Giants top D-backs to give Heston first win
PHOENIX -- Rookie Chris Heston tossed six quality innings in an emergency start as the Giants beat the D-backs, 5-2, on Wednesday night to claim the season-opening series at Chase Field.
Heston, who started in place of the injured Matt Cain, allowed two unearned runs and did not give up a hit until the fourth inning, outdueling Arizona starter Jeremy Hellickson and earning his first Major League victory.
"I'm just on cloud nine right now, ecstatic that I was able to come in here and help out," Heston said.
After the D-backs scored a run in the first inning, the Giants tallied a pair of runs in the second on RBI hits by Nori Aoki and Matt Duffy to take a 2-1 lead. San Francisco gave itself a cushion in the ninth on Casey McGehee's two-run homer.
Video: SF@ARI: McGehee goes yard to left to extend lead
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Taxing the bullpen: Hellickson lasted just 4 1/3 innings, marking the second time in the season's first three games that an Arizona starting pitcher failed to get out of the fifth inning. Hellickson allowed nine hits and walked a pair. More >
Video: SF@ARI: Hellickson makes D-backs debut, fans two
Rookie? What rookie? Making his second big league start, Heston soothed the Giants' worries about their injury-plagued pitching, at least for one night. After hitting A.J. Pollock with a pitch to open the game, Heston retired 10 batters in a row, setting the tone for his evening. More >
Video: SF@ARI: Heston picks up his first Major League win
Dangerous to D-backs: Continuing to wield a hot bat, Brandon Crawford drove in what proved to be the winning run with a fifth-inning single. Crawford has at least one RBI in seven consecutive games against the D-backs, a Giants franchise record. More >
Video: SF@ARI: Crawford drives in McGehee with a single
WHAT'S NEXT
Giants: San Francisco begins a four-game series Thursday against the San Diego Padres, a trendy pick to win the National League West, in a 3:40 p.m. PT encounter. The Giants posted losing records at Petco Park in the previous two years but have played above .500 overall against the Padres in three of the last four seasons.
D-backs: The D-backs will get Thursday off before opening a three-game home series with the Dodgers on Friday at 6:40 p.m. MST. Chase Anderson will get the start for the D-backs, who have lost their last five regular-season matchups against the Dodgers.