The Giants spent most of Wednesday afternoon looking like the same frustrating club that had been staring at them all season. The errors piled up, the pitching got messy, and by the time the eighth inning rolled around at Oracle Park, they were down 6-1 and running out of time.
Then everything changed.
San Francisco ripped off a five-run rally in the bottom of the eighth and finished off a wild 7-6 win over the Cardinals, turning a lopsided game into a sweep-clinching celebration in front of a small crowd that had baked through the 89-degree heat. It was the Giants’ first sweep of an opponent this season, not counting the Braves series that was split between June and August because of weather, and it came in their 45th uninterrupted series of the year.
The comeback started with Bryce Eldridge, who stepped in with the bases loaded and worked the count to 2-2 before lining a two-run single that cut the gap to 6-3. Jonah Cox followed by beating out a throw to first, pulling the Giants within 6-4.
Then Jung Hoo Lee crushed a ball off the right-field wall to bring the game even at 6-6. Shay Whitcomb finished the job with a double to center that sent San Francisco ahead for good against St.
Louis and reliever George Soriano.
That set the stage for Trent Harris, the Giants’ 27-year-old rookie reliever, to earn his first career save.
The afternoon had opened with a little more promise for San Francisco. Eldridge singled to right in the first inning, and Drew Gilbert used that hit to score from second and put the Giants up 1-0. Eldridge has now reached safely in 18 straight games.
Both clubs were shorthanded. San Francisco was without Willy Adames and Matt Chapman, and Rafael Devers was held out for rest.
St. Louis also came in missing Jordan Walker and JJ Wetherholt, and Masyn Winn was scratched from the lineup a few minutes before first pitch.
The Cardinals answered in the second when Nolan Gorman drove in Joshua Baez, then kept pushing in the third after Giants starter Tidwell lost control of a rundown and collided with Ivan Herrera. Two batters later, rookie catcher Leo Bernal turned on a high 95 mile per hour fastball and sent it over the right-field wall, putting the visitors up 4-1.
Tidwell, who had gone at least five innings in each of his previous three starts, never got that far this time. Manager Tony Vitello pulled the 25-year-old in the fifth after he loaded the bases with no outs. Tidwell left after 78 pitches, having allowed two walks, hit two batters and given up five earned runs while still searching for his first win of the season.
Philip Abner made his Giants debut and allowed one earned run over two innings, pushing the Cardinals’ lead to 6-1. Matthew “Tugboat” Wilkinson then worked a clean seventh and stayed spotless in the eighth before eventually getting the win.
Brett Harris also made two plate appearances after coming in for Gilbert, becoming the 66th player to appear for the Giants this season, which ties a franchise record.
Wednesday also brought news on the injury front. Devers’ games streak ended at 309, and Vitello said he wanted to give him an extra day of rest with the upcoming off day, making clear there was no major injury. “I think he’s fought through baserunning stuff, and we’ve talked about that before … but you get into Bill Belichick mode a little bit where it doesn’t make sense to point to stuff that’s not IL-related.”
Marcelo Mayer, who is dealing with a right foot issue, still has not made his Giants debut since arriving in the trade from the Red Sox. The team remains hopeful he can get back on the field before the season ends. “He’s now doing about as much activity as you would do if you were just coming off the bench, so hopefully that means he’s closer to some game action … we know what he wants: he wants to wear a Giants uniform before the year’s out.”
Looking ahead, Anthony Molina (3-0, 1.88 ERA) is expected to start Friday against the Padres, while former Giant Robbie Ray (11-8, 3.41 ERA) is lined up for San Diego.
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