SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Nick Hundley made the most of a summer heat wave with one big swing.
Hundley hit a game-ending homer in the 10th inning, and the Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 on Saturday despite a stellar pitching performance from Lance Lynn.
“Good thing it was a warm day,” Hundley said. “I think earlier in the year it was windy and cold, maybe it doesn’t go out. I’m not complaining about that.”
The game-time temperature of 95 degrees was the third highest at AT&T Park and just the sixth that topped 90 degrees. Hundley led off the 10th with an opposite-field drive to right on a 1-0 slider from Ryan Sherriff (0-1) for his sixth homer of the season.
The Cardinals were trying for their third straight win, but they wasted a terrific performance by Lynn and a prime scoring opportunity in the 10th. Dexter Fowler led off with a triple against Sam Dyson (2-2), but third baseman Pablo Sandoval cut down pinch runner Harrison Bader at the plate on Stephen Piscotty’s one-out grounder.
“That was the contact play,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “With less than two outs, ideally, you’d check down and get in a rundown and allow the batter to get to second.”
Lynn struck out four and walked four while pitching eight shutout innings of one-hit ball. The right-hander pitched eight or more scoreless innings for the first time since June 23, 2014, against the Rockies in Colorado.
“I don’t think he threw a ball over the middle of the plate,” Hundley said. “He was throwing fastballs on both sides of the plate, made it really tough.”
The Giants never got a runner to third base while Lynn was in the game.
“They weren’t going to let me go out there (in the ninth) but I started developing a blister and the last two innings I felt the effects,” Lynn said. “I’m lucky to get through eight. It was a good, well-pitched game. It just didn’t go our way.”
Buster Posey’s one-out single in the ninth off Seung Hwan Oh scored Hunter Pence with the tying run. It was Oh’s fourth blown save in 24 tries.
Pence opened the inning with a pinch-hit single and advanced to second on Joe Panik’s sacrifice against Tyler Lyons, who started the inning.
San Francisco right-hander Jeff Samardzija struck out nine and gave up one run in seven innings in his second straight strong start. The 32-year-old right-hander tossed a shutout in his previous outing against the San Diego Padres.
It was the first time temperatures of 90 degrees or higher were announced on consecutive days at AT&T Park. Friday night’s game-time temperature was 93 degrees, the hottest announced temperature in a game that started after 7 p.m. at the ballpark.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cardinals: LF Tommy Pham as out of lineup for a second straight day with a bruised thumb. Pham got hurt sliding into second on Thursday.
Giants: Samardzija started Saturday’s game instead of RHP Chris Stratton, who was scratched because he warmed up in the bullpen when Friday’s game was tied in the late innings. Stratton is expected to pitch next week in Colorado, probably on Monday, Bochy said. … Rookie OF Austin Slater, who is coming back from a left groin strain, was scheduled to play his second rehab game on Saturday with Triple-A Sacramento. . An MRI revealed a left oblique strain for OF Jarret Parker. He won’t play until after the Giants’ three-game series against the Rockies next week, Bochy said.
UP NEXT
Right-hander Luke Weaver (3-1, 2.48 ERA) will pitch Sunday’s series finale for St. Louis. The 24-year-old rookie has struck out 10 in each of his last two starts and has won his last three decisions. Left-hander Madison Bumgarner (3-6, 2.85 ERA) will face the Cardinals for the first time since Game 5 of the 2014 NL Championship Series. Bumgarner was supposed to pitch Thursday’s series opener but was a late scratch with flu symptoms.
Photo credit – Ben Margot / Associated Press / San Francisco, CA
