Belt’s infield single the only Giants hit in loss

PHOENIX — One starter dazzled with an array of pitches that danced and darted, flummoxed and fazed, and ultimately missed bats to the tune of 11 strikeouts in a brilliant outing.

The other starter chased a no-hitter.

Though Johnny Cueto’s dynamic changeup turned him into must-watch entertainment, it was Diamondbacks starter Patrick Corbin’s pursuit of history that forced fans to drop everything and tune into the Giants’ 1-0 loss Tuesday.

While Corbin’s bid to no-hit the Giants came up just short thanks to a Brandon Belt infield single against a shift in the top of the eighth inning, Corbin was as perfect as he needed to be to down the Giants on Tuesday.

For the ninth time in 16 games, the Giants scored one run or fewer and this time, one run would have been enough to keep the contest rolling into extra innings. Instead, a two-out RBI single from David Peralta off of Tony Watson in the bottom of the eighth was all the offense Arizona needed to support Corbin and down Cueto on a night where the words “pitcher’s duel” wouldn’t do justice to what fans witnessed.

Corbin’s brilliance wasn’t quite evident until the middle innings, but the Giants didn’t do much to challenge the D’Backs left-hander early. The lineup didn’t work deep counts and the hitters didn’t barrel up any pitches that tested defenders until the top of the third inning.

That’s when Belt hit a grounder that appeared to have enough juice to break through a shift on the right side of the infield. But just as Belt reached the middle of the first base line, third baseman Daniel Descalso — who was playing to the right of second base, launched his body at the ball, made a diving stab and stood up to throw Belt out at first.