Mitch Haniger hit a two-run, go-ahead home run in the eighth inning to help the San Francisco Giants defeat the host Milwaukee Brewers 3-1 on Saturday afternoon.
After the Brewers tied the game in the seventh inning, J.D. Davis singled and Haniger stepped up with two outs in the eighth and hit a ball deep to straightaway center field off the batter’s eye. It was the first home run allowed by Brewers setup man Peter Strzelecki (2-4) this season.
The game had been a classic pitchers’ duel between each team’s ace: Logan Webb (4-5) for San Francisco and Corbin Burnes for Milwaukee.
Burnes had a tough first inning, allowing his one earned run of the day to Michael Conforto, who drove in Lamonte Wade Jr. with a sacrifice fly.
Burnes was forced to throw 29 pitches in the opening frame, but he recovered and finished with a no-decision. He pitched seven innings and allowed four hits, three walks and one earned run with eight strikeouts.
Webb very nearly out-dueled Burnes, going the first six innings of his outing without allowing a run and the Brewers having just two hits against him.
However, with two outs in the seventh, Brewers rookie Brice Turang roped a ball down the right-field line and raced all the way to third base. Victor Caratini followed Turang with a single to right field, driving home the tying run but getting thrown out trying to stretch his hit to a double.
Webb left with the game tied, but Haniger’s home run allowed Webb to earn the win, his fourth of the season. After Trevor Rogers pitched a scoreless eighth, Camilo Doval worked around Brian Anderson’s leadoff double in the ninth to pick up the save.
The Giants improved to 5-1 this season against Milwaukee after winning the first series 2-1 against them at home in early May and taking the first three games of this four-game set. The Brewers have scored just two runs in the series and have scored two runs or less in seven of their last 12 games, during which they are 4-8.
–Field Level Media