SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants won their third consecutive games since Buster Posey’s roster shakeup, defeating the Atlanta Braves in 10 innings, 5-4, as Tyler Fitzgerald scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch.
Hayden Birdsong grinded through his most erratic start this season, totaling an equal amount of walks and strikeouts (5) as he allowed two runs over 4 1/3 innings. Prior to Friday night, Birdsong had not walked more than two batters in a single outing this season.
First baseman Dominic Smith continued to make an impact with his new team, driving in two runs via two sacrifice flies and making a difficult catch over the railing in foul territory.
The Giants benefitted in the bottom of the first by the Braves, which committed two errors that helped the Giants take an early 3-0 lead on Wilmer Flores’ RBI single, Dominic Smith’s sacrifice fly and Patrick Bailey’s RBI groundout. Prior to Tuesday, the last time San Francisco scored three or more runs in the first inning was April 16 against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The top of the fourth inning was, in a word, eventful. By the end of the frame, the Giants lead shrunk 3-2.
Birdsong lost his command and gifted Atlanta a free rally, plunking Matt Olson, then walking Marcell Ozuna and Ozzie Albies. With the bases loaded and no outs, pitching coach J.P. Martinez convened with Birdsong and catcher Patrick Bailey.
On Birdsong’s second pitch following the meeting, Atlanta’s Alex Verdugo pulled a line drive over the right-field wall that barely veered foul. The Braves challenged the call but the call was upheld, and Birdsong stuck out Verdugo on the next pitch.
Birdsong’s next assignment was Sean Murphy, who smashed a line drive right at right fielder Mike Yastrzemski. Yastrzemski made the catch and fired home; Olson tagged up and burst for the plate. As Yastrzemski’s throw arrived and Olson slid home safe, a second ball entered the playing field.
From the angle, the ball appeared to be thrown by a fan from the upper deck. The umpiring crew convened but the play stood, giving Atlanta its first run of the game. The Braves scored their second run of the inning when Michael Harris II shot a single to center field, driving in Ozuna and cutting the Giants’ lead to one run.
Manager Bob Melvin sent Birdsong out for the fifth inning despite his erratic fourth inning, but Melvin went to reliever Tristan Beck with one out after Birdsong allowed a single to Ronald Acuña Jr. and Olson. Beck stranded both runners and kept the one-run lead intact, getting an assist from Yastrzemski when center fielder Jung Hoo Lee appeared to lose Ozzie Albies’ inning-ending fly out in the lights.
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Smith padded San Francisco’s lead in the bottom of the fifth with his second sacrifice fly of the night, driving in Flores and expanding the lead to 4-2. That sacrifice fly became important in the top of the seventh inning when Ryan Walker hung a slider to Olson, who went a two-run shot into the right-field arcade and tied the game at four apiece.
The Giants didn’t have their finest inning on the bases in the seventh against Craig Kimbrel, who made his first appearance with Atlanta since 2014. Heliot Ramos led off the inning with a single but was thrown out trying to steal second. Lee followed Ramos by drawing a walk but was picked off at first base.
Camilo Doval faced the heart of Atlanta’s order in the top of the ninth and stuck out the side, sending Austin Riley, Olson and Ozuna back to the dugout with strikeouts to their name.
Tyler Fitzgerald set the table with a two-out single to right field in the ninth inning but was picked off at first with Ramos — the Giants’ hottest hitter — in the batter’s box. To extra innings the ballgame went.
The Braves began the top of the 10th inning with José Azocar, pinch-running for Ozuna, as the automatic runner on second base. After Atlanta loaded the bases against left-hander Erik Miller with two outs, Melvin went to right-hander Spencer Bivens to face Luke Williams. On a 3-2 count, Bivens got Williams to hit into an inning-ending groundout, giving the Giants a chance to win in the bottom of the 10th.
After being picked off to end the ninth, Fitzgerald began the bottom of the 10th as the automatic runner. Fitzgerald advanced to third on Lee’s groundout to second, then easily scored from third on Pierce Johnson’s wild pitch.
