Flailing away offensively into the eighth inning, the Giants broke up a pitcher’s duel courtesy of Michael Conforto and beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-1 Saturday at PNC Park.
The game was a 1-1 tie going into the eighth, with the lone runs coming on solo home runs by the Giants Mike Yasztrzemski, his 11th, in the top of the second inning, and the Pirates’ Henry Davis, his second, in the bottom of the second.
It was the second straight win on a crucial 11-game road trip and improved the Giants’ record to 51-41 and 40-25 since May 1, with only the Atlanta Braves having a better record since the close of April.
Conforto felt the All-Star break provided some valuable mental and physical rest.
“We were a little banged up, so take those days when we can get ‘em, get everybody healthy and get this thing rolling,” Conforto told NBC Sports Bay Area.
Pittsburgh, which was as good early on as the Giants were bad, fell to 41-51. The Pirates started the season 20-8 but have since had a record of 21-43 and are 41-51.
The Giants scored twice in the eighth against relievers Carmon Mlodzinski and All-Star closer David Bednar for a 3-1 lead, with Conforto reaching Bednar for a run-scoring single and Joc Pederson racing home when Conforto got hung up between first and second base.
“When it’s a well-pitched game, it usually comes down to one big hit and Conforto got it for us and then obviously some very good baserunning on the play,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters. “It’s one of the toughest at-bats in baseball (facing Bednar). It might be the toughest in some ways.”
LaMonte Wade Jr. started the rally with a one-out walk against Mlodzinski, with Pederson pulling a single to right and prompting the Pirates to go to Bednar. Bednar struck out J.D. Davis before Conforto delivered.
Just how we drew it up (not at all how we drew it up) pic.twitter.com/6L4KT3p9yo
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) July 16, 2023
Conforto’s single to right scored pinch runner Casey Schmitt, who was running for Wade. The throw from the outfield went through to catcher Jason Delay, who then threw to second with Conforto hung up. When the ball was bobbled at second, Pederson kept coming and scored the second run.
The Giants struck out 15 times in all against Pittsburgh pitchers and managed only three hits.
Taylor Rogers, Scott Alexander and finally Camilo Doval backed up Cobb with three scoreless innings, with Doval getting his 28th save and second in two nights. Rogers picked up the win, improving his record to 5-3. Mlodzinski was the loser, falling to 1-2.
Cobb looked the part of an All-Star and gave up just the one run in six innings, giving up four hits. After a 17-pitch effort Tuesday night in the National League’s 3-2 win in Seattle, Cobb threw 94 pitches, 58 of them strikes, with two walks and five strikeouts.
“I think it kept me sharp to pitch in the All-Star Game instead of the alternative,” Cobb told reporters. “The All-Star break, you can kind of call it a trap because it’s like the end of the school year. The travel back and forth and the chaos of the All-Star Game is tough, but I felt good tonight.”
The one run came on a no-doubt home run by Henry Davis, the Pirates’ former No. 1 overall pick who hit the first pitch of the inning 422 feet into the left field seats at a speed of 108.1 miles per hour.
It wasn’t always easy, especially when Cobb took a line drive off his shin off the bat of Bryan Reynolds that fortunately went directly to Wade at first for the final out of the inning.
After getting through the sixth, Cobb was getting congratulations from the dugout and gave way to Taylor Rogers in the seventh inning. Rogers pitched around a hit and a walk to pitch a scoreless inning.
As good as Cobb was, Oviedo was even better for the Pirates. The only hit he surrendered through seventh inning was the Yastrzemski home run, which traveled 411 feet to center field at a speed of 104.9 miles per hour.
Cobb, who is third in the majors at recording ground ball outs, got nine outs on ground balls and one on a fly ball.
Oviedo strike out 10 and walked just one and struck out the side in the seventh inning. Oviedo, who came in with a 3-10 record, threw 107 pitches, 74 of them strikes. Carmen Mlodzinski took over for Pittsburgh in the eighth.
Coming in with six straight losses and having given up 13 earned runs in his previous two starts, Oviedo was dominant against the Giants.
“He was nasty. His fastball, sometimes it would cut, sometimes it would sink,” Conforto said. “The slider was sharp. You saw how good he was tonight. The boys grinded. Cobb did great. He was step for step with him and the pen came in and shut it down.”
The game started approximately 40 minutes late because of a rain delay.
The Giants and Pirates close out the series Sunday with a getaway day game at 9:05 a.m. Alex Wood (4-3, 4.68) will start against Osvaldo Bido (1-4, 4.44) for Pittsburgh.