Wade provides only run with a homer in the 4th as Giants blank Diamondbacks 1-0

SAN FRANCISCO -- — LaMonte Wade Jr. homered and six San Francisco pitchers combined for the shutout as the Giants edged the Arizona Diamondbacks 1-0 Thursday to take three of four games in the series.

Tristan Beck (3-0) allowed two hits and struck out three in four innings, following opener Scott Alexander.

“(Beck has) been pretty consistently as tough a competitor as they come, with a quality sweeper, a couple of different shapes on his slider, and a guy who’s been attacking the strike zone,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said.

Sean Manaea, Luke Jackson, Taylor Rogers and Camilo Doval handled the final four innings as San Francisco finished its longest homestand of the season 7-2.

“I think these last three games have been exactly what we need against a division opponent who’s chasing us,” Wade said. “Everything is going to be close now. So any time we can get a leg up on them and do what we did, it’s positive.”

Brandon Pfaadt retired the first nine batters he faced before Wade led off the fourth inning with his 11th homer of the season. Pfaadt (0-5) allowed just two hits while striking out seven and walking one in seven innings as the D-backs lost for the 11th time in 14 games.

“He deserved a better fate, for sure,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “He had a lot of pitches working for him. It’s just too bad we couldn’t get him any support.”

Arizona put the potential tying run on third base with two outs in the sixth, but Jackson got Emmanuel Rivera to fly out to right.

The Diamondbacks threatened again in the eighth with one out and runners on first and second, but failed to score. Corbin Carroll fouled out to third and Rivera hit a sharp comebacker off the upper body of Rogers, who was able to pick up the ball and throw to first to record the third out.

Christian Walker nearly tied it in the ninth, sending a line drive off the wall in left for a long single. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. followed with a single and Geraldo Perdomo grounded into a fielder’s choice to put runners on first and third with two outs.

Doval got Jace Peterson to fly out to left for the final out, earning his MLB-leading 33rd save. The Giants improved to 52-0 when leading after eight innings.

Arizona was 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position, leaving seven runners on base. The D-backs have been held to nine runs in their last five games.

“We’re all battling a certain degree of frustration in here,” Lovullo said. “This hasn’t been easy. But we can’t feel sorry for ourselves. We can’t just go to sleep and say it’s going to happen. We’ve got to find a way out of this.”

FIRST PITCH

Golden State Warriors first-round draft pick Brandin Podziemski threw out the first pitch before the game. Podziemski, a 6-foot-5 guard, played baseball growing up.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Giants 2B Thairo Estrada (fractured left hand) continued his rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento and could be reinstated from the injured list as soon as Saturday.

ROSTER MOVE

The Diamondbacks optioned OF Kyle Lewis to Triple-A Reno to make room on the roster for newly-acquired OF Tommy Pham, who went 0 for 3 with a walk.

UP NEXT

Diamondbacks: RHP Merrill Kelly (9-5, 3.23 ERA) opens a three-game series at Minnesota on Friday night. The Twins counter with RHP Bailey Ober (6-5, 3.19).

Giants: Open a two-game series at Oakland on Saturday. Neither team had announced a starting pitcher. San Francisco took the first two games of the Bay Bridge Series last week at Oracle Park.

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