When the Texas Rangers arrived in San Francisco on Monday, they brought six left-handed relievers along for the ride.
It’s an odd arrangement for a bullpen, and one that Gabe Kapler immediately recognized could set up advantageous late-game matchups for the Giants.
Kapler didn’t pull a Babe Ruth, point to the outfield bleachers and call his shot, but he knew that stashing right-handed hitters on his bench could help the Giants win a close game. Thanks to a seventh-inning rally set up by three consecutive pinch-hitters —Austin Slater, Darin Ruf and Mauricio Dubón — Kapler’s Giants defeated the Rangers 3-1 at Oracle Park to improve to 21-14.
After Rangers southpaw John King recorded two quick outs to open the seventh inning, Slater drew a walk in place of Steven Duggar and Ruf singled to right field in the pitcher’s spot in the order. With left fielder Mike Tauchman set to face King, Kapler made the decision to go to Dubón, who entered play with a .540 OPS off the bench.
The vast majority of major league managers would have called on a righty to replace King and neutralize the Giants’ platoon advantage. Rangers skipper Chris Woodward stuck with King and Dubón made him pay.
At the end of an eight-pitch at-bat that included five foul balls, Dubón blooped a single into left field to score Slater from second base. An average left fielder would have had an excellent shot to throw out Slater at the plate, but Khris Davis, who is typically a designated hitter, was unable to reach the cut of the infield grass with a throw that rolled toward the pitcher’s mound.
The Rangers gave the Giants more help in the seventh inning, too, as third baseman Charlie Culberson misfired a throw to first on a Mike Yastrzemski grounder that allowed Ruf to come home.
The rally came at the perfect time for starter Alex Wood, who was able to pick up his fourth win in a Giants uniform after throwing seven innings of one-run ball against Texas.
Wood’s secondary offerings, a slider and changeup, have been as dominant as any pitches thrown by a member of the Giants staff this season. Opposing hitters entered play on Monday a combined 6-for-64 against Wood’s slider and changeup this year and the Rangers didn’t fare any better.
Rangers hitters swung at 20 of Wood’s 32 sliders at Oracle Park, whiffing at 10 while hitting six foul balls and putting only four in play.
The best slider Wood threw against Texas came at the end of the sixth inning, when the Rangers had two on, two out and one of their best hitters, Joey Gallo, at the plate. After getting ahead in the count with a changeup and sinker, Wood ripped off a slider that broke toward the bottom of the zone and induced a big whiff from Gallo to end the inning.
Wood was able to pitch an inning deeper than Rangers opening day starter Kyle Gibson, who gave up a home run to Brandon Belt but was otherwise impressive dominant through six innings.
After launching a deep fly ball to left center field that landed Adolís García’s glove near the warning track in his first at-bat, Belt put just enough backspin behind a 2-0 sinker in his second plate appearance and gave the Giants a 1-0 lead.
His eighth home run of the season pulled Belt into a tie with catcher Buster Posey for the team lead, but the Rangers struck back immediately in the fifth against Wood on a Davis triple and Culberson single.
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