, then gave up consecutive singles Dylan Carlson and Paul DeJong to load the bases.
DeSclafani then struck out Andrew Knizner and worked the count to 2-2 on Edman in the No. 9 hole. However, DeSclafani served up a center cut fastball and Edman hit it out to right field to give the Cardinals a 4-2 lead.
The Cardinals added another run in the third on Walker’s run scoring single, and after three innings DeSclafani, in one of the strangest pitching lines you’ll ever see, had given up seven hits, five earned runs but struck out seven with just one walk on 78 pitches.
When the fourth inning began, Jakob Junis was on the mound. Junis, Taylor Rogers, Ryan Walker and Tyler Rogers held St. Louis scoreless through the ninth.
