SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Patrick Bailey hit a walk-off three-run homer, Kyle Harrison pitched six shutout innings and the San Francisco Giants beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-0 on Friday.
The game was scoreless until the ninth, when Michael Conforto walked and Matt Chapman singled to begin the inning off reliever David Bednar (1-2). Bailey then drilled a homer to right field, his second-career walk-off home run. The Giants catcher, off to a hot start this season, said he was looking for a fastball on the pitch and feels as if his swing is in a much better spot compared to this time last year.
“One thing this year I tried to build was just my confidence at the plate,” Bailey said. “I felt like I proved to myself last year that I could do it at this level, even with the struggles at the end. So that was my biggest thing this year was just going up confident every time — no matter what.”
And how does he maintain that confidence?
“Keep hitting,” Bailey responded.
Both starters, Harrison and Pittsburgh’s Quinn Priester, pitched six innings. Harrison struck out seven and gave up five hits. He pitched in and out of jams all night, noting that he gets a little more juice walking off the mound escaping a potential run-scoring situation.
“Compete mode, as we call it,” Harrison said.
He added that “it makes you want to come out there and get a clean next inning.” Manager Bob Melvin thought Harrison improved as the game went along, his fastball velocity climbing to 94 mph after dipping earlier in the outing.
“They were getting some decent swings on him in the first couple of innings, and then after that not at all,” Melvin said.
Priester, making his second start of the season after being called up last week to fill the spot of the injured Marco Gonzales, allowed three hits and struck out six in the best start so far of his young career. He struggled in his season debut last Friday in an 8-1 loss at Boston.
Pittsburgh had the bases loaded in both the seventh and ninth innings, but could not score. Brian Reynolds hit into a double play against Giants closer Camilo Doval (2-0) with the bases full and one out in the ninth.
The Pirates, beginning a six-game Bay Area trip against both the Giants and Oakland Athletics, started the season 11-5 but have lost nine of their 11 games to dip below .500 for the first time.
Joey Bart returned to San Francisco for the first time since the Giants traded him to the Pirates earlier this month. The Giants’ former top prospect, who is off to a hot start with Pittsburgh, said he is enjoying his new club so far and was looking forward to catching up with his former teammates.
Bart entered the game in the ninth as a defensive replacement.
“I’m enjoying it,” Bart said before the game, of his new team. “It’s been a lot of fun. Obviously transitions, it’s good but it’s hard to get caught up. So that’s what I’ve been doing, just trying to get caught up with everybody.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: Shortstop Oneil Cruz tweaked his ankle chasing a fly ball in the outfield and then sliding into third in the ninth inning. Pirates manager Derek Shelton said they will monitor Cruz, who is “banged up a little bit.”
Giants: RHP Alex Cobb (hip/elbow/shoulder) who has yet to pitch this season after undergoing hip surgery last fall, has been held back from throwing with soreness in his right shoulder. … Second baseman Thairo Estrada (left hamstring) was not in the lineup, but took ground balls and could start on Saturday, according to manager Bob Melvin.
UP NEXT
RHP Jordan Hicks (2-0, 1.61 ERA) was set to pitch for the Giants in the second game of the series against LHP Martín Pérez (1-1, 3.45 ERA) .
