Giants sweep D-backs for sixth straight win
PHOENIX -- The Giants earned a three-game sweep of the D-backs with a 2-1 win Sunday, capping off their 10th straight series victory at Chase Field. It was the Giants' first sweep in Phoenix since April 29-May 1, 2013.
Starter Madison Bumgarner won for the third time in four starts as the Giants extended their winning streak to six games. Justin Maxwell hit a solo home run and Hunter Pence drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI double in the third. Bumgarner threw 93 pitches and was lifted after five innings.
"That was far enough; that's a lot of work," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "Both pitchers worked hard in the early part there. The pitch counts got up. There was no point in pushing him the way we pushed him last year."
• Giants' bullpen caps stellar series
D-backs starter Patrick Corbin gave up two runs in five innings in his third start back from Tommy John surgery, losing for the second straight outing. He also drove in the team's lone run on a fielder's choice groundout. The D-backs lost a season-worst sixth straight game.
"We played a fairly clean game, which is encouraging, but you need to win. That's what we're judged on," D-backs manager Chip Hale said. "We need to win these games. At home, with the last at-bats, these are the games you need to win."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Short day for Bum: Coming off his one inning of relief in Tuesday's All-Star Game, Bumgarner allowed a run on four hits, walked one and struck out three. The run scored when replay review reversed an apparent double-play call that would have ended the second inning without incident.
Video: SF@ARI: Bumgarner allows one run over five innings
Missed opportunity: The D-backs loaded the bases with no outs in the second after a leadoff walk by Welington Castillo and consecutive singles from Yasmany Tomas and Aaron Hill. But Chris Owings flied out, Corbin grounded into a fielder's choice, and Nick Ahmed flied out, as they got just one run against Bumgarner.
Making as much with less: The Giants won the first two games of the series scoring 14 runs on 30 hits. On Saturday, the Giants scored all eight runs on 13 singles. Not so on Sunday. Their two runs came on extra-base hits, Maxwell's homer and Pence's double.
Video: SF@ARI: Pence smokes RBI double down left-field line
Ending on a good note: Corbin retired the last seven batters he faced. After laboring through the first three innings, the D-backs left-hander made quick work of the Giants in the fourth and fifth innings, retiring the side in order both times. He threw 86 pitches, the most of any of his three starts this season.
Video: SF@ARI: Corbin strikes out Crawford to end the frame
"I was trying to pitch out of jams and got the pitch count up a little bit," Corbin said. "Just a couple bad pitches there, but I was happy how the last two innings felt. I feel like I was able to go out there and was a little bit more aggressive and got into a rhythm."
QUOTABLE
"The Giants came in here and they were just playing really well and they beat us. They beat us pretty good." -- Hale on getting swept.
"I can't speak for everyone, but I went with the approach of throwing good pitches until you get two strikes on him and then throw one down the middle, and that didn't work. Whatever he's looking for, you have to throw something else. That's how you get him out," -- Bumgarner on his approach pitching against D-backs first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who doubled and singled off him.
CALL OVERTURNED
The D-backs scored their run after a challenge by Hale in the bottom of the second. With the bases loaded and one out, Corbin hit a grounder to Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford. Corbin was initially called out at first on what would have been an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play. But after a review of one minute, seven seconds, Corbin was ruled safe at first and was credited with an RBI that tied the game at 1.
Video: SF@ARI: Overturned out call in 2nd gives D-backs run
WHAT'S NEXT
Giants: The Giants move on to San Diego on Monday night to open a three-game series against the Padres with a 7:10 PT start at Petco Park. They'll have Tim Hudson (5-7, 4.68) back off the disabled list from a cranky right shoulder, making his first start since June 26. He'll face right-hander Ian Kennedy (4-9, 4.91). It's his fourth start against the Giants already this season.
D-backs: The D-backs continue their 10-game homestand with a three-game series against the Marlins beginning Monday at 6:40 MST. Rubby De La Rosa (6-5, 5.06) makes his first start of the second half looking to end a two-start losing streak, during which he has allowed 10 runs in 8 2/3 innings.
Watch every out-of-market regular season game live on MLB.TV.