Michael Conforto drove in a pair of runs with the first of his two doubles and seven San Francisco Giants pitchers contained the potent Cleveland Guardians offense for a 4-2 road victory Friday night.
Conforto highlighted a three-run first inning against Guardians starter Tanner Bibee (7-3), who lasted 4 2/3 innings, to kick off this series.
Given the lead, Giants opener Erik Miller, followed by Spencer Bivens, Taylor Rogers, Randy Rodriguez, Ryan Walker (5-3), Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval (his 17th save) controlled the Guardians. Cleveland entered the night averaging 4.9 runs per game but stranded 11 men and went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
San Francisco has won eight of 11 to get within a game of .500. Meanwhile, the AL Central-leading Guardians, who got a homer from Josh Naylor and three hits and an RBI from Andres Gimenez, have dropped six of nine.
The Giants wasted no time getting to Bibee, who allowed the game’s first three batters to reach. Patrick Bailey’s sacrifice fly opened the scoring, then a walk reloaded the bases. Conforto laced a drive out of right fielder Daniel Schneeman’s reach to plate two.
San Francisco made it 4-0 against Bibee in the fourth. Conforto doubled into the right field corner, went to third on an error by shortstop Gabriel Arias and came home when Bibee mishandled Nick Ahmed’s bunt.
Naylor got Cleveland on the board in the bottom of the fourth with his long drive into the center field shrubbery off Bivens, his 21st homer of the season. The Guardians then put runners on first and second with nobody out, but Bivens pitched out of the jam.
Cleveland placed runners on second and third with nobody out in the sixth against Rodriguez, but managed only Gimenez’s sacrifice fly to right. Walker came on to get the final two outs, including David Fry in a rundown between third and home.
In the eighth, the Guardians had runners on second and third with two out, but Tyler Rogers got Bo Naylor on an inning-ending bouncer to second.
Finally, with runners on first and second with no outs in the ninth, Doval struck out Jose Ramirez and got Josh Naylor to bounce into a 4-6-3 double play.
–Field Level Media