SAN FRANCISCO _ The possible choice for the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 10th inning Wednesday seemed easy enough _ give an intentional walk to one of the majors' hottest hitters Brandon Crawford and then bring in a right-hander Fernando Salas to face the Giants' struggling Evan Longoria.
Crawford, who would deliver a two-out run-scoring single to give the Giants a 5-4 win at AT&T Park, wasn't looking at it that way.
"Longoria's a good hitter on deck," Crawford said. "Whether he's struggling or doing well, I try not to think about that. He's a good hitter. I don't think they want to face him either."
Crawford, after a pair of swings and misses against low breaking balls, got a slider to his liking on a 3-2 count and drilled it into right field to send the crowd of 41,402 home happy at the conclusion of a 5-1 home stand.
Those who were still around, anyway. A sizable number left in the ninth inning before Alen Hanson hit a two-run, two-out pinch-hit home run against closer Brad Boxberger to tie a game manager Bruce Bochy called "a great win ... could be our best win this year."
The Giants, 31-31, are just 1 { games behind Arizona (32-29) in the log jam that is the National League West.
Crawford, hitting .429 in his last 32 games, said, "It feels great. I don't know if you categorize wins necessarily, but it was against a first-place team in our division. So yes, it was pretty big win."
For Hanson, it was his fourth consecutive pinch hit, and the utility player said through an interpreter he had never hit a game-winning pinch-homer in his career.
"I went with a positive mentality, approach to the plate where I was going to go to the plate and get one good swing," Hanson said.
It was the fifth home run for Hanson, whose swing Bochy described as "easy pop." Hanson said he wasn't swinging for the fences.
"I think if I go up there thinking of hitting a home run, that's not my game. I'm not a home run hitter," Hanson said. "It's just putting the ball in play."
Following Hanson's home run, Strickland pitched a harrowing scoreless 10th inning that improved his record to 3-2.
Blach had breezed through two innings _ he even retired Goldschmidt on a ground ball _ before Strickland took the ball in the 10th.
Daniel Descalso opened with a walk before Daniel Peralta narrowly missed hitting a two-run home run down the right field line, a foul ball that was upheld on review.
Peralta struck out on wild pitch, with Descalso moving to second. Strickland uncorked another wild one to Chris Owings that moved Descalso to third. Owings was walked intentionally, but Strickland wriggled out of it by striking out pinch-hitter Ketel Marte and then retiring Nick Ahmed on a pop-up to second base.
Chafin (0-2) got Joe Panik to line to first and then retired Pablo Sandoval on a ground ball to third before Andrew McCutchen doubled over the head of center fielder Jarrod Dyson.
That set the stage for Crawford's game-winner. Arizona manager Torey Luvullo, after a conference on the mound, opted to stay with Chafin rather than walk Crawford and have Salas pitch to Longoria.
"They had the matchup they liked and you couldn't ask for a better hitter at this time up there," Bochy said. "Craw, the way he's been playing, it's been a remarkable four, five, six weeks and it's fitting he won the game for us."
The Giants, who left for Washington and open a 10-game road trip Friday against the Nationals, departed with the knowledge they'd had a successful homestand despite losing Brandon Belt to an emergency appendectomy June 2.
