The runs were the difference as the Giants (60-44) took the third game of the four-game set between first-place teams after the Nationals (61-43) claimed the first two.
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Pitcher Madison Bumgarner pinch hit for Cain leading off the bottom of the fifth and hit an opposite-field double off the wall in right. Pence, activated from the disabled list prior to the game, thrilled the sellout crowd when he took his first at-bat in almost two months and doubled off the top of the left field wall. He handed off to George Kontos, who allowed a leadoff single to Bryce Harper in the sixth.
Gonzalez sports a 3-3 record and 3.33 ERA in nine career starts against the Giants. He drew a walk and scored amid the seventh-inning rally against old friend Yusmeiro Petit, who was stretched to a third relief inning because the Nationals, having traded left-hander Felipe Rivero to the Pirates in a deal for All-Star closer Mark Melancon prior to the first pitch, were undermanned in their bullpen.
Panik hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the seventh inning, Nunez had a two-run double in his first start with San Francisco and the Giants snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Washington Nationals 5-3 on Saturday.
“He’s throwing strikes, not walking people and getting out of jams when he gets in them”, Nationals manager Dusty Baker said.
Cain (3-6) struck out five and walked four on 93 pitches.
San Francisco hopes Pence will bring some much-needed life to a team that has won the World Series in every even year this decade – 2010, ’12 and ’14.
Espinosa’s double the following inning produced the Nationals’ final run.
Five Nationals reached base against Cain, but none reached on a hit.
They were 1 for 15 with runners in scoring position Sunday and are batting.139 (19 for 137) in that department since the All-Star break. Ryan Zimmermann singled to left but Rendon did not advance to third, perhaps faked out when Williamson raised his glove as if to make a catch.
Chris Heisey followed with a blooper to left that Williamson charged and appeared positioned to catch before inadvertently dropping it. Williamson, aware that Rendon had paused a third of the way down the line, came out of his barrel roll and threw awkwardly from his knees to third base. Bochy challenged the call, but it was upheld.
Span said Saturday that he thought the ball had bounced, and when Zimmermann was going to first base, it was to force Crawford and not double off Posey.
“I’m glad to see him get his 100th win”. “The one thing I never do is fake something like that”.
Giants: CF Denard Span also was out of the lineup because of a tender quadriceps from a collision at home plate Friday, but he came in to pinch hit in the sixth.
“You know what? It really is”, said Cain, who threw five hitless but not effortless innings.
He received a roaring ovation when introduced before the game and again when he took his spot in right field before first pitch, and the outfielder acknowledged the greeting by nodding his head and saying thanks.
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Baker’s job was made more hard after Reynaldo Lopez, making his second career start, lasted just four innings, leaving Baker to figure out a way to get 15 outs.
