WASHINGTON -- The Giants’ bullpen bent but didn’t break on Saturday night.
Ryan Walker blew a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth, but he managed to escape a bases-loaded jam in the 10th and keep the game tied, allowing the Giants to rally for a wild 7-6 win over the Nationals in 12 innings in their first extra-inning game of the year.
Matt Chapman knocked in the winning run with an RBI single in the top of the 12th, and Caleb Kilian earned his first career win after pitching two scoreless innings to seal the gritty victory for the Giants (9-12), who have won three in a row and will have a chance to complete a three-game sweep behind left-hander Robbie Ray in Sunday afternoon’s series finale at Nationals Park.
“That was one where the baseball gods didn’t feel like they were going to let us lose today,” manager Tony Vitello said. “There were several moments where we could have lost that game. I’m sure they could say the same in the other locker room. That’s what made it a great, March Madness, playoff-type game.”
San Francisco trailed, 5-1, after Washington scored in each of the first two innings against veteran right-hander Adrian Houser, but the club managed to claw back by scoring twice in the third and then tying the game on Heliot Ramos’ two-run shot off left-hander Mitchell Parker in the sixth. It was the second home run in as many days for Ramos, who finished 3-for-5 to continue his offensive turnaround.
Rafael Devers added a two-out RBI single to put the Giants ahead, 6-5, in the seventh, but Washington came back to tie the game against Walker in the ninth.
The Nationals threatened after Jorbit Vivas led off with a double and advanced to third on a flyout from Drew Millas. That brought up James Wood, who got ahead, 2-0, before the Giants decided to intentionally walk him to put runners on the corners with one out.
Curtis Mead followed with a grounder to the left side that was fielded by Chapman, who threw to catcher Patrick Bailey to nab Vivas at home and keep the Giants’ slim lead intact.
Still, Walker couldn’t finish it off after surrendering a game-tying, two-strike bloop single to Brady House. Center fielder Drew Gilbert threw out Mead at third on the play, but replay review confirmed that Wood crossed home plate before the third out was recorded, sending the game into extras.
“He’s a guy that we trust in those situations,” Vitello said of Walker. “He’s one pitch away. Brady did a good job of staying to that pitch. He looked uncomfortable the first two pitches. The pitch was way down, but it was just too much over the plate. I’m sure if Walk could go back in time and redo that one, he would.”
Walker returned to the mound in the bottom of the 10th after the Giants couldn’t score their automatic runner in the top half of the inning, though he was again tested after intentionally walking CJ Abrams and giving up an infield single to Jacob Young that deflected off his glove, which loaded the bases with no outs. Walker managed to bear down, though, striking out Daylen Lile and Nasim Nuñez before inducing an inning-ending groundout from Vivas.
The final play was an adventure, as Adames fielded Vivas’ grounder up the middle and initially tried to get the forceout at second. A hustling Young beat him to the bag, but Adames managed to stay composed and throw to first to get the out he needed.
“When he made the first read to go to second base, I thought it was the right call,” Chapman said. “That guy was just hauling to second base. Great baserunning by him. And then for Willy to be savvy enough to just finish the play, knowing he could get an out at either base -- great play by him. That was huge.”
Walker was frustrated after suffering his first blown save of the year, but he took solace in his ability to hold the line in a tight spot in the 10th.
“A lot of it just shows the work I put in the offseason mentally,” Walker said. “I just had an extra fire to go out there. Obviously, I didn’t get the job done in the ninth. I was determined to get the job done in the 10th so we could keep going. That was just my mindset.”
Both teams traded zeros in the 11th, but the Giants regained the lead on Chapman’s RBI single off left-hander Cionel Pérez in the 12th. Right-hander Caleb Kilian then retired Abrams, Young and Lile to cap his two-inning outing and finally close the door for San Francisco.
With the win, the Giants (9-12) extended their winning streak to three games and clinched a series victory over the Nationals. They’ll go for a three-game sweep behind left-hander Robbie Ray in Sunday afternoon’s series finale at Nationals Park.
“That was super exciting,” Killian said of earning his first win in his 18th career appearance in the Majors. “Probably long overdue. I’m glad the beer shower is out of the way.”