SF brings the bats, beats down Arizona

Casali has big game at the dish, 4 RBIs in Giants’ victory

Led by a starting pitcher who’s well on his way to his first career All-Star appearance and a catcher who enjoyed one of the best offensive days of his career, the Giants’ battery keyed a sweep of an Arizona Diamondbacks team that couldn’t catch a break if it was hit right at them.

Ace Kevin Gausman tossed 8.0 innings of two-run ball and Buster Posey’s backup, Curt Casali, launched his first home run of the season and added a RBI triple in a 10-3 victory that helped the 44-25 Giants improve to 19 games over .500.

Casali’s first inning home run marked the team’s 100th of the season in its 69th game, making the 2021 Giants the third-fastest team in franchise history to reach the century mark behind only the 1947 club (67 games) and the 2000 squad (68 games).

Casali became the first Giants catcher to hit a home run and a triple in the same game since the lightning-quick Bengie Molina accomplished the feat on April 29, 2009.

The D’backs rushed ace Zac Gallen back from the injured list in an effort to break their road losing skid, but after throwing just 45 pitches in a simulated outing in extended spring training last weekend, Gallen clearly wasn’t at his best against the Giants.

The right-hander needed more

than 30 pitches to complete the second inning as he surrendered Casali’s first home run of the season, gave up a triple to Steven Duggar and allowed a hard-hit RBI single to Mauricio Dubón. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Gallen’s inning marked the 23rd time this season an opposing pitcher has needed at least 30 pitches to complete an inning against the Giants, which is the fourth-most such innings in the majors behind the White Sox, Dodgers

and Astros.

Arizona had its bullpen in action in the second inning, but allowed Gallen to return to the mound for the third. The decision didn’t help the D’backs as Mike Yastrzemski led off the inning with an opposite-field double before reaching third on a wild pitch and scoring on a Wilmer Flores sacrifice fly.

Gausman held the D’backs to one hit in his first six innings of work and the lone single came courtesy of Gallen, who hit a line drive to right field that nearly resulted in a 9-3 putout when Yastrzemski fired to Belt covering first base.

PHOTOS BY ERIC RISBERG — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The Giants’ Curt Casali slides into home plate to score near Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Carson Kelly during the seventh inning Thursday in San Francisco. Casali scored after the Giants’ Steven Duggar doubled to deep right field.

Giants starting pitcher Kevin Gausman works in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks Thursday in San Francisco.

ERIC RISBERG — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The Giants’ Curt Casali, right, hits an RBI triple to deep right center field off Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Riley Smith in the fifth inning Thursday in San Francisco. Diamondbacks catcher Carson Kelly, left, looks on.