Luis Matos launched a three-run homer, Hayden Birdsong carried a lead into the sixth inning and the visiting San Francisco Giants held on for a 4-2 win over the Miami Marlins on Sunday to take the rubber match of their three-game series.
Ryan Walker, Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval each pitched out of a late-inning jam — stranding eight baserunners in the process — to enable the Giants to complete their road trip with a 4-5 record.
Birdsong (3-1) limited the Marlins to one run and five hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out five without issuing a walk.
Miami’s Xavier Edwards, who returned from the injured list Saturday after a 16-day absence due to a strained back, went 5-for-5. He led off the first with a double before delivering singles in the third, sixth, seventh and ninth.
After the Giants took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on Wilmer Flores’ RBI groundout, Matos increased the advantage to four runs in the fourth with his two-out shot off Miami starter Ryan Weathers (1-1). Casey Schmitt, who walked, and Patrick Bailey, who singled, were on base for Matos’ fourth homer of the season.
Those were the last runs allowed by Weathers in his six innings. He served up five hits and three walks and struck out seven.
The Marlins chipped away with Otto Lopez’ RBI single in the sixth on Edwards’ RBI single in the seventh, but opportunities to do further damage were denied by the San Francisco bullpen.
After Walker got the final two outs of the sixth with two aboard to retain a 4-1 lead, Rogers struck out Jesus Sanchez and got Lopez to ground out with the bases loaded in a 4-2 game to end the seventh.
The Marlins loaded the bases again in the eighth, this time with two outs, before Doval got Javier Sanoja to ground to short.
With the help of a double-play grounder, Doval worked around Edwards’ career-best fifth hit and a Lopez walk to throw a scoreless ninth for his seventh save.
Matos and Heliot Ramos had two hits apiece for the Giants, who won despite being held to four runs or fewer for the 14th consecutive game.
–Field Level Media
