The Giants secured their fourth straight series victory Saturday at Oracle Park in comeback fashion -- a common sight these days for a team that never seems to give up.
San Francisco’s 7-6 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks was its 19th come-from-behind win of the 2023 MLB season, and the Giants now have won six of their last eight games when their opponent scores first.
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“I think it just goes into our team approach, being grindy, winning pitches one at a time and keeping it simple,” Joc Pederson told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Laura Britt, Carlos Ramirez and George Kontos on “Giants Postgame Live” after Saturday’s win.
“We’ve had guys injured throughout the whole season, and we’ve continuously had people step up. You’ve got to give a huge credit to our pitching staff keeping us in games, but our offense is coming back … All around the board, it’s one through nine, it’s one through 12 -- whoever comes off the bench, too, is ready to contribute offensively.”
Pederson lauded Giants rookies Luis Matos, whose first career home run Saturday gave San Francisco a lead it never relinquished, and Blake Sabol, who had a pair of RBI as well. Things weren’t as simple as they sound, however, as the Giants first overcame a 1-0 deficit, then battled back down 5-3 to pull off the win.
It was the team’s 16th victory in June, putting them at 16-5 this month (.762) for the second-best winning percentage in MLB behind the Atlanta Braves (.789). Pederson was an instrumental part of the effort Saturday, going 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI and a triple, and the DH is hitting .327 with 12 RBI, 17 runs and three homers since returning from the injured list June 6.
San Francisco Giants
The Giants’ no-quit attitude is thanks to the team firing on all cylinders, reliever Tyler Rogers told reporters after the game, with a red-hot offense and dependable defense helping a steady bullpen pitch with confidence. That has helped them post the best record in baseball since May 1.
“For some of us in the back end of the bullpen, you can never check out down there because this offense has done so well in the late innings,” Tyler said. “It’s fun to show up to the ballpark every day … You’re never out of it.”
Along with Matos, Tyler’s performance Saturday proved to be a difference-maker. Giants manager Gabe Kapler faced a tough bullpen decision after Luke Jackson was forced from the mound in the sixth inning, with what was revealed after the game to be lower back tightness.
Taylor Rogers finished the sixth, and his twin Tyler followed suit with two scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth before closer Camilo Doval recorded his 22nd save of the season. Tyler said the only thing on his mind was preserving the lead his team fought so hard to reclaim.
“I think that was the gutsiest part of the game,” Kapler told reporters.
Guts. Grit. “Grindy,” as Pederson put it.
Whatever you want to call it, there’s no arguing the Giants are one of the hottest teams in the league right now.
And with San Francisco just 1 1/2 games behind the Diamondbacks for first place in the NL West after Saturday’s win, the best could be yet to come.