Drew Gilbert didn’t spend Wednesday afternoon in the action until it mattered most, and when his moment arrived, he made it count in a big way.
Gilbert’s two-run pinch-hit homer in the 10th inning lifted the Giants to a 6-5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, sealing the rubber match after San Francisco let a two-run lead slip away in the ninth. The blast, which traveled 415 feet to center field, was Gilbert’s 10th homer of the season.
The win also belonged to Jonah Cox, who kept turning the game into a headache for St. Louis from the leadoff spot. Cox finished with three singles, two steals, a walk, an RBI and a run scored, and he was involved in three of San Francisco’s six runs.
His speed showed up immediately in the third inning. Cox singled, stole second, stole third and then scored before the Cardinals turned an inning-ending 3-6 double play. Because the play wasn’t a force out, his run counted since he crossed the plate before the final out.
He came through again in the seventh, this time with a single to right that brought home Andrew Knizner. The inning got even messier for St. Louis when Jordan Walker’s throw trying to get Christian Koss at third deflected off Koss and rolled away, letting Koss move up another base.
Cox also added his 12th and 13th steals of the season, passing Jung Hoo Lee, who had 12, for the team lead despite appearing in only 53 games. He nearly picked up a 14th in the ninth, but after he swiped second, the Cardinals challenged and the call was overturned.
San Francisco needed the extra inning after Dylan Smith couldn’t protect a two-run cushion in the ninth. In the 10th, Joel Kuhnel was also pushed to the edge, walking two batters and giving up a sacrifice fly before hanging on to record the final three outs and lock down the victory.
Kuhnel’s save also put him into a unique spot in the record book: he became the first player in MLB history since saves became official in 1969 with multiple saves for three different teams in the same season.
“Big Joel’s tough,” manager Tony Vitello told reporters in St. Louis.
“We threw him into the fire like immediately since he’s joined the club. He’s bounced around a bunch of different teams.
It’s like Jesse Chavez, our bullpen coach. He got traded all the time.
That stuff builds up scar tissue. It kind of breaks you down or makes you tougher.
… He’s got some toughness to him.”
The Giants also got a strong outing from Anthony Molina, who steadied himself after last week’s rough start against the Padres. The right-hander allowed just two hits across 5 2/3 scoreless innings and struck out six while earning his fourth win as a Giant.
“You could sense right away as soon as his last outing ended that this one was going to be good,” Vitello said. “He was frustrated with it.
He didn’t throw the ball terrible, but the Padres just got to him. You could sense that he was going to come back and have a pretty good effort.”
The Giants have one off day Thursday before heading to Los Angeles for their final trip there this season and a three-game set with the Dodgers. Cesar Perdomo is set to start Friday, while Saturday and Sunday’s starters have not been announced. The club is also expected to decide soon whether Logan Webb will be shut down for the rest of the year.
The game came with another reminder of how unsettled the Giants’ leadoff spot has been this season. Manager Tony Vitello has already used 15 different players in the role, the most in franchise history, with one-off appearances from Will Brennan, Victor Bericoto and Nate Furman, plus cameos from Bryce Eldridge and Matt Chapman. With Rafael Devers and Eldridge lining up at No. 2 and No. 3, the Giants may be looking for more stability at the top next year - and Cox and Gilbert are making their case.
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