PHOENIX _ If the Giants are going to make Bruce Bochy's farewell tour any easier on their manager, the core players Bochy has been with the longest will need to lead an inspired charge.
With a game and series on the line, Brandon Crawford and Pablo Sandoval carried the torch.
Thanks to a diving stop from Crawford that sent Sunday's game to extra innings and a pinch-hit home run from Sandoval in the top of the 10th, the Giants earned a 3-2 win and a series victory over the second-place Diamondbacks.
With the game-winning run standing on third base and two outs in the ninth, Crawford launched his body into the hole between third and short to corral an Adam Jones one-hopper and fired a low throw that Brandon Belt scooped up to send the game to extra innings.
The three-time Gold Glove winner has a flair for the dramatic at shortstop, and considering the circumstances, Sunday's game-saving web gem may have been one of Crawford's finest acts.
Crawford's knack for clutch defensive plays is matched by Sandoval's ability to deliver when the Giants need him most at the plate. After sitting on the bench for the first nine innings, the switch-hitter emerged to face Diamondbacks reliever Yoshihisa Hirano in the 10th and promptly launched a go-ahead 415-foot home run into the left field bleachers.
After recording one career pinch-hit homer in his first 1,208 major league games, Sandoval has hit two in his last two at-bats and continues to prove why he's the Giants' most valuable offensive player despite consistently coming off the bench.
A day after knocking Arizona starter Zack Godley out of the game before the end of the fourth inning, the Giants ran up Robbie Ray's pitch count early with several deep counts and 18 foul balls, putting constant stress on the Diamondbacks right-hander. Ray issued a bases loaded walk to third baseman Evan Longoria in the third before Kevin Pillar made it a 2-0 Giants lead with an RBI groundout.
Ray limited the Giants to just two runs, allowing his offense to come back and tie the game in the top of the fourth with a two-run frame against starter Drew Pomeranz. After beginning his day with three hitless innings, Pomeranz ran into command issues in the fourth as he surrendered two hits, two walks and a wild pitch.
Pomeranz returned from the injured list and started for the first time since he gave up seven earned runs in 1 2/3 innings against Cincinnati on May 6. The Giants signed Pomeranz to a one-year deal during the offseason with the hope he could provide stability at the back end of their rotation, but the club is still searching for competent starting options outside of Madison Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija.
After Giants pitchers combined for six quality starts in the team's first 16 games, they've combined for just four such outings over the last 28 games. Three of the four quality starts belong to Bumgarner, who is the only starter on the staff consistently able to work past the fifth inning.
The Giants are tied with the Brewers and Rangers for the third-fewest quality starts in the league with 10 as only the Orioles and Angels have received fewer outings of at least six innings from starters who allowed three earned runs or fewer.
Pomeranz was unable to make it through the bottom of the fifth on Sunday as manager Bruce Bochy lifted him in favor of reliever Trevor Gott with the go-ahead run on third base and two outs. Gott escaped the jam by inducing an inning-ending flyout, but the Giants were forced to go to their bullpen early a day before lefty Andrew Suarez is set to make his 2019 debut.
With Suarez pitching on Monday and rookie Shaun Anderson preparing for his second major league start on Tuesday, the Giants plan to carry 13 pitchers during a week when their bullpen could be stretched thin.
