Devers sets tone as Giants get back on track

PITTSBURGH -- Giants first baseman Rafael Devers couldn’t prevent a heartbreaking walk-off loss to the Pirates on Tuesday after he missed an errant throw from third baseman Osleivis Basabe with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning.

But the 29-year-old slugger wasted little time getting his club back on the right track on Wednesday.

Devers launched a mammoth first-inning blast to collect his third home run in as many days and help the Giants hang on for a 5-4 bounceback win over the Pirates in 10 innings at PNC Park.

The Giants took a 3-1 lead into the seventh inning, but they allowed the Pirates to pull within one on Spencer Horwitz’s run-scoring groundout in the seventh and then tie the game on Oneil Cruz’s RBI single in the eighth.

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San Francisco came close to being walked off for the second straight night after Pittsburgh put runners on the corners with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but Turner Hill made an impressive diving catch in left field to rob Bryan Reynolds of a hit and send the game to extra innings.

The Giants staged their final rally against old friend Camilo Doval in the top of the 10th. Basabe laid down a sacrifice bunt to move automatic runner Christian Koss to third base, and Devers drew an intentional walk to bring up Bryce Eldridge, who followed with a go-ahead double to left field. Hill then brought home a key insurance run with a sacrifice fly to right field.

Dylan Smith took the mound in the bottom of the 10th and allowed the automatic runner to score on an RBI single by Nick Gonzales, but he came back to retire Cruz, Esmerlyn Valdez and Rafael Flores Jr. to seal the win for the Giants.