Giants a season-high nine games over .500

After playing just 60 games last season, the Giants knew that transitioning back to a traditional 162-game schedule would test their depth in unexpected ways.

Six weeks into the season, the Giants opened a road trip in Pittsburgh without Brandon Belt (side tightness), Brandon Crawford (vaccine side effects), Alex Dickerson (shoulder impingement), Tommy La Stella (hamstring strain) and Donovan Solano (calf strain) in the starting lineup, but they improved to a season-high nine games over .500 anyway with a 3-1 victory over the Pirates.

With five shutout innings from starter Anthony DeSclafani and a three-run fifth inning rally that featured a home run from center fielder Steven Duggar, the Giants were able to hold off a Pirates team that’s also missing two of its leading hitters, Colin Moran and Ke’Bryan Hayes due to injury.

The Giants didn’t score in their first four innings against Pirates starter Wil Crowe, but Duggar –who wasn’t in the lineup until Belt was scratched an hour before first pitch– finally broke through with his first home run since June 11, 2019 at Petco Park.

The top of the order was able to add on as Mike Tauchman and Buster Posey each singled before Mike Yastrzemski tripled into the right field corner to push the Giants ahead 30.

Kapler and his coaching staff have earned the praise they’ve received for the timely use of pinch-hitters and substitutes this season, but his decision to pull DeSclafani for a pinch-hitter with two on, two out and a 3-0 lead in the sixth was one of the most surprising moves he’s made this season. The decision didn’t cost the Giants a win, but DeSclafani had thrown only 76 pitches, the Pirates had been held to two runs or fewer in eight of their last 10 games and Thursday’s game marked the first of 11 in a row for the Giants without a day off.

DeSclafani allowed a walk and a single in the first, but retired the final 13 Pirates hitters he faced and was clearly in a rhythm when the Giants pulled him for pinch-hitter Darin Ruf.

The veteran starter was particularly effective with his slider, which was responsible for all 10 whiffs DeSclafani generated on Thursday. DeSclafani consistently used his primary breaking ball as his putaway pitch against Pittsburgh as hitters went 0-for-11 with six strikeouts and a walk in the 12 plate appearances that ended against sliders.

Four Giants relievers held the Pirates to one run the rest of the night as righty Tyler Rogers picked up his third save of the season.