Buster Posey's 18th Homer Helps Giants to Ninth Straight Win
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Buster Posey homered in the first inning and scored the go-ahead run on an error in the third, and the San Francisco Giants beat the San Diego Padres 6-1 on Tuesday night for their ninth straight victory a day after becoming the first team in the big leagues to clinch a playoff berth.
Brandon Belt and Darin Ruf each hit run-scoring doubles and Tommy La Stella added an RBI single to back Anthony DeSclafani (12-6), who won for the first time in five starts since defeating Colorado on Aug. 13. The right-hander had allowed six earned runs over his previous 14 2/3 innings.
Belt, who proclaimed himself captain last week in Chicago, formed a 'C' with his hand after the eighth-inning double.
With nine straight wins, the Giants have their longest winning streak since a 10-game unbeaten run from May 20-31, 2004.
DeSclafani allowed one run on three hits, struck out three and walked one over 6 2/3 innings.
Jake Arrieta (5-13) lasted just 3 2/3 innings for San Diego in his third start since signing as a minor league free agent Aug. 16. Arrieta allowed three runs over five innings during his last outing against the Astros and has lost nine of his last 14 outings overall.
San Francisco's Kris Bryant hit his 200th double in the second — off his old Cubs teammate in Arrieta. The pitcher's wild throw to first on a pickoff attempt allowed Posey to score for a 2-1 lead in the third.
Posey's 18th homer of 2021 marked the 11th longball in as many games surrendered by San Diego — which has allowed opponents to clear the fences 18 times since Sept. 1 — and 27 in their last 29 games since Aug. 11.
Trent Grisham hit an RBI groundout in the third for the Padres, who dropped a fifth straight.
WHAT A RUN
The Giants have scored at least six runs in nine straight games — most in the club's San Francisco history dating to 1958 and trailing only a stretch of 15 such games accomplished in 1929, which marks the longest run in baseball history since at least 1909.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Padres: 1B Jake Cronenworth (fracture in left ring finger) hit against front toss Monday and began taking some batting practice swings Tuesday, perhaps signaling a potential return this weekned. ... LHP Blake Snell, the 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner who exited in the first inning of his Sunday start against the Dodgers with a left adductor strain, is still undergoing treatment.
Giants: LHP Alex Wood, working back from a bout with COVID-19, might be ready to throw live batting practice Wednesday. "We'll see how he comes out of this," Kapler said. "If he's feeling good we can decide what the next steps are. He's moving in the right direction." ... OF Alex Dickerson (right hamstring strain) and INF Donovan Solano (COVID-19 injured list) both were continuing their rehab assignments with Triple-A Sacramento.
ROSTER MOVE
The Padres signed LHP Ross Detwiler to a major league contract and optioned RHP Shaun Anderson to Triple-A El Paso.
UP NEXT
RHP Joe Musgrove (10-9, 2.93 ERA) starts for San Diego seeking his third win in four starts but coming off a loss to the Dodgers his last time out.
The Giants' starter for Wednesday night's third game of the four-game series remained undecided.
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