Field Level Media
Jul 7, 2019
Madison Bumgarner gutted out two innings after getting hit by a line drive and Austin Slater smacked just the majors' third pinch-hit grand slam of the season Saturday night, helping the host San Francisco Giants turn back the St. Louis Cardinals 8-4.
Bumgarner's 11th pitch of the game was lined back at him by Jose Martinez, a shot that struck the ace left-hander near the left elbow.
Bumgarner remained in the game and retired six of the next eight batters he faced, allowing a first-inning run on a Paul Goldschmidt RBI single.
But after being allowed to hit for himself in a 1-1 game in the second, Bumgarner was removed from the contest as he was warming up for the third inning, with obvious swelling at the point of impact.
X-rays taken at the site were negative.
Reliever Sam Dyson (3-1) retained the 1-1 tie with two innings of shutout relief, and Slater was pinch hitting for him with the bases loaded in the fourth inning after singles by Pablo Sandoval and Kevin Pillar, and a Cardinals error.
Promoted from Triple-A at the start of the week, Slater took Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas (5-9) over the wall in right field for just his second home run of the season. It gave the Giants the lead for good at 5-1.
The only previous pinch-hit grand slams in the majors this season had been hit by San Diego's Hunter Renfroe against the Los Angeles Dodgers and ex-Giant Hunter Pence, now with Texas, at Pittsburgh.
Reyes Moronta and Mark Melancon combined for three more innings of shutout relief before San Francisco tacked on three runs in the seventh on a single by Mike Yastrzemski, an RBI triple by Alex Dickerson and a two-run homer by Sandoval, his 11th of the season.
The Cardinals completed the scoring in the eighth when Goldschmidt, the all-time leader in home runs by a Giants opponent at Oracle Park, smacked his 13th in the history of the stadium, a three-run shot off Tony Watson.
Giants closer Will Smith pitched a one-hit ninth to close out the club's fifth win in its last six games.
Sandoval finished with two hits, two runs scored and three RBIs for the Giants, who drew even in the three-game series after dropping Friday's opener 9-4.
Pillar also had two hits for San Francisco, which out-hit St. Louis 11-10.
Goldschmidt drove in all four Cardinals runs, three on his 16th homer of the season. His hit and RBI off Bumgarner were the 23rd and 11th, respectively, in their long rivalry.
Martinez and Dexter Fowler added two hits apiece for the Cardinals, who saw a three-game winning streak come to an end.
--Field Level Media