PITTSBURGH - The Giants have seen the worst of a blown lead recently, and on Tuesday night at PNC Park they found themselves living the other side of it.
They built a six-run comeback after trailing 11-5, tied the game in the eighth, and still walked away with a 13-12 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates when the winning run scored in the bottom of the ninth on a throwing error.
Logan Webb’s night spiraled early. He was charged with a career-high nine runs in just over two innings, and by the time he was done his ERA had climbed from 3.72 to 4.21. The outing was also notable for how little Webb was able to cover; it marked the second time in his last three starts that he failed to get through three innings, and over those three outings he’s thrown only 10 2/3 innings, the fewest over a three-start stretch in his career.
The Giants were already in a deep hole when rookie left-hander Cesar Perdomo helped stabilize things. Perdomo, added when rosters expanded to 28 on Tuesday, gave San Francisco four innings of long relief and allowed just one run. That kept the game within reach long enough for the offense to chip away.
San Francisco first cut into the deficit in the sixth, when Jonah Cox delivered an RBI single and Jung Hoo Lee followed with a run-scoring groundout to make it 11-7. Pittsburgh answered with a solo homer from Brandon Lowe in the seventh, but the Giants kept coming.
The turning point for the comeback came in the eighth, when the Giants scored five times to tie it at 12-12. Osleivis Basabe worked a bases-loaded walk, Drew Cavanaugh drove in two with a double, and Nate Furman, coming off the bench, delivered the biggest swing of the rally with a two-run double.
Before that surge, the Giants had done their early damage in the second inning against Paul Skenes, who allowed five runs over 4 2/3 innings. Christian Koss and Turner Hill each had RBI singles, and Rafael Devers capped the inning with a three-run homer, his 31st of the season. Devers now has 82 RBIs, and with 23 games left, he’s within reach of becoming the first Giant since Buster Posey in 2012 to reach 100 RBIs in a season.
Webb’s roughest stretch came in the third, a half-inning that dragged on nearly 35 minutes. After the Pirates opened with four straight singles, Webb issued bases-loaded walks to Jacob Gonzalez and Jared Triolo. Henry Davis then knocked in two more with a two-run single, and Giants manager Tony Vitello turned to the bullpen.
Perdomo’s appearance also carried a bit of history for the Giants. He became the 15th player to make his debut for the club this season, leaving the team one debut shy of matching the San Francisco-era record for most debuts in a year.
Worth noting
Adrian Houser (right flexor strain) was transferred to the 60-day injured list, ending his season.
Jesús Rodríguez (right elbow neuritis) visited Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas for a second opinion.
Matt Gage (left elbow strain) was taken off his rehab assignment due to elbow discomfort. He’ll be shut down from throwing for this week.
Sam Hentges (left forearm strain) has a mild flexor strain. He won’t throw for the rest of the week.
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