Tyler Mahle gave the Giants exactly the kind of start they needed Monday night, and San Francisco backed it up with just enough offense to hand the Brewers a 3-0 loss in the opener of a three-game series.
Mahle worked six-plus innings and held Milwaukee to three hits, never letting a runner get past second base. The veteran right-hander improved to 3-9 while striking out three, and he got plenty of help from his defense along the way, with the Giants turning three double plays behind him.
The Brewers’ only baserunners against Mahle came on singles by Jake Bauers, Andrew Vaughn and Jackson Chourio, plus walks to Vaughn and Cooper Pratt. Milwaukee had a small opening in the second when Bauers singled and Vaughn walked with one out in a scoreless game, but Mahle shut it down by getting Garrett Mitchell to ground into an inning-ending double play.
San Francisco grabbed the lead for good in the third against Brandon Sproat. Jesus Rodriguez started the inning with a double, and Luis Arraez drove him in with an RBI single.
The Giants added on in the fourth after Willy Adames lined a two-out single. Grant McCray followed by launching a two-run homer, his first of the season and the sixth of his three-year career, to make it 3-0.
Mahle exited after Chourio opened the seventh with a leadoff single, but the bullpen finished the job. Sam Hentges retired the next three Brewers to end the inning, Dylan Smith threw a 1-2-3 eighth, and Erik Miller struck out two of the three batters he faced in a perfect ninth for his third save.
Sproat went six innings and was charged with all three Giants runs on six hits. He walked three and struck out five.
Garrett Stallings kept Milwaukee in range with two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, but the Brewers still dropped just their third game in their last 10.
For the Giants, it was their third win in four games on the current homestand and their third victory in five meetings with Milwaukee this season.
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