Giants rating 4 runs in tenth, high Nationals

Mark Canha finished 4-for-6 with a pair of RBIs and Michael Conforto went 2-for-4 with two runs driven in, helping lead the visiting San Francisco Giants to a 9-5 win over the Washington Nationals in 10 innings on Thursday.

Tied 2-2 in the top of the ninth, the Giants loaded the bases with two outs against Nationals reliever Kyle Finnegan. Canha laced a 1-2 pitch to right field for a double, driving in a pair of runs. Right fielder Alex Call’s throwing error scored the third Giants run on the play.

In the bottom of the ninth, Giants closer Camilo Doval (4-1) walked Keibert Ruiz, coaxed James Wood to hit into a fielder’s choice and then walked Travis Blankenhorn. After Ildemaro Vargas flied out, Luis Garcia Jr. launched his 14th homer of the season to tie the game at five. Doval retired Jacob Young to send the game to extra innings.

With Robert Garcia (2-4) pitching for Washington in the 10th, Mike Yastrzemski reached on shortstop CJ Abrams’ fielding error, sending automatic runner Jerar Encarnacion to third. Brett Wisely’s bunt single scored the go-ahead run. After third baseman Vargas’ fielding error, Garcia retired Tyler Fitzgerald and Heliot Ramos before Conforto drove in a pair on a single to left field. Matt Chapman then singled, putting the Giants ahead 9-5.

Taylor Rogers worked a scoreless bottom of the 10th as the Giants won their 10th in 13 tries. The Nationals fell for the third time in four games.

The Giants loaded the bases in the top of the first, as Fitzgerald led off with a double, before Washington starter DJ Herz issued back-to-back one-out walks to Conforto and Chapman.

With Canha batting, home plate umpire Stu Scheurwater called strike three on a ball that looked off the plate, leading to an argument from Giants manager Bob Melvin and his eventual ejection.

Encarnacion followed with a walk, scoring the game’s first run off Herz.

In the bottom of the first, Call singled and stole second with one out, before Ruiz tied the game with an RBI single off Kyle Harrison.

After a 48-minute rain delay in the top of the third, Yastrzemski drove in the Giants’ second run with a two-out ground-rule double. Eduardo Salazar then replaced Herz after 2 2/3 innings of two-run, four-hit ball. Herz struck out four and walked four.

With Harrison still pitching in the bottom of the fifth, Garcia led off with a single and stole second before advancing to third on Young’s bunt. Abrams then tied the game with a sacrifice fly to right field, chasing Harrison after 4 2/3 innings of two-run, five-hit ball, in which he struck out three and didn’t walk a batter.

–Field Level Media