Peavy Takes No-Hit Bid Into 8th, Giants Win 3-1
Jake Peavy appreciated the effort of his defense.
The Giants infielders were just as happy about his pitching.
Peavy took a no-hitter into the eighth inning and finished with a one-hitter over 7 2-3 innings and the San Francisco Giants beat the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1 on Saturday night.
"I'd walked a few guys so I was thinking about making pitches, just keep making pitches," Peavy said. "Any time you can beat a team in first place you feel good about what you're doing."
The right-hander got the first out of the eighth on a nice backhand grab by third baseman Pablo Sandoval.
Mark Reynolds fought off a 1-2 pitch, breaking his bat in the process, and flared it just over the head of Joe Panik into right field for the first Brewers hit.
Peavy (3-4) received a standing ovation from the crowd after the no-hitter was broken up. He struck out Jean Segura and was taken out of the game. He left to another standing ovation.
Peavy walked three, hit a batter and struck out eight. Jeremy Affledt gave up a hit to pinch hitter Lyle Overbay before Sergio Romo came on to strike out Carlos Gomez on three pitches.
"I can't say enough about the defense," Peavy said. "It was a total team effort."
Santiago Casilla worked the ninth, giving up an RBI single to Ryan Braun, for his 13th save.
It was the second time in the past week that a Giants starter was this dominant. Madison Bumgarner had a perfect game through seven innings on Tuesday night against the Colorado Rockies. Justin Morneau doubled leading off the eighth for Colorado's only hit.
"That doesn't happen too often," Panik said. "To have Bum and Peavy come so close, it's pretty special."
On Saturday, Scooter Gennett made a bid for Milwaukee's first hit in the seventh, but shortstop Brandon Crawford made a diving stop up the middle to start an inning-ending double play.
"I knew I had the play at second," Crawford said. "It was more important to keep the ball in the infield."
Crawford also robbed Aramis Ramirez of a hit in the fifth, going deep into the hole to grab a grounder before making a jump throw to first.
"The two plays Crawford made were outstanding," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "When he made those plays it didn't look good for us."
Peavy, acquired from Boston last month, took a no-hitter into the seventh inning Aug. 2 at the New York Mets.
Peavy, the 2007 NL Cy Young Award winner with San Diego, has never pitched a no-hitter. He got his 2,000th career strikeout when he fanned Ramirez leading off the second.
The Giants scored all three of their runs in the fourth off Mike Fiers (4-2). Sandoval and Hunter Pence singled to start the inning and Michael Morse drilled a two-run double and one out later, Crawford singled home a run.
Fiers gave up three runs and seven hits in seven innings. He walked two and struck out nine.
Brewers: RHP Matt Garza (left rib cage strain) is expected to make his first start in more than a month against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday. ... RHP Alfredo Figaro was recalled from Triple-A Nashville in an effort to have a fresh arm in the bullpen. RHP Jimmy Nelson was optioned to Class A Brevard County, though he's scheduled to start Monday in Chicago.
Giants: C Hector Sanchez continues to suffer concussion-like symptoms and is likely through for the season. ... Pence extended his hitting streak to 12 games with his fourth-inning single.
Brewers: RHP Kyle Lohse (12-7, 3.42) makes his 27th start of the season, and his first against the Giants, in Sunday's series finale. Lohse is 3-2 with a 3.79 ERA in six career starts against the Giants.
Giants: LHP Madison Bumgarner (15-9, 3.02) is coming off a one-hitter against the Colorado Rockies. He had a perfect game after seven innings. He is 3-2 with 1.67 ERA in six starts against the Brewers. He needs eight strikeouts for 200.