Giants relief corps scares, then settles down
Romo allows three runs before Affeldt puts out fire, Casilla notches save
PHOENIX -- The Giants bullpen briefly walked a tightrope Monday night, but Jeremy Affeldt and Santiago Casilla provided the safety net as San Francisco held on for a 5-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Opening Night.
Pinch-hitter Jake Lamb drilled a bases-loaded double off Sergio Romo to trim the D-backs' deficit to a single run with one out in the eighth inning. But with two on and two out, Affeldt relieved Romo and capitalized on the lefty-versus-lefty matchup to record an inning-ending strikeout.
When the ninth inning arrived, in came Casilla, who sported a 6.75 spring ERA. He preserved San Francisco's lead with relative ease by working a perfect ninth inning. The right-hander ended the game by fanning Arizona slugger Paul Goldschmidt on a 3-2 slider.
"His rhythm was good the whole inning," catcher Buster Posey said of Casilla, who finished with a career-best 1.70 ERA last year.
Asked whether he worried about the bullpen's performance after his seven-inning stint ended, Giants starter Madison Bumgarner politely swatted away the question.
"I've got confidence in the guys out there," Bumgarner said. "It doesn't matter if you win by six or win by one, as long as you get the game in the win column."