Matt Chapman stayed hot at the plate with a three-run home run in the eighth inning, rallying the Giants to another come-from-behind victory as San Francisco beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-6 on Thursday at PNC Park.
Heliot Ramos also went deep for San Francisco, helping offset a big day by former Giants prospect Joey Bart.
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Ramos inches the Giants closer with a solo shot 🙌 pic.twitter.com/DcMZGDvVcU
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) May 23, 2024
One day after overcoming a five-run deficit and winning in extra innings, manager Bob Melvin’s ballclub pulled off another memorable comeback.
Unable to muster much offense for most of the game, the Giants (25-26) batted around and put up five runs in the eighth inning to erase a 6-2 deficit.
Chapman, who also made a handful of strong defensive plays, delivered the big blow with his eighth home run of the season and third in three days. After Jorge Soler followed Chapman’s smash with a double, Wilmer Flores tied the game with a pinch-hit single down the right field line.
San Francisco Giants
WHO ELSE BUT CHAPPY? GIANTS WITHIN ONE 💪 pic.twitter.com/LnPK9DqJZ7
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) May 23, 2024
With Aroldis Chapman pitching in relief, pinch-runner Marco Luciano took second on a wild pitch then moved to third on a passed ball. Brett Wisely, the Giants’ No. 9 hitter, then dropped a single into center to drive in Luciano with the game-winning run.
Randy Rodriguez pitched one scoreless inning to earn his first career victory. Tyler Rogers pitched the ninth for his first save.
The Pirates (23-28) got the tying run on base in the bottom of the ninth but Ji Hwan Bae was thrown out by Giants catcher Patrick Bailey trying to steal second base.
Patrick Bailey is not, has not, and never will be havin' it 😤 pic.twitter.com/LlP3Qk2P7Q
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) May 23, 2024
Here are the takeaways from Thursday’s game:
Old friend, new foe
Bart came back to haunt his former ballclub, smashing a grand slam off Mason Black in the fourth inning.
It was Bart’s first career grand slam, and his first home run off the Giants.
More telling, it was Bart’s fourth home run of the season. By comparison, Giants catchers have three dingers this season – all of them by Bailey.
Bart later added a two-out double off Taylor Rogers in the sixth.
Relief debut goes Black
Mason Black’s first appearance out of the bullpen did not go very well. The Giants’ right-hander was supposed to eat the bulk of the innings after replacing opener Erik Miller but retired only eight batters and was pulled after throwing 51 pitches.
The biggest blow was Bart’s grand slam but Black was in a lot of deep counts, which raised his pitch count. The 24-year-old rookie had two strikeouts but walked two and allowed three hits.
Black has given up a home run in each of his four outings this season and has a 12.70 ERA over his last two games covering 5 2/3 innings.
Skenes muffles Giants' bats
The Giants’ offense came alive late but it didn’t happen until Pittsburgh starter Paul Skenes had left the game.
Skenes, the Pirates’ top pitching prospect, allowed one run over six dominant innings while giving up six hits. The 21-year-old had three strikeouts with one walk.
The hard-throwing right-hander’s pitches were routinely clocked in the high 90s, with four topping the 100 mph mark.