SAN FRANCISCO -- Even after scoring six runs in the first two innings, it was hard for the Giants to relax. They have made a habit of blowing leads this season, and there were multiple points in Saturday's win at Oracle Park when it seemed the New York Mets might crawl back into the game.
At two key moments, Joey Bart's arm cut a potential rally short.
Mets outfielder Starling Marte followed a solo homer with a bunt single in the third, but when he took off for second, Bart's perfect throw to second wiped out the runner. A few pitches later, Logan Webb struck out Francisco Lindor to end the inning.
In the fourth, the Mets put two on for slugger Daniel Vogelbach, who was one swing from getting his team back within a run. Webb's two-strike slider bounced in the dirt and Jeff McNeil, the runner on second, broke for third. Bart pounced and made another strong throw to record the second out of an inning. Webb struck out Vogelbach and then retired the next nine.
"Joey had an excellent game behind the plate," manager Gabe Kapler said after the 7-4 victory. "He was very composed, called a really good game, was in control the whole time and obviously threw it really well. The way things are trending across the league, it's always nice to have a guy with a plus arm back there and good exchanges. He had both of those today."
Webb called Bart's defensive effort "fantastic" and said it helped set the tone in the win. The first throw also provided a bit of validation for the starter, who admitted he hasn't been great about varying his looks for baserunners this season. He made a concerted effort to change it up Saturday, especially with the speedy Marte on base.
"I know Joey was excited," Webb said, laughing. "I finally gave him a chance to throw a guy out."
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--- Webb made a couple of other changes that had an equal impact on the game. He constantly is fiddling with pitch grips and said Brian Bannister made a slight alteration to his changeup grip in the bullpen before Saturday's game. The Giants' director of pitching then asked Webb how he was holding his sinker, and when Webb showed him, they again made a grip change.
Webb said the alterations were very minor, but he felt a difference. He threw a season-high seven innings and struck out eight while getting nine groundballs.
"It felt really good coming out of my hand," he said.
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--- There was mass confusion in the ninth when Camilo Doval appeared to walk Vogelbach because of a pitch clock violation on a 3-2 count. Vogelbach took his base, temporarily putting two on in a four-run game, but the Giants' bench erupted right away. Kapler came out to talk to home plate umpire Chad Whitson, who huddled with the other three and determined that the clock had not been reset before the pitch.
The Giants learned something new from the whole process. It would seem to be a play that the review umpires in New York could look at pretty easily, but that's one call that needs to come from the four umpires on the field. Luckily for the Giants, they got it right Saturday. Vogelbach was sent back to the batter's box and Doval froze him with a 98-mph sinker.