What we learned as Bailey, Lee power Giants’ win vs. D-backs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – Patrick Bailey became the first Giants player to homer into McCovey Cove this season on an afternoon when San Francisco got production up and down the lineup, leading to a 7-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday at Oracle Park.
Bailey, who also doubled twice and singled to raise his batting average to .340, drilled a 3-1 pitch from Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen down the right field line in the fifth inning, a tie-breaking, two-run shot that put the Giants ahead for good.
Jung Hoo Lee also went deep for his second home run of the season to help San Francisco get back on track after getting thrashed 17-1 in the series opener on Friday.
LaMonte Wade Jr. singled twice and scored both times. Mike Yastrzemski and Matt Chapman also had two hits apiece for San Francisco.
The Giants now have a chance to win their second consecutive series. After winning two of three against the Miami Marlins to close out their most recent road trip, the Giants have taken two of three from the Diamondbacks heading into Sunday’s finale of the four-game series.
The Giants trailed Saturday before taking their first at-bats, then scored twice in the first inning to take control.
San Francisco led 3-1 before Arizona tagged starter Kyle Harrison for a pair of runs in the fourth to tie it.
That set the stage for Bailey’s two-out heroics in the bottom of the fifth. His home run and Lee’s were the first allowed by Gallen this season.
San Francisco’s offense had one of its best days of the young 2024 campaign. Five players had multiple hits, while eight of the nine starters had at least one. Four different players drove in runs.
The Giants welcomed the offensive output after Harrison lasted just four innings. The left-hander had five strikeouts in his brief outing but allowed three runs and six hits.
Rested Lee Remains Lethal
Back in the Giants’ lineup after a planned day off, Lee pulled a home run down the right field line on a 1-0 fastball from Gallen leading off the bottom of the first. That extended the South Korean star’s hitting streak to a cool 11 games.
Five innings later, Lee used his speed to beat out an infield grounder and avoid a double play. He also had an RBI double and scored in the eighth.
Lee has been on fire at the plate during the streak, making good contact and hitting everything hard. He carried a .346 slugging percentage and had an OPS of .672 heading into the game and now stands at 3.98 and .728, respectively.
Bullpen Bounces Back
A day after Giants relievers had a miserable afternoon following Blake Snell’s ineffective outing, the bullpen was put into action early again after Harrison was removed after four innings.
This time, San Francisco responded well to the challenge.
Ryan Walker, Erik Miller, Taylor Rogers and Tyler Rogers each worked a scoreless inning. Walker (2-2) got the win. Camilo Doval struck out the side in the ninth to close it out.
That was in sharp contrast to a day earlier when four Giants relievers were banged around for 13 hits, 12 runs and four walks in 4 1/3 innings.
Harrison’s Day Ends Early
Harrison didn’t last very long in his attempt to win consecutive starts for the first time in his young professional career. The Giants’ left-hander worked just four ragged innings before manager Bob Melvin came out and relieved him with Walker.
Arizona was very patient with Harrison, who got away with an uneven outing to win in his previous start. The Diamondbacks didn’t chase many pitches out of the strike zone and efficiently worked Harrison’s pitch count to 74 in the four innings, which ultimately led to the quick hook.
Relying primarily on his four-seamer, Harrison had only one clean inning and had to navigate through heavy traffic in his other three innings of work.
Two of the three runs Harrison allowed came on two-out hits. He had five strikeouts but he walked one and hit another.
The 22-year-old pitcher saw his ERA raise to 5.00 in 27 innings over his first five starts of the year.
Source Agencies
