The San Francisco Giants are playing terrific baseball at a time when it doesn’t matter for them.
Meanwhile, the Arizona Diamondbacks are trying to make sure back-to-back setbacks don’t turn into an extended slide that could hinder their playoff aspirations.
The Giants, who are 6-1 on a nine-game road trip, will look to continue the hot streak when they face the Diamondbacks in Phoenix on Tuesday night in the middle contest of a three-game set.
San Francisco (78-79) has outscored opponents 37-12 during the trek, including a 6-3 victory on Monday in the series opener. A team that underachieved this season is suddenly scorching hot.
Arizona (87-70) fell into third place in the National League wild-card chase with the Monday loss. The Diamondbacks are a half-game behind the New York Mets, but they are 1 1/2 games ahead of the Atlanta Braves for the final spot. Complicating matters: The Diamondbacks host the red-hot San Diego Padres for three games in the final series of the regular season.
Arizona won four straight games before blowing an 8-0 lead against Milwaukee on Sunday. The Brewers rallied for a 10-9 win.
“I don’t think there’s any pressing,” Diamondbacks center fielder Jake McCarthy said after the Monday defeat. “We’ve had our foot on the gas pedal the whole season, so just chalk it up to baseball. We’re going to bounce back (Tuesday).”
Giants third baseman Matt Chapman drove in three runs on a two-run inside-the-park homer and an RBI triple on Monday. He is the franchise’s first player to have an inside-the-parker and a triple in the same game since Hall of Famer Monte Irvin managed both for the 1953 New York Giants.
In the third inning, Chapman hit a deep drive to left-center that caromed off the wall back into deep center. McCarthy attempted to make the grab, so left fielder Pavin Smith had to retrieve the ball as Chapman circled the bases for San Francisco’s first inside-the-park homer since Denard Span hit one in 2017.
“It was tiring. It was a lot of fun,” Chapman said. “… Once I saw he missed that ball, I turned it on and I was really hoping Matty (third base coach Matt Williams) was going to wave me and I was digging. That was a lot of fun.”
Diamondbacks All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte (ankle, back) was limited to pinch-hitting duties in the opener. He struck out in the eighth inning.
Arizona catcher Gabriel Moreno (adductor) didn’t play but is expected to return Tuesday.
San Francisco’s Logan Webb (12-10, 3.58 ERA) will oppose Arizona’s Brandon Pfaadt (10-9, 4.66) on Tuesday in a battle of right-handers.
Webb struck out eight in five innings against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday during a no-decision. He allowed three runs and four hits.
Webb dominated the Diamondbacks on April 18 when he gave up just two hits over seven innings during a 5-0 victory.
Webb, 27, is 6-3 with a 2.51 ERA in 11 career starts against Arizona. Corbin Carroll (5-for-14), McCarthy (6-for-18), Moreno (4-for-11) and Christian Walker (6-for-19) have fared well against Webb, while Marte (4-for-22, one homer), Geraldo Perdomo (2-for-16) and Randal Grichuk (1-for-12) have struggled against him.
Pfaadt is coming off a superb outing in which he struck out a career-best 12 in a Thursday victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. He allowed one run and two hits and didn’t walk anyone in seven innings.
The 25-year-old has struck out 10 or more batters in three of his past seven starts and four times overall this season.
Pfaadt is 0-1 with a 1.50 ERA in two career starts against San Francisco, both of them last season.
Michael Conforto (2-for-5) and LaMonte Wade Jr. (1-for-6) have both homered against Pfaadt.
–Field Level Media
